Bike. Tulips. More Bikes. Canals. Van Gogh. Bikes...

That's what most people think of when they think of Amsterdam. And most people are not wrong about this beautiful little city in Holland.

Although my trip to Amsterdam was short, we managed to jam pack a lot of great things into a few days. I went with my best friend's sister, Kim, who happens to also be a great friend of mine. We met some of her friends from Hotlanta and NYC and had a little adventure in Holland.

So, to start, we all stayed at an apartment right on one of the many canals. Like most European cities, Amsterdam was built from the inside out. As more people moved in, more canals were built around the city. These "canal houses" are really unique and beautiful...but really narrow. And as a result a little cattywampus. Climbing to our apartment was an adventure, with or without luggage. Check out how steep our stairs were.

That's definitely scary after a few beers! But all worth it for this view...

I don't have as much history about Amsterdam as I did Leipzig. We spent most of our time there just enjoying the city. We hung out at some local pubs...

 took a "romantic" canal cruise... (how gorgeous is this picture? Nice job Mark!)

saw a lot of bikes... 

Crossed bridges and took pictures of them too...

And went to the Van Gogh Museum. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any picture in there so I'm replacing one of Van Gogh's beautiful works with this gorgeous picture of tulips (my favorite...hint, hint) that Mark took.

All-in-all, this little city has a lot of atmosphere to offer. We had a great time, and I met some great new friends. I'm looking forward to traveling with them again!