Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a quirky city with its own je ne sais quoi. It's very expensive by US standards with near-extortion prices on food & drinks. The city is very old, with some buildings dating back to the 13th century. Almost none of them were easily accessible to Joleen's walker. The public transit system is very easy to use, and reasonably priced.

We stayed at a B&B on the 7th floor of a block of flats in the middle of Rembrandtpark, which was absolutely gorgeous this time of year. The grass was lush and green, water fowl were swimming in the canal, and several people were taking advantage of the beautiful weather we enjoyed for our entire stay. As a matter of fact, the only time it rained on us for the entire 3 week vacation were the two times that I went on errands without Joleen. Anywhere we needed to go was a relaxing 5-10 minute walk through the park.

Getting downtown to the Centrum in Amsterdam was about a 20 minute tram ride, but once there, everything was on foot. I'm not sure what the ideal footwear is for the rough cobblestones, brick roads, and long, crowded, winding routes to wherever we wanted to go, but I'm sure my Doc Martens were not the right choice. After 3 days, my feet were blistered and bleeding. But it was worth it! Most shop owners were very pleasant and polite, and I didn't run into anyone who didn't speak and understand English. There's not much in the way of English signage, but my passable knowledge of German allowed me to make a fair enough guess. When things were unclear, asking any random passer-by on the street was able to direct me.

I'll definitely be visiting Amsterdam again in the future, once I figure out the right shoes to wear!