Honeymoon, part 1

So, I've been sitting on a recap of the honeymoon for a few months. Ultimately, I think that this sort of trip is essentially a private experience, the first few weeks spent as husband and wife, and I'm sure nobody wants to hear the lovey-dovey details. But I do bet that people would be into seeing some of the amazing sights from all our destinations.

AMSTERDAM

It lives up to the legend. Everyone rides a bike there from scrappy little kids to wobbly old ladies. I was immediately struck by how different the biking culture differed from the USA: everyone rides nice and slow, and they almost all ride cruiser bikes, so they sit upright and have the most amazing posture. I think I saw one rider with their pant-leg rolled up...everyone else was wearing cute outfits and the coolest shoes.

Cate, cats, cats! Amsterdam is replete with cats! They are under every nook and cranny, they are silky and sedate, they are AWESOME! I was in heaven, however Rob did find cause to poke fun at my desire to photograph every single street cat we came across.

The famed Vermeer light.

We were staying very near the Jordaan, and passed this doorway each morning. Nearly every house we passed had flowers bursting from the front entrance. The effect is that you feel like you are tip-toeing through some amazing secret garden every time you turn a corner. Another weird fact: Amsterdam residents feel totally ok with leaving all of their front curtains open. And since a lot of housing is on the street level, you have a bird's-eye view right into their lives. At first it's unnerving, and you feel like a creepy American tourist, but after a while you find yourself envious of all the cool interior design.

The Nationaal Monument (no, that's not a type-o)

Crazy Dutch pigeons do this.

Herons on the canal.

Rob caught me mid-bacon-and-apple-panakoken glory. God, that was a brilliant moment.

Even the dogs are amazing.

Getting tranquil on the canal.

The time that we spent in Amsterdam was really peaceful and lazy. It was possible to wake up late, stroll down for a coffee (espresso, actually...boy did i state to miss 16oz cups of coffee) and just walk around the neighborhoods until the sun set. We had meals at a different spot each day, and took lots of beer breaks. The energy of the city put us at ease, and it was especially fun to rent bicycles and cover some new territory.