Wooden shoes and windmills

Surely no one in the Yuma Youth Choir ever thought they'd ever be on a bus where everyone would go wild every time someone yelled a single word - "Windmill!!"

After leaving the medieval Belgian city of Brugge the choir group rolled through Holland on a highway surrounded by bright-green pastures, cute little red-rock villages and, of course, the massive old windmills that have become a true symbol of Holland.

The Dutch countryside earned a great deal of praise from all corners of the bus, too. Kids and adults alike were amazed at the extensive systems of rivers, canals, lakes and bridges.

The choir's trip to Amsterdam, however, turned out to be a whirlwind tour before even getting to the city, which was preceded by stops at several picture-perfect farms and villages.

The first stop took the choir to Delf, a village whose artists specialize in making Holland's blue and white porcelain.

The next stop was a quaint little Dutch cheese farm where the choir got a personal demonstration on how the yummy cheese is made.

The group then heard from the farmer himself, a charming man who was especially a hit with the lady tourists. He proudly announced himself as one of only four craftsmen making Holland's beloved wooden shoes.

Then it was off to the big city.

Just glancing at a tourist map of Amsterdam might make a person think that bringing a bunch of kids here wouldn't be such a good idea. Look at some of this city's favorite highlights see how the sensibility of old, but progressive Amsterdam ranges from the eccentric to the downright naughty.

* The Museum of Bags and Purses
* The Sex Museum
* The Diamond Museum
* The Heinikin Experience
* The Amsterdam Dungeon
* And lastly...The House of Hash

It certainly makes Brussels' french fry museum that we drove past look a little tame.

But the Yuma Youth Choir's visit to Amsterdam was a wholesome delight, thanks to the Tempe-based company that organized the trip and the many parents and choir supports traveling as chaperones.

Most of the city, obviously, was a true Dutch delight with all kinds of pretty things to see and yummy things to taste.

The tour company picked a particularly great hotel, too. The place is located about 30 minutes outside Amsterdam in an green and grassy area dotted with lovely farms and dense stands of trees. A drive to or from the hotel usually treated the travelers to at least one neighbor rowing down their "street" or a family going fishing right in their front-yard canal.

Some of those big windmills could also be seen in the area, which also provided a close-up glimpse of where the canals open up into the North Sea. Water at that point spread to the horizon. Nearby highways didn't cross the wide bodies of water, but simply dipped below through amazing tunnels.

Even the hotel is surrounded by a sweet little canal, all lined with cattails and peppered with lilly pads.

Day trips to Amsterdam's city center provided far fewer landmarks to visit that Paris, but the choir was still treated to some great and interesting outings.

The first full day began with quite an emotional experience, however. The travelers toured the Anne Frank museum, a relatively short visit that left most everyone - young and old - climbing on the bus with reactions ranging from sadness to honest anger. For the first time on the trip tears of joy were traded for expressions of frustration over the hatred and cruelty chronicled by the attic, the little girl who lived there and her amazing diary that continues to teach us all.

The choir also took boat rides through the city's canals and visited several art museums, including one specializing in works by Rembrandt and the Van Gogh Museum. The latter thrilled art lovers with such famous pieces as "Sunflowers," "Irises" and several of his so-familiar self portraits.

The choir's official performance took place at beautiful little church in the middle of the city, but everyone' s favorite show took place not far from the Van Gogh Museum. The semi-spontaneous concert of a handful of songs took place in front of the big I AMsterdam sculpture and drew a nice little crowd of pleasantly surprised tourists.

But it was mother nature who gave the choir the greatest applause. After a surprisingly warm visit to Amsterdam a cool rain suddenly fell from the sky, sending everyone running for their buses - and already cherishing the sweet, sweet memory.