The Dam

Over the weekend we ventured all the way out to Amsterdam.  That's right, we took the long 1.5 hour plane ride to spend the weekend in good 'ole Amsterdam.  It was nice to have a weekend getaway that was close by and meeting our good friends, Asif & Dima from Dubai, was an added bonus.

I haven't seen Asif & Dima since last year, so I was super excited to spend the weekend with old friends.  Dima also brought her bestie from Jordan.  It was a weekend of reunions.

I haven't been to Amsterdam since NYE 2005 (good times with my girls).  Ram has never been (I'm getting tired of repeating cities with this bubble boy) and since he's made hundreds of pit stops there for work, it was a must see for him.  Not much has changed since 2005, but it was nice to explore all the squares, canals, good food, and markets on Ram's arm.  We even managed to not break the bank at the Holland Casino, which by the way, was the nicest European casino I've seen thus far.

Of course the trip would not be complete without giving the newbie a tour of the Red Light District.  I recently read a book about African women being sold into prostitution in Amsterdam and it was heart breaking to read.  However, whatever sympathetic feelings I harbored were gone in an instant as we strolled down these narrow streets watching woman after woman standing in their windows, in their best seductive gear, completely preoccupied with their phone.  Excuse me, aren't you at work? Should you really be texting right now??? 

Overall the weekend was fun despite the constant rain (the weather is always blog-worthy over here lol).  I was sad that we didn't get to spend more time with our friends but happy to come home and have Ram here for the next 2 weeks! Yup, I actually get to see my hubby for a whole 2 weeks, which is good for him because I was starting to forget what he looked like...