Day Nine: Thursday, May 17th
Thursday morning, we left Hotel Jacobs took the bus to Amsterdam! I was excited for Amsterdam, but was sad to leave Bruge. The first thing we did in Amsterdam was walk to the Rijks Museum. We didn't have much time there, but we had enough to see Van Gogh's self portrait and a few other pieces. Then, we took the short walk to the "I Amsterdam" sign. I'm so glad we got pictures there! It was fun taking them in and around all the letters. Next stop was the Anne Frank House. It was sad, yet fascinating to walk through a piece of World War 2 history. We then took a walking food tour around Amsterdam and learned more about the city and its history. We shopped for a bit and ended the day at a little Italian restaurant for dinner. It was a fun first day in Amsterdam!
Day Ten: Friday, May 18th
The first thing we did on Friday was take a train to a little village named Zaanse Schans. It was on the water, and there were windmills and small buildings scattered along the coast. Zaanse Schans was picture-perfect. We went inside the bottom of a windmill and did a bit of souvenir shopping. One of the best parts was going to the Henry Willig Cheese Shop. There were so many different cheeses to try, and we even got to see a cheese making demonstration! After the cheese shop, we went into a clog shop. There were clogs all along the walls, and we got to see a demonstration there as well. A worker showed us how they make clogs from start to finish, and it was quite entertaining to watch. We stopped for some warm apple beignets and took the train back to the city. When we got back, we decided to take a boat tour of Amsterdam. It was such a cool experience to ride through the man-made canals and see Amsterdam from that perspective. We had a late lunch, and then it was time to take the bus back to Frankfurt, Germany! It was sad to leave Amsterdam & we had an awesome, jam-packed 24 hours.
Clogs & Windmills
Zaanse Schans was beautiful and had fun Dutch-themed photo ops!
Wall of Clogs
In the clog workshop, there were clogs everywhere- even the ceiling!
City of Canals
Wherever you walk, you cross bridges over these beautiful man-made canals.
Zaanse Schans
Zaanse Schans is a Dutch neighborhood full of windmills and traditional shops.
Have a Gouda Day
Inside the cheese shop, there were wheels of cheese lining every wall.
I Amsterdam Sign
A group of us in & around the "A" in the classic "I Amsterdam" sign.