“…people who are intolerant of other people’s cultures, and the Dutch.” -Austin Powers. Well actually, we quite like the Dutch. And their pancakes.

Getting in to Amsterdam around really-freaking-early o’clock, we groggily made our way through the canal strewn streets of Amsterdam, slowly realizing that we were not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Our first impression of Amsterdam was that it is a beautiful city with wonderful architecture and vibrant atmosphere. Our second impression of Amsterdam was a ‘no-cannibis’ sign outside our hostel. While we waited a couple hours for check-in to start, we spent the time playing chess and contemplating the universe. Yeah, right. Nick and Katelyn crashed on the couches while Greg fought to stay awake for when the front desk would open up.

Later we left the hostel to go and forage for food and found a little Dutch pancake place along the Singelgracht canal. The pancakes and fritters we ordered for breakfast were exceptionally delicious, if you can consider fried, sugar-coated, whip-cream-laden dough (after 11 am) to be breakfast.

We next visited the Van Gogh museum, home to over 200 of his works and other miscellaneous items like sketches and letters. The exhibition was pretty concise and to the point, just the way we like it. By the end, we were lovin’ sunflowers and rural landscapes almost as much as Vincent did.

From there, we went to the Heineken Experience, a interactive museum (read: beer propaganda) set up in the original brewhouse. It was quite fun, and almost worth the 11 euros when you factor in the three “free” drinks and bottle opener we got as a souvenir. As a tribute to the Michaels family, we sent a video message to Ellen (watch it), although we weren’t up for the song-and-dance option.

After a quick 4 hour nap, we were ready to go back out on the town. With the Haagen Daz shop closed, we settled for Australian brand(?) ice cream and McDonalds….nutritious and delicious.