From Holland to Holland: Total Recap: Part 1

With my tear stains still a little too fresh on my face after dropping off my parents at the train station, I figured I would set to blogging about their visit. We had a fantastic time, but it was really hard to say good-bye, not knowing when I'll get to see them again.

I am also hoping that they manage to get on their 2pm flight this afternoon out of Amsterdam. Hurricane Sandy sure seems nasty, and she's messing up lots of flights. And since my parents fly stand-by, they are not guaranteed a seat. So we're hoping that no one decides they'll just get to the U.S. and fly to Detroit (thereby stealing a potential seat for my parents), instead of NYC or another east coast city as planned. Here's hopin'!

We took many photos this past week, so I figured it would be best to make the recap a 2-parter. This post will include our days in Amsterdam and our first day in Eindhoven.

To begin, we picked my parents up at the Amsterdam airport and made our way into the city. We stayed at Hotel Alexander, which was near the Museumplein (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, etc.). It was a great little hub of a location. Our first stop in our tourist adventures was eating at a Pannenkoekenhuis, aptly named Pancakes!. We had some delicious grub, and felt nourished for lots of sightseeing. Next we wandered around the city, taking in the beautiful views. Canals, cheese shops, flower markets, oh my!

We had reservations at the Anne Frank Huis that day. I had been there before, but it was a first for Todd and my parents. The museum is very well done and incredibly moving. Definitely a must-see on any Amsterdam trip. We also did a small amount of ogling in the Red Light District on our way to and from the many cathedrals and churches located in the same neighborhood. The ladies were working it at 3 in the afternoon - crazy (and completely legal)!

Our second day began at an adorable breakfast place around the corner from our hotel called Friday Next. We had some yummy breads and spreads.

Then we headed over to the Van Gogh Museum, which is temporarily located in the Hermitage. The museum is undergoing extensive renovations and doesn't open again until next Spring. I feel a certain affinity with Van Gogh. He's lived both in Provence and in Nuenen (which is a neighboring village to Eindhoven) - like me! I love seeing the paintings he created in both of those places.

A canal tour was also on our agenda for the day. It was great fun to see the city from their famous waterways.

Good times had by all in Amsterdam, but we were looking forward to getting to Eindhoven. It just so happened to be Dutch Design Week from the 20th to the 28th, so we checked out that out on Friday.

In many ways DDW is similar to ArtPrize in GR with artwork displayed throughout the city. They focus on all types of design from fashion to furniture. Here's a few shots from our time checking it out.