I wish I had more observations about Amsterdam to share since it was the reason for our trip to Europe, and whenever I thought about our upcoming vacation I would think “Amsterdam!” But we were only there for three days, and that was when my pneumonia was pretty bad and I was adjusting to the time change. Other than that, I have only positive recollections of being there. Our Airbnb was pretty sweet – definitely the best shower situation, and the best view. We had a private rooftop terrace, which was really perfect for watching the fireworks for hours on New Year’s Eve. Walking around outside (which we did a lot of), everything is so charming and delightful. I honestly don’t remember there being that many cars on the road, just tons and tons of bicycles (we did spot a parked Wagoneer!). I loved riding the tram; I thought the system was really easy to use. I feel this way about all three cities we visited, of course, but Amsterdam is definitely a place I want to go back to in the spring or summer.

On our last day in the city, Nathaniel and I went to OBA, the central library. Then we walked around the area where the Anne Frank House, and the Tulip Museum and the Cheese Museum (just for a quick look) are. Walking back to our place from Electric Ladyland, the museum of fluorescent art, to see if it happened to be open, we discovered this wonderful shop called The Otherist, which I loved. I bought my one and only Amsterdam souvenir there. In the afternoon, we made our way toward the Van Gogh Museum to meet Nat’s parents, who were coming from the Rijksmuseum. No photos were allowed, but I can report that it was a wonderful museum. It was very neat to see Sunflowers and The Bedroom and Wheatfield with Crows. After that, we got probably the best meal of the entire trip, at a place called Restaurant Classico. We had cheese wheel pasta, which is as amazing as it sounds. A perfect sendoff on our last night before leaving for Paris.