Amsterdam

We lost more than half a day by the time we got to our place of stay in Amsterdam, thanks to the time difference & a long journey from Schipol airport to Amsterdam via the train and tram.

We had booked ourselves at Stayokay, Vondelpark which is close to the heart of the city. Its a youth hostel and very well managed only by the youth. Somehow the working youth across Europe come across as very honest & serious about their work and they always seem to be enjoying their work. That's very heartening to see.

We chose Stayokay to get a hostel experience and we were glad. Its quite a laid back environment compared to a hotel.

We opted to go for a canal cruise across Amsterdam. It was good fun. The cruise took us through small canals showing us quite a few important landmarks before taking us into the harbor which is quite a hotbed of trading activity.

We had Falafel for dinner at a joint called Maoz. You take a Falafel and they throw in an unlimited salad for free. Mostly run by punjabi's with hindi muisic in the background, Maoz really packs in quite a bang for the buck.

We strolled in the streets of Amsterdam with ice cream and were amazed at the night life the city exudes. The city is filled with bars, pubs, cafes (which sell coffee) and cafes (which sell drugs).

We hit the bed tired of walking the streets. We seem to be walking less but getting tired early. Signs that we are at the fag end of our trip.