Last full day in Amsterdam

#rick #amsterdam

We've had everyone so busy that the kids haven't had time to sit down with their computers and write another post, but they are gathering pictures and ideas so will see if their stories come together. Still having technical issues, so will need to come back with pictures later.

We visited the Van Gogh museum on Monday and it was a huge hit. Turns out Graham loves museums, which tracks as he does love to absorb new information and ideas. We let both the kids roam free, and it was great to be able to check back in every 45min or so and get a quick download on what they were seeing.

Yesterday we headed out of town to the Zaanse Schanse, which felt a bit like a "Pioneer Village" but highlighting industrial production of the 17th century - windmills. We got a perfect day for it. Worth it for a couple of hours if you want to visit windmills, cheese shops, and wooden shoe shops, which Emilie and the kids 100% wanted to do. Was a little disappointed that the bike rentals we were expected never materialized and I think a cruise around the area would have been fantastic.

We explored a new part of Amsterdam that last two nights. From our apartment we've been following the Amstel River out of town, essentially walking south on the eastern side of the canal. The area seems to have far fewer tourists, though not specifically quieter as the waterfront is full of people enjoying the nice weather. We had a great dinner on a patio on the canal at a restaurant called "De Ysbreeker."

Big day today. We have to fit in all of the activities we've missed far.

9am - Canal Cruise - Ruby

10am - Pick up Rental Bikes, and get supplies for Picnic in Vondelpark - Rick & Em

12:45pm - Anne Frank Museum

3pm - Modern Art Museum - Graham

First travel hiccup showed up late last night when we got an email letting us know our flight to Chania is cancelled. We've rebooked on separate airline to fly to Heraklion and will drive to Chania. It's inconvenient, but at least we have a plan. The process to get our money back from TransAvia is not obvious, but hopefully doesn't consume too much mental energy.