Action-Packed Amsterdam - Day 44

    Nine in the morning is WAAAAYYY to early to wake up after a night like that. What were we thinking!?! Two words: rough morning. Ugh. I guess we were thinking that we had a lot of shit to do and only a few days in which to do it so CHOP CHOP! 

    We started with breakfast at ANY restaurant that could accommodate seven people. We were so hungry that we weren't all that picky.

Best coffee drink ever. But God help me, I can't pronounce it to order it! 

Once we "parked our party" (shout out to my Martha!), we headed to the Heineken Brewery where we took the tour and drank some delicious, ice cold (THANK GOD! TAKE NOTE ENGLAND!) beer. Yum. (By the way, I am a Master Pourer. I took the test. You're welcome. So next time you need someone to man the keg, I'm your man, kids. Leave it to a professional.) ;) 

Wort tasting.

Slaving over a hot stove!

Baby Heinie for the first tasting! Proost!

         Then we walked to Nine Streets, grabbed super-lame toasties (they don't do snack foods so well here in Amsterdam, that's for sure) and took them to munch on while standing in line at the Anne Frank house. We took the tour at the Anne Frank house and it was, as expected, very moving - so interesting for me as a teacher who used to teach that book. Being in that space really gave me a different perspective and greater insight. (Sorry, no photography was allowed.)
      We meandered across the canal over to the Cheese Museum , which may have been the highlight   

of the day! Free samples. Tons of delicious cheese. Haven't eaten in hours. Sign me up! 

      Before heading towards home to find a spot for dinner, we decided to take a stroll through the Red Light District, just to see what it was about. You know what they say... when in Rome, right? It was shady and kinda awesomely fascinating! The only problem for me? Why are you people bringing your kids to this area?!? What is wrong with you?!? A daycare next to a whorehouse? Nope. Not okay. And ironically, there was the city's oldest church smack dab in the middle of the district. Hmm.... a little weird if you ask me. 

Why are the streets in the part of town so oddly narrow?!

       Finally, we made it to Bella Sonatas for a tasty Italian dinner before strolling home and tucking in for an early night. Sadly, Dana leaves tomorrow to go home. Boo! But I'm glad we got a chance to share some of this craziness together. We #didthedam2013 and am ready to plan our next trip! Just name the time and place!

Amsterdam at sunset. No filter!