Amsterdam was covered in a blanket of white. It was beautiful. What a treat to be there without being in a rush; we were on our own spontaneous schedule. And since we had already seen the Anne Frank House, Red Light District and other top spots we were free to mosey and check out some of the more hidden gems.
I love the photo below. In any other city the snow would wear away from the road with two sets of thick car tire tracks. Only in Amsterdam would it be this way with the single skinny bike path cleared instead!
Amsterdam's canal was almost frozen. Yet canal tour boats were still running. It was funny to see them crunch away and through the ice. The tour must go on!
We found the Bloemenmarkt, the floating flower market. You can see it here on the right.
There were a lot of bulbs at the market. Every type you could fathom!
I guess a popular Dutch souvenir is a bulb from this Bloemenmarkt!
Seeing the floral display made me long for Tulip Season. Those rainbow-streaked fields of tulips - ah, what a site!
These fridge magnets highlighted the best and seediest parts of Amsterdam!
We found the Amsterdam Begijnhof. Click here to learn more. It was a peaceful, quiet spot in the midst of a rowdy, loud city.
The original idea for our weekend was to see some kid-friendly spots in Amsterdam. We recently read this article on The Amsterdam of Playgrounds and Pancakes and thought there were some great suggestions:
We had hopes of seeing the Central Library and also the Kinderkookkafe, but instead we spent our afternoon at TunFun. Indeed it was a TON OF FUN!!!
TunFun is an enormous indoor playspace in a converted tunnel (hence the "Tun"). You can spy the cars and trams zooming overhead from inside. Those Dutch - so efficient and resourceful!
We walked in and down into the tunnel and our mouths fell open...
Connor dove right in - literally! She was in playground heaven. By far the favorite of the day was the trampoline where she jumped, jumped, jumped!
The brilliant part was that parents could either go with a child throughout TunFun or sit back at the tables and chairs and relax. Since the entire playground maze was see-thru you could keep an eye on your little one's whereabouts from below.
The tunnel was divided into age-appropriate sections. Kirk and I took turns playing with Connor. It was hard not to feel like a large hamster in a cage, but I think we had as much fun as she did!
Total cost to experience TunFun on a cold, snowy Saturday = 7 euros (parents are free).
Cost of all that bloomin' fun = Priceless.
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1 comment:
That playground looks so cool. Great find!
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