Day 15 - Amsterdam

Our good fortune turned a bit sour today as we arrived in Amsterdam. Catching our train and the ride north into the Netherlands was smooth enough, but accommodations were hard to find. This was one of the few places on our trip for which we did not make reservations in advance. We had been told that places to stay are abundant and easy to find. True, except during September when conferences can sweep up just about every room to be had. So we ended up following a scruffy Irishman from the city information center into the red light district to find a room at a backpacker's hostel. Although the location was not desirable or particularly safe, the accommodations were live-able and we ended up meeting some very nice roommates. We found that we were not the only travelers to come to Amsterdam under-prepared with a place to stay.

We re-grouped from our small set-back and ventured out to take a canal boat tour of the city. The tour pointed out the city's major tourist attractions and some not-so-well known historical monuments. Among them, the small house in Amsterdam - a mere 3 meters wide! Then we walked to the Anne Frank House Museum, which was very well done and extremely interesting. We had an early (delicious) dinner at the Oud Holland Restaurant and retired fairly early to our noisy room. Roommates, much younger than us, came and went most of the night and we didn't get a lot of sleep...