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The next morning, it was time to visit Floriade, the once-in-a-decade horticultural expo just outside of Amsterdam. We noshed on oysters, mussels, clams, shrimp and more and headed home happy and full. We ate at The Seafood Room, known for - you guessed it - seafood plucked straight from the sea. That night, I had dinner reservations with a few people from the tour. A hush fell over the exuberant German teenagers whom I entered the exhibit alongside when they entered the annex. And that if she were alive, sheвЂ™d probably be an accomplished journalist, novelist or both.Дespite the sadness of her story, it was heartwarming to see what an incredible legacy Anne was able to leave during her short time on Earth. Like so many teens, I read the book when I was about AnneвЂ™s age, and it made an indelible mark on me.Д¬limbing the narrow, steep stairs up to the annex where the Frank family hid for two years was incredible, and I couldnвЂ™t stop thinking about how well young Anne described her living situation. There was one thing that was at the top of my list of must-dos in Amsterdam, and it was to see the Anne Frank House.

When the tour was over, we were each handed a giant stroopwafel - the thin, caramel-stuffed waffles that are made to melt over a cup of hot coffee or tea - and sent on our way.ДЄ thing I love about the Collette tours we take is that we have plenty of free time to explore on our own. It was crisp, fluffy and delightful, and even the most Minnesotan of our palates didnвЂ™t find the вЂњspicyвЂќ chutney too hot. The former colony, a tiny country on the northern coast of South America, is known for bara, which is essentially deep-fried soaked lentils, served with bright chutney. We learned that Suriname, and its cuisine, have become a big part of the Dutch culture and diet. I still donвЂ™t love the stuff in its natural state, but it turns out that when itвЂ™s deep-fried, itвЂ™s much more tolerable.

The average Dutch person eats 31.5 pounds of cheese per year, which is just a bit behind the dairy-loving state to our east, which is sitting at about 38 pounds.) (Turns out, the Dutch love their cheese almost as much as people do in my home state of Wisconsin. We passed many couples sipping coffee from their decks and marveled at the creative gardens that many of them keep on the decks and rooftops of their boats.ДЄfter the boat tour, we got a walking tour of the city, during which we tasted many local delicacies, including a wide variety of local gouda.

People live full time in these vessels, which are parked permanently in the city center. The other part of canal living that I hadnвЂ™t considered was the proliferation of houseboats, which line nearly every part of the canals.

During the tour, we floated past a group of houses called the dancing houses, a colorful grouping of row houses known for lilting every which way. Modern foundations in the city are made of concrete, but many of the historic buildings still rest upon those wooden piles, and many of them charmingly tilt this way or that.

The canals were built to protect the narrow buildings, which mostly rest upon piles - large wooden stakes driven into the wet soil. We learned so much from our local guide about the city, which is literally built upon the sea. The next morning, we were off bright and early to catch a boat, which took us on a tour of Amsterdam via canal. It was lovely to get to know some of my fellow travelers while being entertained by Elvis, the restaurantвЂ™s show-off of a cockatoo, who pranced and preened and did tricks from his perch near our table. I relaxed in the abundant sunshine until it was time to get ready for dinner, which was at the historic Restaurant 1e Klas in the cityвЂ™s busy train station. I also scalded the roof of my mouth on bitterballen, little croquettes of molten, silky potatoes, often studded with little bits of veal. I sipped a fruity Texels, the Dutch beer that I fell in love with instantly and sought out throughout my time there. After arrival, I dropped my bags and headed out the back door, finding a seat in the midst of the action. The hotelвЂ™s back entrance spilled onto Renaissance Square, which is packed with restaurants and bars, most of which have sidewalk patios where most patrons were seated during the beautiful spring weather. Our hotel was along one of the cityвЂ™s copious canals and had a charming view of the National Opera & Ballet theater.

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