The train ride was really nice. They fed us twice. Once between Paris and Brussels. Then, an hour later, between Brussels and Antwerp.
We got into Amsterdam at about 2pm. Cloudy, but not too cool.
We managed to get a taxi to our hotel...not an easy feat. A whole line of taxis but they each had an excuse..."I'm too big, get a smaller one" "He's ahead of me" pointing the cab across the way. But finally we get one to take us in to the main part of the city...right through the red light district, of course. When he turns down the street (the canal) where the hotel is located, there is a truck blocking the way with its hazard lights on and doors open. A line of cars behind it. No one's moving. He turns around and tries to get at the street another way but we get caught in another traffic jam. A tour bus is just sitting in the road. No one is moving here either.
Finally after about 5 minutes of sitting, meter running, our driver just says, "why don't you get out here?" So we do. The hotel is only a block away. We have all our bags and stuff, but we can do it....we did it this morning through the streets of the 5e.

The hotel is really lovely. It's right on the Prinsengracht. It's a series of old canal houses connected together and very updated. We have two connecting rooms, but no kitchen. We miss our Paris apartment.

We end up just hanging out in the room for awhile, reading and relaxing. Trying to figure this city out with our maps and books.

We venture out for dinner down a nearby street. Look in several places before deciding to try a place that looks empty but a passerby says spontaneously "it's really good". We have what maybe a dutch meal, hard to tell. A lot of seafood on the menu. And meat. Just after we ordered Sarah notices something furry by her feet. It's a cat. It sticks to our table...it must know. We try hard to ignore it so that it will go away. It finally does, after the waitress almost spills an entire tray of waters after tripping over it. A few minutes later we see a dog in the back of the restaurant. What's next? A bird?
We do finally eat....
Mushrooms on toast + broiled salmon with potatoes (Marc)
Smoked salmon on toast + tomato soup (Em): she may turn into a smoked salmon by the end of this trip
Chicken in a pot with salad and french fries....(Deb and Sarah)

It's all good, and during dinner the sky opens up (for the umptheen time on this trip!) and it is really raining....we did bring one umbrella, but no one has rain coats at the restaurant!! BUT, by the time we leave it has stopped raining and we walk home dry.

We come back, order up hot cocoa and some desserts and we all watch a movie.

We are on for either the Van Gogh museum or the Anne Frank House tomorrow or maybe both.....hopefully the weather will clear.

More on that later.....