We came, we saw, we conquered...

Hello everyone, for the last time from Amsterdam,

This was our last weekend here in the Netherlands and as much as we would love to stay in this extraordinary place for much longer, the time has come to keep moving on. Within 48 hours we will be in Zurich - as one chapter closes another one opens.

On Saturday we decided to venture out of the city again and head to Leiden, about 35 minutes away by train. Leiden is a University city in the province of South Holland. Like other places we have visited, we only had a chance to see a small portion of the town but from what we saw it seemed like a smaller more laid back version of Amsterdam. Markets on a Saturday, cafes and bars, museums and canals - Holland in a nutshell. It also happens to be the birthplace of Rembrandt and has an important place in Dutch history being the site of many seiges from the Spanish during the Eighty Year's War. There are still remnants of that period standing in the city today such as ammunitions stores and cannons. The better part of what we saw was from a short river cruise we did that afternoon along the Oude Rijn and Zijlsingel. We passed a small bridge that was the site of the end of the Eighty Year's War in 1574. It seems that everywhere you go the towns are steeped with history and connections to the past, it would be so easy to spend weeks in each of these places.

The rest of the weekend we spent in and around Amsterdam, taking a few more pics, grabbing a few more bits and pieces and just generally soaking up the atmosphere of the city we called home for the last 2 months. We haven't seen all that much of the Netherlands while we've been here, but what we did see was simply incredible. In our time here we've become quite attached to our little apartment, the locals (both human and animal) and the city itself. I think we're both just that little bit sorry that we have to leave, but in this world who knows what the future may bring. Now, Switzerland here we come. On that note though, I'm going to make use of the few hours left so for now I'll say goodbye. For one last time from Amsterdam - Tot Ziens.

Jim and Ness