Made it through the "ash".

As you know, our original plans to meet Erika and Mike and Sue and Rob in Amsterdam were ruined by the eruption of the volcano in Iceland.

We were able to rebook our flight, as were Sue and Rob, but Erika and Mike did not make it out of DC. Therefore, our time in Amsterdam was bittersweet - enjoying our time with Sue and Rob to the max but missing Erika and Mike.

Here are some photos of this wonderful city...

View out the front window - notice the canal!!

One of the many houseboats on the canals. We were able to take a tour through one of these converted cargo carriers, and they are a lot larger and nicer than our little boat!

More canal views...



Us...we found tulips...

Street scene - notice how those buildings are a little tipsy?

If you go to Amsterdam in the spring, one of the "must sees" are the tulip and hyacinth fields. We decided to go to the famed Keukenhof gardens on what is billed as the busiest day of the year.

It was.

but we saw the tulips...

despite the crowds!!!!

One disappointment was that the US will not allow flower bulbs to be brought into the country from outside its borders (unless it is between certain months and April and May did not qualify), So Erika and Sue did not even get any bulbs for their gardens. :-)