Follow Us Two: In Europe and the UK: Day 19 to 24

We left at 4:50am from Bruges, still dark and freezing outside to catch the train to Amsterdam. Easier said than done - we had three connecting trains on the way and 5minutes in between each of them. We are now mentally prepared for an Amazing Race episode!

We arrived at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam at 10am. As my sister was playing hockey in Amsterdam, my mom came to watch her as a big surprise - and so it worked out perfectly that we crossed paths. My mom landed at 10:20am, and we then caught a train to our hotel: Westcord Art Hotel. The hotel is on the borderline of the city centre, but by catching bus48 you can reach the centre in 5minutes. We dropped our bags off and then went on an adventure to find a Hired Car! As this is the busiest week in Amsterdam in the whole year- it was near to impossible.

Cars are not the main transport system here, in fact if you not catching a tram and bus - then you are on a bicycle. Statistically, there are more bicycles than people here and cyclists have their own road and robots. They are not fancy bikes, as they estimate that 50 000 bikes get stolen a year. The trick is, ride an old looking bike and you can park it wherever you want, in the hope that it's there when you get back. And don't think that one bicycle can only transport one person either! It's very common to have a basket for two dogs in the front, and seats attached for all the kids.

We, however, needed a car as the hockey matches were all a 30 to 40 minutes drive away. We managed to find and hire a little Toyota car, the size of a Smart Car. Bruce became the driver, and when we left the guy said "goodluck" - as supposedly the cars are not the obstacle, the bikes are. When you think it's clear to turn, suddenly a bicycle comes out of nowhere. It was also a tough task remembering to drive on the right side of the road. In fact, at one stage on coming traffic had to remind us!

All the hockey games were great, we saw some famous hockey clubs which were made up of over 20 astro's. All the clubs were amazing hosts, and after the games they had drinks ready in the clubhouse (and dinner for the girls) - either in celebration for winning, or probably to help drown our sorrows! Saints did really well, they won most of their games and we are really proud of them. Some of the teams they played were u18 or in the woman's league.

When we weren't watching hockey, or battling the right hand side of the roads - we were out exploring the beautiful canals and streets of Amsterdam on tram, bus and foot. One of the highlights was seeing the Anne Frank Museum - the Annex the family hid in during the Holocaust. Keukenhof, the biggest flower garden in the world, was also breathtaking to see with all its iconic Tulips. We were so lucky to see it, as its only open to the public 8weeks of the year and hosts aprox. 800 000 tourists a year. Cathy you would love it, we thought about you the whole time! We also were very lucky to see the new King & Queen the day before 'Queens Day' walking into the Royal Palace - the day before they were to be crowned. Queens Day is bigger than New Years in Amsterdam, and the whole city turns orange and celebrates. We also had drinks in the Old Sailor right in the middle of the Red Light District (which was an eye opener), and then we went on an amazing 2 hour canal cruise of Amsterdam. As many other families were in Amsterdam to watch the Saints Hockey Team, we would all meet up for dinner and drinks, and would very often land up staying at the hockey clubhouses long after the girls had left - as the atmosphere and drinks were great.

We had a very busy week with early mornings and late nights. We walked the whole city - from Dam Square, to Rembrandt Plein, to the beautiful flower markets on the canals and all the shopping streets. We tasted Green Holland cheese, we tried on some clogs, we came across several huge windmills and churches... And we fell in love with their waffles!!!

Of course, Amsterdam is known for its legalization of marijuana, and that too was an eye opener. You'll be standing at the robot and the guy next to you will be puffing away. The coffeeshops are also NOT famous because of their coffee. The city doesn't sleep, and seems busier at night. The souvenirs were therefore very funny and unique to Amsterdam!

However, apart from its "party" aspect, the city has beautiful architecture, delicious food that is very similar to South African food, and is very vibrant with all the tourists and cyclists. It is, however, very expensive.

Here are some pictures of our time in Amsterdam. Thanks mom for coming to visit us, it was such a great surprise and a big treat! Well played Kirsty, it was so awesome that we got to watch you play and spend some time with you.

Keukenhof Gardens: