A Birthday in Amsterdam

For Jessica's 25th Birthday we traveled to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  We took a train to Lille, France and then we traveled via Mega Bus from Lille to Amsterdam. The bus ride is only about four hours long making several stops in ghent, Antwerp, Bruges, and Rotterdam along the way. The only issue we had with the bus service was that it was almost an hour late picking us up from the bus stop in Lille. This was because the bus came from London and got caught in severe traffic at the channel tunnel. Once we were on the bus we were really excited to get to Amsterdam. We met a few people on the bus who were traveling during their school break as well and the conversations made the miles go by quickly. We arrived at the bus drop off point right next to a tram stop. We immediately got onto a tram which took us right to the heart of the city center. We met up with a very nice native who showed us to our connecting tram and we got on and it dropped us off only a block from our hotel. We stayed at the Apollo Museum hotel by Best Western. It was right across the canal from the Hard Rock Cafe and the Holland Casino in the museum district. Our hotel room was small, but nice and because of the central location we did not spend much time in it.
Some of the things we really enjoyed about Amsterdam was the massive amount of historical sites a person can see just walking around. I am usually skeptical of tour books and websites that tell you to just stroll around, but in this city I can say that is mandatory. One of the things that stood out to me was the blending of 18th century buildings and very modern amenities and business inside. For instance, one fast food restaurant was completely run through vending machines. they had cooks in the back cooking but had no front house staff to speak of.  Also the city really seems to embrace the tourist industry, but manages I think quite well in balancing the creation of attractions while keeping intact the integrity of the buildings and surrounding neighborhoods.
Out of all of the european cities we have been to we  both agree that unlike other cities were you want to return because you didn't see everything, this city you want to return to just because you enjoy the atmosphere and you just feel comfortable. I am hoping we get back to Amsterdam at least one more time before we head home.