081002 - Amsterdam

081002 - Up and it was not raining today so walked to the office today, took about 20 min. It was very nice and there were many other people walking & riding around, and children riding their bike to school. As soon as I got to work the rain POURED down! Had a really full day at work. Took a break to get lunch and I attempted to go where Ger was getting lunch, but it was Indian food that I was sure I could not digest. So in true American fashion I had Burger King again!
After work I jumped the train into Amsterdam to meet Niall for dinner. He was much nicer tonight and took me out for a full experience... First we stopped at a 400+ year old establishment that has a Gieneva tasting counter to try it. It is a mix of gin and several other liquers, we tried the 'walk in the woods' and it was smooth with multiple layers of flavors and very inviting on this cold wet night. We then headed to a little resturant and he gave me the history of the areas we walked through. He also shared a bit of his own history. I especially liked the story of his breakfast chair: when Niall first moved to Amsterdam he didn't have much money. So when one of his neighbors threw out his dining room chairs he grabbed them off the pile and took them into his house. He said when he now sits down for breakfast he laughs, because he is still sitting on those chairs.
We walk some more, found some gifts for the boys and saw more of the history. The lit up house in the photo is the Ann Frank House. We had a nice dinner where we talked about buying houses, what was going on at work and NO polotics! we then strolled to another pub and had a beer where we shared stories of our families. The time was passing quickly so we headed back to Central station, taking a detour through the 'Red Light District' to make sure the ladies were still there and the smoke of marijuana filled the air. It was. Niall got me to my platform and we said good bye. What a great night in Amsterdam.
On the train back to Almere I used the phone to check in on the family (wingercam.com) and there was preciuos Jack eating dinner, half a world away. I stared at the phone wishing I was I there. The walk bak to the hotel was quiet on the empty streets.
Called Lori and got the report on Dylan's eye exam. He is near sighted and wille to wear his glasses all the time. She said he picked some out that had a cool flame on the side. 1 more day...