When I signed off last evening, I was still waiting for the arrival of my brother, John. I noticed that his flight into Amsterdam was delayed almost an hour. He sent me a text once he was in Amsterdam and at the meeting cube. I called the driving company on my sister's phone (because she has a data plan with Verizon) and told them that he was there. It took a good hour for a driver to get there and for him to arrive. Once he did, it was 1:30 am, but Missy and I were glad to see him. Despite the super long day of travel, he was in good spirits, and a bit wired. We talked for awhile and then all went to sleep. 

We had our typical European breakfast of bread, cheeses, meat and yogurt this morning . I was still tired, so after breakfast I zonked out for another hour. The plan was to spend most of the day in Amsterdam, as we had tickets to the Anne Frank House at 5 pm. I ordered tickets online in December because I read the lines can get long to get in. 

We walked to the end of the road (about .8 mile) and caught the bus into central Amsterdam. We exchanged our cash at "Pott Change," which I had read had very good rates. We then walked past the Anne Frank House and saw the line with at least 200 people. Because we had some time before going there at 5 pm, we decided to take a canal tour and stop at a small pub for a beer. We also went to a market and bought some souvenirs. Dad was cold, so he bought a wool sweater from Norway, as well as a hat from Italy. Of course, he was told what a great deal both of them were (haha). But they actually looked very nice on him. 

I had been to the Anne Frank House in 2001. It still is the number one tourist attraction, and for good reason. It's amazing that the place she and her family hid is still preserved. 

We had a nice dinner at a typical cafe, and then walked back to the station where we caught the 312 bus to our stop in Monnickendam. It was a cool day, but mostly sunny, and we were able to see a lot. Dad was in awe of Amsterdam, especially the buildings and how they "go on and on." He really wasn't expecting that. He also said we should've done this city last, because it will be tough to beat. True, but I'm thinking he will find Bruges pretty adorable as well. 

Tomorrow, we head back to the airport via train and pick up our rental car to head to Bruges. I'm hoping the GPS works. :)

Thanks for reading,
Jamie