Follow our journey on this map.

Day 2, still in Amsterdam, blew away the anxiety and delays experienced trying to get here on Saturday!

One of the things I failed to mention starting out is that we are taking this 2-month trip living out of only a roll-aboard suitcase and a backpack! As you'll see, we have a bunch planned and didn't want to be weighted down with luggage.

We arrived at the hotel shortly before noon, checked in and grabbed a quick bite to eat before hitting the ground running.

We took a 3-hour bicycle tour all around Amsterdam. It was just fascinating. I had always heard, but not experienced, the fact that pedestrians are the lowest on the pecking order. Bikes are everywhere and there is a chaotic orchestration that seems to work when approaching an intersection.

After the bike tour we walked the 1-1/2 miles back to the hotel (3 miles roundtrip) and hung out a bit before dinner.

Dinner was an unbelievable experience. We went to Nela which has only been open about a year. We learned that Nela means "purity" in Hindi and is the basis of their cooking philosophy. The dishes are all small and meant for sharing. Each dish is "pure" in the sense that there are no special accompaniments; it's just the dish in it's purest form. You'll see from the photos not only was the food great, but because we asked for a seat essentially in the kitchen, we made some new friends.