DAY 4. Thur  June 24th. EDAM/AMSTERDAM

Our breakfast this morning consisted of eggs, breads, cheese, and cold cuts. Jeff tells us this is a good one. Usually its breads and breads and more breads. It wasn’t bad. Due to inclement weather (read: rain) we weren’t able to do the bicycling. We ventured out at 9 just around the corner to see a clog making demonstration the old fashioned way with I believe his name was Willie, and to see a cheese making demonstration. We were also able to taste a variety of cheeses and spend some time in the souvenir shop. Can’t forget the opportunity for a photo op outside in the giant clog. Then, with our extra time from cycling, we took a tour and saw an old fashioned windmill from the outside. A few ventured inside, but that cost a Euro. We then headed into Amsterdam, where I was nearly run over by a Cyclist, but we were warned thankfully by our nice bus (er, I mean coach) driver PK, who saved us with a “Step back girls.” Warning about the cyclists in Amsterdam if you are in the bike lane. They do not slow down. They drive fast. Do not walk in the cycle lane. We headed to a diamond exhibition where we could try on all sorts of rings and such. We then had a bunch of free time and a few of us headed to Anne Franks museum. This was absolutely amazing. Although the house was bigger than I imagined, what is more compelling is that they had to stay inside hidden, never knowing exactly what would happen if they were found. And that they were just one family- just the tip of the ice berg. Something to never forget, and lessons to remember for the future about tolerance and many other things… And YAY the washrooms in the museum were free. We then strolled out into the shopping district. The sizing was quite a bit different than the Canadian sizes. The size 40 pants were too small for me. I know I’m not that large. We somehow thought that the bus left at 5:10 and we ended up taking a wrong turn. Therefore when we arrived at the meeting place, we had missed the bus to go back to the hotel and get changed for supper. DOH. Now we had to get back to Edam. A few stayed in town for supper or the show. Kim and I talked to numerous people and a whole bunch of non-English speaking bus drivers before finally finding bus 110 who dropped us off at “Clogs and Cheese”. I didn’t think I would be so happy to see that sign! Just as we walked in to the hotel, the Contiki bus was pulling away to head back to town. This precluded heading back into town for supper with them. Doh! So Kim and I decided to stroll through Edam and find a place to eat.

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