Day 4: "Let's get Van Gogh-ing!"

We started out the day bright and early- 7:30AM to be precise- and made our way straight for the Van Gogh Museum, as we heard the line for tickets was dreadful. Breakfast was humble leftovers, and we took the tram down to the museum. The line was long, but it wasn't as long as we thought it would be, as we arrived about 10 minutes before the museum opened.
After getting our tickets and our audio tours, we put our headphones on and began our stroll through the museum. We saw many of Van Gogh's famous pieces, including Almond Blossoms, The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, and Irises. I would've had someone take pictures but we weren't allowed, so you can instead imagine how beautiful they were in real life.

Once we finished our museum tour, we headed down to the shop to find everything either overpriced or disappointing. So, we instead decided to shop around outside as we made our way to the Rijks museum, the most famous museum in the Netherlands. We stopped for sodas on the way there and got our pictures in front of the I Amsterdam sign.

Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate that...

The Rijks museum was absolutely amazing- not only were the works of art there beautiful, but the building itself was breathtaking, filled with detailed floor mosaics and stained glass art. We saw the Night Watch by Rembrandt, a few Vermeers, and a couple Monets, as well. We had a few favorites from lesser known artists. There was one picture of some children teaching a cat to dance while an old man yelled at them through a window, and a 7 foot long painting of some guy's interpretation of the rapture. Fun stuff. 

However, we made the mistake of not eating lunch before entering the museum, so we all got tired and hungry by the time we were on the second floor. After a quick snack, we went through a collection of boat models, jewelry, guns, and fine china, which was quite impressive. We even saw a harpsichord that folded up to the size of a golf bag- so you can take your harpsichord with you on the go!

After the museums, we stopped by the Chipsy King for some fries, and headed back to the hotel for another break. We played a round of hearts - which I lost - but I did get to drop the queen on Mom, which was a victory in itself. 

At about 4 we headed down to the station and took the ferry to Northern Amsterdam. It was like a completely different town- it seemed almost abandoned. There were only a few people around, and the buildings were covered in graffiti and worn down by time. However, the true treasure awaited us at the end of a small port- the legendary Pancake Boat. 

If you know Abby, you know how excited she was when the glittering pancake boat approached from around the corner. We got seated on the top deck of the boat and eventually began getting pancakes from the buffet. What is called a "pancake" in Amsterdam is clearly very different from what we call a "pancake" in the states. We were presented with what looked like crepes- flat, flaky pastries instead of fluffy ones. They were delicious! We got to pick from a wide array of toppings- bacon, eggs, peaches, marshmallows, sprinkles, you name it. Abby and Dad were going to have a competition, but both of them gave up at 3. Me? Just 1. Mom had 2. 

Afterwards, we waited 30 minutes for a ferry before heading back to our hotel. It was a fun and exciting day, and we all went to bed early, as tomorrow the train is leaving at 8:02...

Sarah Jackson

Day 3: "Can we go back to the cheese mill?"

Hello everyone! Yet another exciting day in Amsterdam has come and gone...
Due to weather changes, we made the executive decision that it would be best to do the windmills today instead of tomorrow, so we wouldn't have to walk through the rain. We all got about 12 hours of sleep and didn't get moving until around 8:30 Amsterdam time- very fortunate on our part. Breakfast for me and Abby was donuts from the Dunkin' Donuts across the street. We then made the 15 minute hike to the train station.
When we arrived at the train station, we purchased two-way tickets to a small suburb of Amsterdam near a lake, where we would get to see the windmills. After a couple train changes and general confusion, we made it successfully to the village to see what we came for- the windmills.
The first stop was the bakery. I had eaten donuts for breakfast so I was a little uncomfortable (the bakery was hot and stuffy), but the rest of my family was eager to purchase Stroopwaffels from inside. In the meantime, I made a few new friends- a duck and a couple of sheep! We then made a stop at the cheese mill, where we got to watch a demonstration on how cheese is made- and sample different types of cheese. In Amsterdam, cheese is traditionally eaten with mustard or cheese sauce, which was a new experience for us. We also explored quite the variety of cheeses- Sheep cheese?
After that, we made our way to the other mills in the area. The linseed mill was first. Linseed oil is used for leatherworking and paint, so it's quite common. The seeds were ground up by the mill into a fine powder, which was heated to the perfect temperature before being placed in a leather bag. The bag would go into the sides of a wedge, which was pushed down by the mill, squishing the linseed powder into the oil. We got to climb up the ladders and go to the second layer, and the third, which was outside of the mill so you could look over the river and see the blades. The mill could be turned to face any direction, depending on the wind.
Next we went to the color mill, which ground up materials for dyes. Not much to say about this one, it was a fairly simple design. After that, though, was the sawmill. The sawmill was one of the original mills in the village, but fell after industrialization began. The mill we saw today was a reconstruction from 2007 of the same mill that would have existed in the 1600s. The mill was extremely complicated and I don't understand entirely how everything works, but the mechanical knowledge that would be required to build it was amazing for the time.

After the windmills, we went back to the cheese mill for another round of samples. I met a goat! We took the train back to the main city and headed for Our Lord in the Attic, a 3 story church in the attics of two houses from the mid 1600s. During that time period, Protestants took over Amsterdam and Catholics were forbidden to worship in public. They were, however, free to practice their religion as long as it was done in private, so a wealthy merchant decided to construct a church in the attics of two houses. The church was extremely detailed, and even had an organ! I was amazed by the architecture and the small size. We also got to peek into what life was like for people during the 1600s.
Once we finished in the church, we decided to go get fries for lunch, or as the locals call them, "Frites." They were fantastic and quite filling, especially covered with cheese! We had a lot of water to fuel ourselves for the afternoon. We then strolled around and found a beautiful church to explore- it was under construction so the organ was missing, but it was still stunning. The stained glass was impressive, especially considering it was made in 1555. The church dated back to 1306, and painter Rembrandt's wife was buried there as well.

Abby and I ventured into a chocolate shop while Mom and Dad found a boat tour, and we soon found ourselves buying some chocolate covered cherries. We didn't realize, however, that when the lady said they were filled with alcohol, she meant actual liquid alcohol. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I bit into the cherry and liquor came spilling out. The alcohol burned my mouth a little but the cherry tasted fabulous.
As planned, we went on a boat tour after. It was quite pleasant, getting to sit around in the boat while the tour was read to us from a headset. We saw a lucky bridge, a house with 6 heads on it, and a ton of different Canals.
After a break in the hotel room, we concluded our night at a pizza parlor run by a family from Italy. We spent a while there enjoying the pizza- cheese and pepperoni, of course- and a nice break from the chaos of our day. We trotted home in the rain, planning our day for tomorrow, which I'll update you on later. It was a pretty thrilling day, and I'm glad I got to spend it with my 3 favorite people.
Sarah Jackson

Day 2: "It needs more salt"

Sorry for the late update- it was a long day yesterday...

After 10 hours of sleep between the four of us, we arrived in Amsterdam at about 8:15AM Amsterdam time, a.k.a 1AM Central Time. We had to get here by train, which was actually a really fun experience, especially considering we bought the tickets using only coins that Dad had from previous trips. The view of the countryside was lovely, and the train station in Amsterdam was absolutely astounding. We stepped out of the station and began our search for our Hotel, Old City Amsterdam.

Old City Amsterdam is run by the owners of the bike shop next to it, which is in an alley off a large street. There are bikes crowding through the alley, and always a few customers talking in Dutch to the workers. We can open the balcony from our second floor apartment room and look down on the shop.
Once we dropped our stuff at the bike shop (our room wasn't ready yet), we walked down to the Albert Cupt Marketplace. The shopkeepers sold a variety of goods- from cheese to scarves to soap! Dad decided that he was destined to eat the Herring, a rather unique fish eaten by the locals, so we bought some from a stand. It was adorned with onions and pickles, and he bought a coke to wash everything down. After one bite, he decided that the best strategy would be to eat it with the pickles to help the flavor. "It needs more salt," he commented. I found the whole situation a little fishy, so Abby and I opted for Stroopwaffel instead. We got to watch the lady make it in front of us, and enjoyed the warm honey flavor.

After making our way through the marketplace, we strolled to the Rembrandt Square, where we relaxed at a cafe and enjoyed some coffee and soda while watching the people go by. I particularly liked the fact that I could lean back and be in the sun, a luxury after hours of traveling. We also ordered the Bittenballs, which are breaded balls stuffed with beef and cheese. The flavor was nice but the texture was strange, almost a little too mushy.
Next, we walked over to the Purse and Bag Museum of Amsterdam. We used our I Amsterdam cards to get in for free, and took an audio tour through it. The traveling exhibit was "Men's Purses: The Bag Makes the Man," which was quite interesting until it turned into tennis bags. The museum has a intriguing history and was pretty enjoyable, all things considered.
We hopped on a tram for free- thanks I Amsterdam- and made our way to a different part of town, where we would head to the Anne Frank House. Our tickets were for 1 and it was only about noon, so we went across the canal to the Westerkurk and spent some time there. Being the musician that I am, I was stunned by the pipe organs and how big and intricate they were. The one in this Church in particular was amazing in both size and quantity, and the detail on it was just gorgeous.

 There are more varieties of tulips than I could possibly imagine, and we learned many interesting tulip facts- did you know Tulips originated in West Asia? Neither did I.
After that, it was time to go to the Anne Frank House. We booked our tickets months in advance, so we were all very eager to see what the museum held. The museum was an educational experience, and told a sad story. It was well done and I'm glad we went.
We'd had a very busy morning so we decided it would be best to stop back at the hotel for a break. We all napped and refreshed our energy before dinner.
Dinner was the Foodhallen, a mall food court with an extensive collection of food stands. Abby and I went for pulled pork sandwiches on Sourdough bread. Dad had the "French Steak Sandwich" which was "spectacular," and Mom had a Dutch Greens Salad. Abby and I had some chocolate ice cream for dessert. We noted that the ice cream cones were genuine waffle cones, as the ice cream was put in waffles which were wrapped in paper to keep anything from falling out. We were full, though, so we chose the cup instead.
Since we were all completely exhausted, we roamed back to our hotel and went almost straight to bed. I think that about covers yesterday- I'll be sure to update you tonight on today's activities!
Sarah Jackson

Day 1!

Here we are in the Newark Airport! It's certainly been an exciting ride here- from Mom becoming a paramedic (not really) to us meeting a tiny dog in the ladies room, after seeing a woman with hair dyed cotton-candy pink. I'm writing from the United Club, an exclusive lounge for high ranking members of United Airlines. Abby and I are set- there's free cookies, wifi, and an open bar. I'm feeling rather sleepy though, as waking up at 3:45AM and then spending a few hours on an airplane some 39 thousand feet off the ground tends to wear a person out. We're going to be spending the next few hours relaxing here, until we board the international overseas flight to Amsterdam for the night. I'll check in once we touch down.
Sarah Jackson

And so it begins.....

It is 11:53 AM Eastern Time on Sunday June 25 and we are currently sitting in the United Club at Newark (EWR) airport for our flight to Amsterdam.  We got up this morning about 3:45 Central Time and then had David Dippel drive us to the airport.   After a smooth three hours, we've arrived!   The United Club here is very nice as Sarah and Abby sample the cheese and drink Shirley Temples from the bar.  It must be rough.   That's all for now.  On to a seven hour layover.....