In search of an original title...: Riding the Rails...First Stop

Let us first start by saying Happy Holidays!!

Starved for cool temperatures, clouds, and minimal daylight, we made the decision to head to Europe for our winter holiday. Over the next two weeks, we will visit six countries, riding the rails from one to the next. On Christmas morning, we headed off to Amsterdam, our first stop.

The view from our room. Can you see the canal up on the top right corner?

Upon arriving at our hotel, we decided to head out and explore a little. We were somewhat surprised at just how many people were out on Christmas afternoon. I am not sure we really knew what to expect, but the crowded streets were a bit of a surprise. This was also our first exposure to the cold and needless to say, two of us have grown a bit soft during our time in Abu Dhabi. After a bit of a walk, we stopped in at a pub for a pint and some supper where Quintus ate the biggest sausage/hot dog he has ever seen, clocking in at over a foot long. I am sad to report that we do not have photo documentation of this feat.

A wall at the pub, complete with license plates from Texas and Montana.

The early sunset definitely throws you off and by 8:00 pm we all (really Q and I) felt like it was well past midnight, so we turned in early so as to be ready to go the next morning.

Pre-dawn view of Dam Square

Dam Square with the "photo bomber"

Festive lights on the streets of Amsterdam

We headed out in the pre-dawn hours the next morning, not difficult to do when the sun does not rise until close to 9:00 am, to do some more exploring while making our way down to the Museum Quarter to rendez-vous with Van Gogh. Let me set the scene a little here...first, it is cold, dark, and windy...okay, that's it. The mantra of the walk soon became, "Mama it's soooooo cold."

Chillin' with Rembrandt. Note the head scarf? That is one way to keep the cold out.

The welcome sight of a rising sun

The Museum Quarter was bustling and we headed to the Van Gogh Museum before meeting up with D.C. friends to explore the Rijks Museum and some more of Amsterdam together for the remainder of the day. The Van Gogh museum was a real treat; the history of the artist and the collection of his early works were quite impressive, most of which we do not see in other museum collections in other parts of the world.

Van Gogh museum from across the park

Inside the Rijks Museum

The Library

An amazing three-piece ensemble outside the Rijks.
A reward to anyone who can name the instrument on the right.

So fun to catch up and see good friends from home!

We ended the day with a canal boat cruise to see the holiday light installations. It was great fun to explore the canals via boat having seen the canals via foot all day. And since it was dark, we were able to get a peak into a number of the houses, which was also quite cool. Having lived in Abu Dhabi for more than a year now, where everything is so new, it was quite something to be surrounded by old buildings again.

A few of our favorite installations from the boat tour...