Weekend in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Chuck's great, great, (great) grandparents hail from the Netherlands, so we decided to take a trip to the homeland while Chuck's mom was visiting us.

We spent a few days in Amsterdam and then stopped at the Zaanse-schans for a couple of hours.

Chuck and I visited Amsterdam, Alkmaar, and the Keukenhof last April, so it was a welcomed return to a city we enjoyed. For a chilly weekend in December, the city was bustling with activity.

Rather than check into a hotel, I found a B&B that had two bedrooms. We stayed at the Dumas and Considine Bed and Breakfast, which was a nice alternative to a hotel. I'll post more about the lodging later.

Some of the highlights:

• Coffee at Café Thijssen while Chuck's mom explored the flower market
• Finding a great little cheese store tucked in a little corner of the flower market
• Taking a river cruise
• Heineken Brewery tour
• A trip to the ER
• Watching the ice skaters
• Noshing on a warm chocolate dipped waffle

A few pictures.

Zaanse Schans near Amsterdam

About 20 minutes north of Amsterdam is the Zaanse Schans in the town of Zaandam, Netherlands. The Zaanse Schans is basically a dutch park with windmills, a museum, cheese shops, wooden shoe shops, and other souvenier shops.

The park is free to enter, with the exception of a few windmills (3Euro per person), the museum (7.5Euro per person), and parking (7Euros for the day).

As Chuck and his mom wandered around taking pictures, I was busy shopping. Sadly, I didn't find anything in the diamond center, but I did find some shoes and a few paintings. No, I didn't buy those crazy wooden shoes!

Oh, and who can pass up some good cheese from the Netherlands? Yummy!

A few pictures.