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We have just finished our very brief stay in Amsterdam. The title of this post refers not to the Red Light District, but rather is the 'symbol' of the city that is on everything from sewer covers to churches.

We arrived after a 3 hour train from Brussels. It was snowing along the way, but it was just cold and windy when we arrived. Got the keys to our accommodation which was a nice and cosy little apartment (no kitchen though).

Amsterdam is a very laid back multicultural city, so the first night we had Indian currys for dinner with H-man and Lou. After that we went for a walk round the red light district (which is, surprisingly enough, full of red neon lights) and checked out some of the coffee shops around town.

Yesterday we took a free tour of the city, and learnt a fair bit about the history of the city. We spent the afternoon shopping in the quaint little shops all over the city. Had dinner at a great little noodle place next to where we were staying.

We again missed all the tourist traps like Anne Frank's house and the art museums and just spent the time exploring the city instead.

The weather here is unbelievable: rain, hail and shine... and snow too! The first day it was snowing and sleeting on our way to dinner, and yesterday the weather would change between sun and rain/hail every half an hour. Today, just as we arrived at the train station, a snow storm/blizzard blew in. I managed to get a few photos as we were leaving of a blanket of snow over Amsterdam.

We are now heading back into Germany for a few nights before our flight to Scotland.