We arrived at Schipol International Airport without too much bother. The airport itself is fantastic, and even had a free ice-skating ring out the front, which the kids were quick to find and enjoy.
The kids enjoyed a decent skate before we boarded our shuttle bus over to our hotel, the Jupiter. From the moment we walked in, they were so very friendly and helpful. The lady who greeted us had enough black eyeliner on to start her own caberet but she was really sweet and even upgraded us to one of their premium rooms.
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| The lady actually winked at me and whispered 'the romantic room' to me as she signed us in...she obviously has no idea what travelling with kids who have managed to fight across 10 countries is like.... |
Once we were settled in and had freshened up, we went off in search of something to eat. The location of the hotel was fantastic, just a short walk to the Leidseplein area, which is a lively family-friendly area. We found a place that served unlimited spare ribs that the kids thought was a great idea...and they even went back for seconds with the ribs even though the meal was massive.
With very full tummies, we made our way back to the hotel for a very comfortable night's sleep.
The next day we were up and ready to explore Amsterdam. We made our way on foot and then tram to Main Station, snapping some gorgeous shots along the way...
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| Breathtaking! |
Once we got into the centre of town, we decided to book ourselves onto the hop on-hop off double-decker bus tour.
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| Centraal Station with trams in the foreground |
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| View from the top front seats of the double decker bus |
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| Ready for her bus ride!!! |
We also decided to take the opportunity to visit the Ice Bar as well, something that Cairns could well do with. Again, photos weren't allowed inside the bar, but we all enjoyed hanging out in minus 10 degrees where drank (juice for the kids) out of glasses made from ice and watched a 4D show. The kids really enjoyed this. We took a wander around some Dutch markets here as well.
Of course, no trip to Amsterdam would be complete without a canal tour. It is amazing how many people live in boats and bungalows on the sides of the canals. A council permit is required when anyone wants to move their houseboat (or any other kind of watercraft) so many of them are pretty much permanent fixtures.
When we got back to the hotel, the kids settled in for the night. Alas, I found myself unable to settle and was so far from tired it wasn't funny. Lucky for me, I was in Amsterdam and was soon enjoying a few Heineken from the vending machine in the lobby and all was good.
The next day we set out for Zaanse Schans, a little Dutch town full of windmills and clogs and all things Dutch!
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| And isn't alway about the food???? |
After exploring our little Dutch village, we headed back into town to make our way over to the Ann Frank House. We booked an introductory talk (in English), which was great for the kids, and I was glad to listen to before we took a tour of the house.
It just breaks my heart to know that this bright young girl went through so much only to lose the battle right at the end of the war. After losing her mother and sister, I wonder if she had only known her father had survived, would she have found the will to live on at the end?
Whilst we were waiting for our talk to start, we spent a few moments in the bookshop. Sequoia was most horrified to see me start to cry just going through the photo book that we ended up buying, but I must admit that the whole experience was a very emotional one for me.
The house itself was a lot larger than I had thought when I was reading the book. However, Ann's father has decided to leave the rooms bare unless the original furniture was available, so I guess it would have been much cosier with all their things and so many people in what really is a small area.
It was quite eerie treading the stairs where Ann had made her way between the floors, trying to be quieter than a mouse - how hard would it have been for a girl who just wanted to run around outside like my children can do every day.
As I've already stated, I really loved Amsterdam - definitely one of my favourite cities! If only I spoke Dutch!!!
What a wonderful ending to an incredible holiday. I know that this should be 'the holiday of a lifetime', but I have decided that my travels certainly won't stop here!
Much to Sequoia's chargrin, I was already looking up new destinations from our Amsterdam hotel room...I'm thinking Russia will definitely be on the itinerary next!
Our final morning in Amsterdam, we made our way back to the airport with plenty of time for the kids to do some more outdoor ice-skating before we boarded our long flight home.
We scored on our flight! We were right down the rear of the plane and as it was, it was barely full back there so there was enough room for us all to lay out on the seats for our 12 hr journey - much more comfortable than sitting upright in a tiny little space for all that time.
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