Amsterdam

Getting all the luggage to the check in counter at the airport was painful, absolutely painful. The wine better be worth it. The kids were acting out. S was whining, Z was making potty noises. It took a full blown yelling on my part to get them to shape up, which put me in a rotten mood. The check in counter found us a mini van taxi to the apartment. No child seats. 

J is handling all this swimmingly.

Which one of these is not like the others? Who is not handling this well?

After we dropped everything off at the apartment, we ate some lunch nearby. Not so funny story - Z broke his water glass.

After lots of whining and carrying S, we found Vondelpark. In the word of Cartman from Southpark, "it smells like hippies." Tons of 20 somethings were laying in the grass, stoned on grass. The kids by the water.

The kids on a little bridge.

We found a little playground. 

S on the steps.

See the step in front of S? She just fell off that backwards.

Kids playing in sand.

After playing, the kids were tired, and we are at an overpriced cafe at the edge of the park. 

In the morning, we went to Starbucks. The iced Americanos are not the same as the U.S. ones. The kids had pancakes. It's Amsterdam, after all.

Z and his pancakes.

Waiting in a quick line for those with prepaid tickets for the Van Gogh museum.

Outside the museum.

Z.

Z and J had a good time, but S was whining the whole way, and it was not much fun for me. S needed to be carried around, which made using the audioguide pretty impossible. Eventually I had to just take her to the first floor. Disappointing, and my shoulders and back are killing me. 

We hopped on the tram and just rode it past our stop, because that was something which finally did not make S whine. The kids enjoyed riding, and it gave my feet and back a break. We got off when we saw a park. No idea where we are. 

The kids.

Even on the slide, S is grimacing.

I don't think staying here for a few days is worth it, but we are stuck here. Food is really expensive, compared to the U.S., and especially compared to Italy. $24 would buy us a whole 4 course meal in Italy. Here it only buys one course.