Jeff and I went to Amsterdam (and embarked on some day trips from there) this past weekend and I just have to show you the ridiculous room we stayed in at our usual place in Amsterdam, the Lloyd Hotel. The hotel was originally built by the Royal Dutch Lloyd, a steam navigation company. Their passengers (emigrants from the Netherlands and Eastern Europe) stayed at the hotel after medical checks in the building next door, before leaving on ships for South America and other far away places. Nowadays, the hotel has rooms ranging from 1 to 5 star... the 5 star rooms (obviously, the most expensive) aren't necessarily that much more luxurious than the 1 star rooms, just more interesting. We originally booked a 3 star room, but got upgraded to a 5 star room when we checked in. Turns out, the room we stayed in was once the office of the guy who owned the Royal Dutch Lloyd. The thing that is cool about the Lloyd Hotel in general is that it is a little rough around the edges and tons of original details have been preserved through its use as a prison during the Nazi occupation, as a regular prison, and as artist studios, before it became a hotel again in 2004.
I can't tell if these pictures really show how huge the room was, but I think the furniture might give you some idea. Also, I have a major crush on those bedside lamps. They're so cool!! The entire thing is made out of traditional lampshade material so when the lights are on the whole lamp glows.
As far as the rest of the trip, I have to admit I DIDN'T TAKE A SINGLE PICTURE. I know. It was more of a eat good food and spend quality time together sort of trip. Ew. Dogs Abroad just got corny.