Amsterdam

Our trip to Amsterdam was a welcome change and extremely educational. I would recommend this trip to anyone who is looking for a great, relaxing destination.

Here is an example of beautiful architecture found in Amsterdam. It is extremely beautiful, and unique to the norther part of Europe (The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany).

This is an exmple of a delft tile.

This is outside the Rijksmuseum, home to many Rembrants paintings as well as the many Delft ceramic bowls, plates, jars, tiles and artwork. It is a tin-glazed white ceramic material with bright blue ornate paintings.

Auxi saw these glasses and had to try them on, I mean who wouldn't want a pair of these?

This is a cool street (without a canal), I thought it was interesting because there aren't many of these types of streets around the city.

Here is a typical canal and surrounding houses. I could live here in a heartbeat, it is so beautiful. This also happens to be the beset picture that I took the entire trip.

Amsterdam is also known as the "city of bikes," I am sure you can see why. People ride their bikes no matter what the weather. They talk on the phone, eat croissants, and hold an umbrella; all while riding their bike. This picture is right outside Centraal Station, the major transportation hub in Amsterdam.

Here I am next to the I as well, it was really cold.

Just in case you can't read the words, it says I amsterdam. 

Traveling

Traveling well is an art of it's own. It takes imagination to see things in a new light and to do things out of the ordinary. But when does it end? To me the long, grueling trip home after a good vacation is not meant for catching up on rest, it's a time of reflection on what you have learned and seen over your journey.

I have come to the realization that, as long as brain has the ability to convert short term memories (capacity of about 7 items) into long term memories, a vacation never really ends. I also have to say that quality is just as important as quantity. I have taken trips that lasted 3 days and I got more out of it than a 10 day trip.

The most important things to traveling is to DO IT. If you are forever planning a trip and it never comes, then what is the point? So many people say that "it must be nice," to travel. The difference between that person and me is that I decided traveling is an important part of my life. Travel, it is well worth the expense and I would much rather spend my money on a memorable experience as opposed to a new car.

A friend of mine sent me a quote and I thought it appropriate to the subject at hand:

"Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it."

-Cesare Pavese (September 9, 1908 – August 27, 1950) was an Italian poet, novelist, literary critic and translator; he is widely considered among the major authors of the 20th century in his home country.