What a whirlwind it’s been for the past couple of weeks,
culminating in my trip with Steve to Amsterdam. This past Friday, Steve and I
were on a bus to Rome at 6 a.m. with only a few hours of sleep the night
before. We had a 3 p.m. flight from Rome to Amsterdam to catch.
We got to the airport with enough time to hit the McDonalds.
It might seem to most people that, “why would anyone want McDonald’s in Italy?”
However, after 4 weeks of the same type of food, my multinational palate needed
something besides pizza, pasta and fish. So I had a chicken sandwich and a
snack wrap, both hit the spot (I’ll save burgers for the US). 
Our flight was great, and the first night in Amsterdam was
very fun. It was also cold. I needed long pants and long sleeves, Steve wore a
jacket. We found Pancake Corner, a place in Leidesplein with cheap drinks and
food. All you can eat racks of ribs for only 10 euros. We would hit the place
up three more times throughout our stay, and I tried the pancakes (crepes)
twice.
The full day we had there started late, like out of the
hotel by 1. Somehow we both slept well into the morning. Great blackout
curtains at the hotel. When we hit the town we got the see the Heineken Factory
experience and the Anne Frank House. Heineken was a lot of fun, including four
beers. The Anne Frank House was very powerful and moving.
At night, we strolled past the coffee shops, fry stands, and
bars, entering a few for extra cold Heinekens. We took a walk past the windows
of Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District which was teaming with families
including some young children, which was surprising. Then we settled into our
favorite Leidesplein restaurant, the Pancake Corner.
Yesterday, we headed back to Rome where We stayed at the
airport Hilton. We took the shuttle in, had dinner in Piazza Navona, and then
headed back to the hotel for a nightcap. It was a very fun trip, but also
tiring with all of the walking and standing in line.
