Meant to Be Cherished

We arrived in Amsterdam for a 12-hour layover, and for the most part, the world felt pretty surreal. We went through customs and I got my first passport stamp!

First passport!

Afterwards, we went into the terminal where I got my first euros :D

First Euros!

Amsterdam's airport looked really futuristic and clean to me...it was just really different than what I thought it would be. However, Amsterdam itself, was more of what I was expecting...beautiful walkways alongside rivers. 

A beautiful view of Amsterdam

Unfortunately, it was a bit rainy...but it really wasn't all that bad. Our first stop was the Anne Frank House...I got a really deep look into something that I wasn't expecting to get into. The deep feelings of Anne, seen through her diary entries forced me into a world that I knew little about...ignorance truly is bliss. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, but I will always remember the things that I saw...what it must have been to live in such a small place for such a long period of time....I can't even imagine.

After the Anne Frank House, we walked through the wet and rainy streets until we found The Pancake Bakery, a delicious and home-cooked, local-style restaurant. Huge pancakes were served...what looked like almost 14" in diameter! I got an omelette that was roughly the same size...let's just say that I am a big fan of Amsterdam's serving sizes :)

My huge omelette

In addition to this, I am a big fan of European coffee in general. You get the weirdest look when you ask for your coffee to-go. It's like it's meant to be cherished, like it's meant to be sipped along with a deep, spiritual conversation...not to mention that it tasted so good! We definitely had fun eating together somewhere local...not like an airport or on the airplane, and it definitely helped us get to know each other better. I'm liking Amsterdam more and more...

A very delicious coffee