Amsterdam 2010 Pictures

Here's the final batch of pictures from our trip to Holland, visiting Winterswijk for the European Steel Challenge Championships, and then spending one full day in Amsterdam sight-seeing before our flight home.

KeeWee looking for cards and such.

The Tram that runs all around Amsterdam. Didn't ride it though, as we chose to walk as we were just sight-seeing, rather than trying to go to any place in particular.

Even with the garbage strike, and with garbage bags piled high in places, Amsterdam is relatively clean, at least as cities go. This is a typical side street.

This stone and marble building has been turned into a shopping mall, of sorts. Each floor has several shops and businesses.

Canals everywhere.

One of the busier main streets.

Out for a sunny cruise. Talk about "Stylin' !"

A courtyard and fountain we discovered.

A very nicely maintained houseboat in one of the canals.

Kind of odd architecture, but it looked like a pretty up-scale place, none the less.

Cobblestones, canals, bicycles, beautiful old churches and buildings everywhere.

KeeWee thought this was an interesting place.

Some of the horse-drawn carriages in Dam Square that you can rent to drive you around town sight-seeing. Very expensive, though.

Some sort of airport fire training facility at the Schiphol Amsterdam airport. We taxied past it on our way out to the runway to head home.

The Schiphol Control Tower and main terminal from our A-330 as we were taxiing out to the departure runway.

Still taxiing out. Schiphol is an airport that covers a lot of ground.

After taxiing for a while, we taxied  over an overpass over a freeway.

The overpass continued over a canal parallel to the freeway.

After all the taxiing, we finally reached the departure runway and headed home. Ten and a half hours later we landed in Seattle. It had been a long six days with some major highlights and lowlights, but it was a great trip in spite of  everything.

I hope we can manage to go back next year. After all, somebody needs to represent the US of A over there! Why not us, indeed?