Amsterdam - Day 3 to Nuremberg - Day 1

I'm starting to get behind on the posting which is bad because the more I get behind the larger the task is to get caught up.



Our last day in Amsterdam was pretty awesome. The weather was a bit more cooperative and we were able to enjoy riding around town. Amy wanted to hit up the Pancake bakery again because their lemon and sugar pancake was so great, and we wanted to get one more decent bike ride in before we had to return them. After pancakes we checked out of our hotel and returned the bikes and had made plans to meet up with Rachel and Kurt in the main square, where it was VERY touristy and crowded. We took the train up to Zaanse Schanse, which is the somewhat kitschy windmill filled replica old dutch village. We got lost in the real town (which smelled like chocolate because of the chocolate factory located there) and couldnt figure out how to get to the other side of the canal where the village was.













Finally we found the ferry and got to the village where we enjoyed cheese samples and a lesson on how wooden clogs are made. Everyone but Amy was eager to have a beer and Amy wanted ice cream so we went back over to the normal, chocolate smelling part of town and upon arrival at the one bar in the town, Kurt said "we will have 4 beers" and we were all mad because Amy wanted ice cream and Rachel and I wanted anything other than a Heineken. Also, I forgot to mention that while walking to the bar we found a random machine with a huge lever on the side and discovered that it dispensed maps of the area we had already visited.













After taking the train back to Amsterdam we went Rachel's to grab our bags and head to the bus station. The bus ride was very uneventful and all I really have to say about it was that I didn't really sleep much at all.

We got into Nuremberg at exactly 8 when we were supposed to and our dear friend Drew Kreeger was waiting there for us. We wandered around downtown for a while until the train tickets he bought were validated, so we went to a cafe and drank some coffee. Drew told us all about the history that he knew of the main town (which is surrounded by a fortress wall!) and showed us a couple of museums that we would want to see while we are here.



After taking the train 20 minutes out of Nuremberg to Lauf where he lives, we got settled and went grocery shopping at the local market. I really enjoy going to markets in different countries since they have so many different kinds of things and they package their products in completely different ways.



Drew made us really good grilled salami and cheese sandwiches, and we ate out on his porch with his friend Aaron who is from houston and happens to be going back there tomorrow, so it was nice to meet him before he moved from here. A couple of Drew's basketball teammates randomly showed up to hang out. they were both really young german dudes (17 and 18) but they were both between 6 and 7 ft tall. It made me feel really short!





After lunch I took a nap and then woke up to find that Drew's fiance Carolyn and arrived and we were going to go on a walk of the town. Lauf is one of the older towns in Germany, and all the buildings are really beautiful. We wandered all over the place and ended at the castle that was used as a resting point while barons and kings made their way to Nuremberg for various activities.











Drew and Carolyn made dinner for us (chicken and risotto) and we sat on their patio since it's so nice outside. Today has been a lot of fun and AS USUAL I am very tired, so I think it's time to go to bed. Yes, that sounds like a glorious idea.

cheers.