While in Amsterdam, Kaitlin and I decided we had enough time to venture outside the capital and see a couple of the charming cities nearby. With the speedy trains from Amsterdam Centraal it was easy and cheap to get there, and I’m glad we got to see a couple other Dutch canals.

In Haarlem, we spent the morning strolling through the Grote market, and admiring the 14th century St-Bavo’s cathedral (with Kaitlin as my tour guide). We found a windmill (a goal of ours in Holland) and went back to the train station to spend the afternoon in Utrecht.

Once in Utrecht, a pigeon promptly pooped on my shoulder, but I got over it…

In Utrecht you can walk down right alongside the canals, so we wandered and stopped for a coffee by the water. After wandering some more we found the oldest house in the city, we where they brew their beer in the basement.

It was the perfect day trip from the city; an easy train ride out to quieter towns before going back to Amsterdam for our last night out.