We spent four amazing days in Amsterdam and could have spent four more. To be clear, we did not partake in two of the more infamous “attractions” of the city; smoking at the coffee shops or opening any doors in the Red Light District. Still, Amsterdam will go down as one of our absolute favorite places to visit. The weather was perfect, about 75 and sunny each day without rain or clouds, which is apparently rather uncommon. We immediately rented bikes and spent the next few days cycling in and around the city center. The biking here was far less stressful than in Copenhagen, partly due to the mass number of tourists and the numerous canals preventing people from going too fast on straight stretches. We were even able to bring our bikes on ferries and trains as we ventured further afield. We spent our days in Amsterdam wondering around the many beautiful neighborhoods, taking walking tours, visiting the Van Gogh museum and listening to Rick Steve’s Podcasts on each neighborhood (the Red Light District can be a bit creepy but quite interesting). After spending time in two other famous canal-draped cities, Venice and St. Petersburg, Amsterdam was our winner. It has some eclectic and striking architecture, a fantastic café culture with plenty of tasty beers on tap and a great diversity of neighborhoods. One day we ventured out to Zaans Schans and visited the working windmills just outside the city. We then cycled back 25 kilometers to town along the various bike paths with great signage. The Netherlands has certainly prioritized biking over vehicle and pedestrian usage and I think it works well for both tourists and locals. We fell in love with the laid back society and sweeping bike culture and both agree with their pragmatic approach to soft drug use and prostitution. Hey, if it’s going to happen, you might as well control it and tax it. Regardless, we hope to be back in Amsterdam again in the near future.

From Amsterdam we made a few pit stops to visit some good friends. We first stopped in Dusseldorf, Germany to visit Karen and Dennis, whom we met while traveling Vietnam and Laos. They toured us around their great city and to Cologne, about a 30 minute drive away. The Cologne Cathedral is magnificent and nearly rivals the Duomo in Milan. Plus, perfume was actually invented in Cologne! We enjoyed trading YouTube clips of what Germans think Americans are like (not good) and quizzing them on German social benefits. This might not sound exciting to you, but have you ever thought about voluntarily quitting your job, traveling for seven months and coming back home to collect unemployment benefits at over 60% of your prior salary? Uh huh, right…

Next up, we headed to Brussels to meet up with former Denverite Michael (aka Finelli) and his Flemish lady friend, Siska. We were in Belgium for just over two days, but I think we received a well-rounded tour of the country. We participated in one of the best walking tours to date in Brussels, explored Michael and Siska’s town of Leuven, took a day trip to Brugge and had dinner in a beautiful rural area called Damme. Belgium has some striking architecture and Brugge certainly lives up to its reputation as a top place to see. It was a great visit and we will miss the incredible selection of beers and copious amounts of French fries.  On a side note, we learned that almost all Belgium kitchens have a built in frialator to make French fries on the reg. Also, Belguims swear non-stop to the tune of F*ck and Sh*t because these words are not derogatory in their language. So next time you hear a Belgium curse in English, don’t sweat it.

As the international portion of our trip winds down, we are heading to our last European country, Portugal. Honestly, we are so happy to explore a new country that doesn’t worship the french fry, chocolate or cheese. Our bodies needs a break!