Leaving Amsterdam Behind (part 3 of 3)

On our last full day in the canal city, we woke up to our usual routine of shower and breakfast. The food was exactly the same and everything else seemed normal as well except for a random comment made by our wonderful host, Vlad. Well, maybe not so random considering that he already put the vibe out on Rob. Anyway, it made our morning when Vlad asked Rob, "Would you like some tea, Tiger?" This would seem normal if you were Tony of Frosted Flakes fame, but not so normal when you are devouring some freshly baked croissants. Obviously, we could not burst out laughing at the moment so we used all our strength to save it until the morning stroll to the Heineken Brewery.

The Heineken Brewery was our first stop on the agenda for the day. Despite the fact that Rob doesn't drink and Elizabeth is a light weight, we still decided to do the tour because it's one of the worlds most famous beers and it originated in Amsterdam. We went in not expecting too much but left pleased that we took the full "Heineken Experience." Some of the highlights included:
1. Since Rob is a history fanatic, he enjoyed the extensive detail and information about the days of yore of Heineken.
2. We got to go on a mini ride (if you want to call it that) that took us through the whole process from the hops to bottling. It was one of those simulation rides where you watch a screen and you move according to what you watch. We even got sprayed with beer...well maybe just water.
3. They had a plethora of interactive technologies that were fun to play around with. We even made a video that is available for viewing for up to one more month.
4. We did have one random experience during the tour...three random dudes were following us throughout half the tour. Somehow, they managed to get into many of our pictures and drink Rob's sample beer (Elizabeth was quite ticked). What made it even weirder, was that one of the guys lives in Chicago. We managed to ditch them because Elizabeth had to make one of her frequent bathroom stops.

After the tour, we walked around the shopping areas and found something we would never find in Denmark. It was a giant cafeteria where you could get pretty much any type of food you could imagine (Rob's eyes were HUGE). Let us make something clear, this was not cafeteria food, this was cafeteria style complete with trays and grab your own silverware...pretty much college style. The food, however, was along the lines of Whole Foods quality. We enjoyed it so much, we went for seconds oh wait...maybe thirds and left the place ten pounds heavier. Why did we spend a paragraph talking about some random food place? Because it was SWEET!

After we finished eating, we headed out to meet up with our boat tour. In Amsterdam you could find a million canal tour operators but we found something a little more off the beaten path. It was a non-profit organization who only did one or two tours a night. There boat could only fit about 15 people and did not have a covering. This was both good and bad. Good, because it allowed our boat to go where the larger tourists boats could not which allowed us to see a variety of things. Bad, because it was colder than Shaq at the free throw line. It was actually their first trip out in over two weeks and the guide called us "Brave Souls." Some highlights included:
1. A stroll through the Red Light District from the safety of our boat. We got to see the bright lights, ladies in the windows(advised not to take photos of) and the many sketchy characters walking around.
2. Being on the water and seeing the city from a different perspective with all the lights and tunnels made for a romantic outing.
3. It was technically free except for tips.

That concluded our trip in Amsterdam. We hope to be able to go back during the summer when the tulips are out and the weather is nicer. We also want to see some more things we didn't get to see because there is just so much to do in and around Amsterdam. Basically, you MUST go there.