We began the day by making our way to the train station to activate our Eurail passes. The station was busier than I thought, and it took about 30 minutes for one of the attendants to call our number.
This is my first time in Europe and first time traveling by train, so I wasn't sure what to expect as we approached the agent. We bought our passes online about a month ago, and they are good for one month from the first day of use. So, we waited until today to activate them for tomorrow when we travel to Berlin.
The agent simply looked at our tickets, wrote in tomorrow's date and then put a big stamp on the ticket to indicate it was activated. Simple. We were planning to take a direct train to Berlin but the agent said flooding has shut down that route. Instead, we'll have to make a connection in Hanover, Germany. We have decided to visit a food market in Hanover for lunch tomorrow and then catch another train to Berlin. We should arrive around 3 or 4 tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing the scenery!
We spent a couple of hours this afternoon visiting the Heineken facility and taking a tour. This tour is a must for anyone who visits Amsterdam. It was our first "museum" tour and concluded with a few samples.
Heineken brewery
Afterward, we boarded a boat to travel down the canals and a river to the Heineken store. I was wanting to take a boat ride while here, and this turned out to be the perfect opportunity. We passed under a few of the city's 1,800 bridges (more than Venice has) and we also saw a myriad of houses along the canal. We also passed the most expensive hotel in Amsterdam: One night there will cost you about 3,000 euros!
Finally, we stopped for dinner at a small cafe called Van Kerkwijk, located near Dam Square. It was by far the best meal of the trip: thin sliced beef with Parmesan shavings and homemade bread for the first course followed by steak on top of goat cheese with strawberry jam. The waitress, who was also the owner, recommended it, and we both ordered the steak. The waitress recited the menu to us, as there are no menus at Van Kerkwijk since it changes every night and they only use what is fresh at the market that day.
Thin sliced beef with Parmesan shavings and homemade bread.
Steak on top of goat cheese with strawberry jam.
We have both really enjoyed Amsterdam and are looking forward to moving on to Germany tomorrow. I think I will miss most the kind people and all of the city's canals and waterways.
¡Hasta pronto!
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