Amsterdam - days 1 and 2.

Lesson number one from Amsterdam - if you don't ride a bike then you don't fit in. They are bike crazy here. I am used to cyclists being at the bottom of the food chain and everyone hating them, but here they rule the road. I was nearly killed by a scooter as I was yet to grasp the concept of bike lanes, tram tracks and normal road.

Lesson number two from Amsterdam - this city is beautiful. We have had an amazing time here. Day one we arrived about 8am and after dropping our bags at the hostel we went wandering (making sure to avoid the bikes) and immediately noticed that most people here speak better English than we do. We stopped in a KFC to plan our day out and the next thing I knew it was half an hour later and the girls were ready to go. Best disco nap ever. We walked to Dam Sq to meet Andrea (my sister-in-law-to-be) and on her recommendation we went to find Begijnhof. Begijnhof is a small walled square cut off from the rest of the city where only single religious women are allowed to live. It was the most beautiful place.

We then went to the flower market. Oh my. I was not aware there was so many types of tulip. There's a tulip for every occasion! There is also a cheese for every occasion, we went to 2 different cheese cellars and took cheese tasting to the extreme. There was mustard and pickles everywhere. Heaven. We then stumbled upon a chip shop. Inside this chip shop was the most beautiful man in the world who made the most unreal chips. He is a chip god. I think I love him.

We visited Anne Frank's house in the evening which was really good. There was a strange air about the place. Everyone was so respectful and quiet and it was strange to think that we were actually stood in the rooms they hid in. The statements and interviews from friends and relatives were so moving. We decided here that we will certainly be stopping at Auchwitz when we are in Krakow.

Day 2 brought the arrival of Amsterdam lesson 3 - Europeans cannot dress. Dear lord it is horrendous. Today I counted 10 pictures on my phone of different people who's outfits appalled me. Top of the hit list was a middle aged woman wearing diamanté studded jeans that had the word 'jeans' embroidered down one leg. I nearly dropped my ice cream on a pigeon when I saw her.

After photographing some horrors, we went on the river cruise and learnt lots of factoids about the city. For example, Amsterdam has 1000 bridges across its canal system. Oh yeah. Wowed by a factoid. After some more wandering round, and a cheeky Heineken and colossal apple pie, we found ourselves wandering past some interesting windows and after being informed by a man outside a male strip club that it was apparently 'banana time' we decided it was probably home time. Dee has vowed never to eat a banana again.

Amsterdam has been amazing. The people have been so friendly and the food is unbelievable. We will definitely be making a weekend trip here in a few months. We have been attacked by stalker wasps, napped in KFC, fell in love with a chip god and it is only day 2! 6am train to Berlin tomorrow morning, then a night train to Malmö at 9pm where we'll meet Dee's Mum and Dad the Swedish leg of our trip. Roll on day 3!

Ps - Mum I know you'll read this. I am alive, eating properly, haven't bought any shoes and not talking to (many) strangers. And I honesty enjoyed Begijnhof more than the 'window shopping'... Promise.