Amsterdam - May 7, 2010

Arrived last night after a delay on the train of more than one hour. Not bad. But a little nerve racking when you are told that they are having an issue with the electricity and you can see other trains zipping by. Electric ones! Did they forget to pat their bill!?!?!

Once we arrived. I felt very confident about where we were going because I studied the map ahead of time. At least I could remember how to get to the hotel. Right?

We did if fact have no issue getting to the hotel. 5 min from centraal. In fact we have learned that most things in the center of town are within 30 min walking. Perfect!

Resto recommendation on indonesian food was great. We came in late. Just before the kitchen was about to close up. Great food, service and staff. A lot of food. (Add more here)

Today. Got up late. Slept well though.

Booked tickets online (incl bus) to the Keukenhof. Though it is rainy. And cold. We are still going.

Should be fun.

We did not do the discounts. There is a dedicated website in English about Amsterdam for tourists:

http://www.iamsterdam.com/

We did get to see the Van Gogh museum and it turned out quite a modern building (which we liked). It also had a wine tasting event (including entertainment) on Friday night. Quite a lot of fun.

Saturday was spent walking around, stopped in at Papa Bubble and Droog and a few other spots. Just plain relaxed.

Emily found information from one of the blogs she reads: http://www.style-files.com/images/amsterdam%20guidev2.pdf

things to do in Paris

Paris on its own has more places worth seeing than most countries have to offer. It would be impossible to list everything here, but the absolute highlights are mentioned below. Please be realistic and do not assume that you will be able to see everything during a single visit to Paris. And do take your time.

Do not miss the following highlights of places to visit:

• The Eiffel Tower: if you want to save money or do not wish to cue, you may use the staircase to the second level.
• The Notre Dame: probably the most famous cathedral in the world.
• The Champs-Élysées, with, on the one side, the obelisk of Place de la Concorde and, on the other side, the Arc de Triomph in the middle of the former Place d’Étoile.
• The Louvre: with its glass pyramid, the Mona Lisa and the Venus van Milo. It is estimated that one would need nine months only to catch a glimpse of all the works of art offered by the Louvre.
• The Cimetière du Père Lachaise: the cemetery where you will, among others, find the grave of Jim Morrison and many other celebrities.
• Centre Pompidou: the most successful cultural centre in the world.
• The Sacré-Coeur: basilica on the hill of Montmartre.
• Dômes des Invalides: the grave of Napoleon Bonaparte.
• La Grande Arche: the modern triumphal arch in the La Défense business quarter.

You need to eat too, right?

Do not miss the following highlights of where to eat:

• Angelina's: