Amster...Dammit HOW Many Trains Do We Have to Take??

I recently took a trip to Amsterdam with my parents. I know, that sentence in of itself is worthy of a good therapy session, but none of us had been and it seemed like a cool city to go explore in the short time they were across the pond visiting me. (Plus I really wanted to sing Roxanne by The Police whenever I saw a red light because C'MON. When else can you do that?)

The city was beautiful and everyone was super friendly. It was worth the trip just for a visit to the Anne Frank House (without Justin Bieber, that foolish child), but we were lucky enough to fit in a few more things before we had to leave. I tried to learn a few Dutch phrases, but per usual everyone spoke perfect English. Something I'm still trying to master.

Here are some of the (many, many) pictures I took during our two days:

Outside the Anne Frank House

Outside the library, which was obviously our first stop.

Matching the city's laid back 'tude, cats just wander in and out of shops and restaurants at their leisure. They're everywhere! They even have their own house boat on one of the canals. (Seriously- look here). So I invented a game called HOW MANY DAMN CATS LIVE HERE? These were our encounters during our brief visit:

Our dining companion at dinner 

Laying over a heater at breakfast because they were SMART.

Bent down to grab some souvenirs and a tail greeted me.

(I did miss a picture of one because they were curled up on a pillow next to two girls eating lunch...would've been slightly awkward to shove my phone into their personal space)

On a separate note, I like to keep track of how many times my Dad trips/slips/bumps into things while on a vacation and report the number back to my sister. The number is usually higher than most humans, but throw in some cobblestones and the game is over. However, to be fair to him, I was just as guilty as he was. Both of us looked like Oompa Loompas: falling, bumping, and tripping on any slightly uneven surface. My poor mother had to be seen with both of us. (Though it may explain why she always walked slightly behind).

So the time spent in Amsterdam was great, though the time it took us to get there was slightly (aka absolutely) ridiculous. Let me explain:

NORMAL PEOPLE take the option of an hour and a half direct plane ride from London to Amsterdam. They hop off the plane fresh as daisies, hit up some shops, maybe rent a bike if they're feeling dangerous, etc.

WHAT WE DO is take a train from London to Harwich, hop on an overnight ferry that docks in Holland, then take a train from Holland to Amsterdam. (The ferry was actually really nice -- a lot like a mini cruise ship -- but as we were on it for only 6 hours, I wandered off the boat looking like the walking dead).

The trip from Holland to Amsterdam would've normally been slightly shorter, except our trains kept breaking down (a lot like my mental state). When we were on our 3rd consecutive train (and 3rd hour) towards Amsterdam, I turned to my dad and asked, "Why did we take this way again?". He replied, "For the great view!".

And as if on cue, we looked out our window:

And a video to prove my point further:

This particular mode of travel was "not chosen for the convenience, but for the adventure" and that was definitely one word for it. (Alas, another direct quote from my father- which makes me think I'm going to do a follow up post with just vacation quotes from my dad). Bottom line is, next time I'm flying.

On an endnote, here are some final pictures of the fun weekend:

I needed a tea picture obviously!

The Anti-Student diet aka my parents feed me well.

Along with 5 extra pounds, this tea strainer came back to London with me.