Amsterdam

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Hello everyone,

Sorry for the hiatus. I just returned this week from two weeks of travel on the continent. I'm actually traveling to Florence this weekend too so it may take me a little time to update the blog. I also went to Giant's Causeway but I'll write about that in a couple weeks when I go with Mom, Nana and Popop. On spring break I went to Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg, Nice, and Barcelona. I'll write about each one separately.

I started off my spring break in Amsterdam (a place I've always wanted to go yet only decided to because it was the cheapest flight I could get onto the continent). This truly was an incredible city built for everyone. This was arguably the most beautiful city I have ever seen just from a pure architectural and lay out stand point. Although if you are between the ages of 18-30 and enjoy a good time while having an appreciation for history and architecture this is nothing short of your Mecca. The nightlife was just as crazy as advertised. The Red Light District is about as subtle as a Chris Farley movie. The coffeeshops were all over the place too, especially in the Red Light District.

However, as much as I enjoyed the nightlife of Amsterdam my favorite part was seeing the city during the day. The city is 2 different places by day and night. The best is undoubtedly how canals run through a good portion of the city which makes for a beautiful backdrop. Also, the blend of new and old architecture really gives the city a very unique feel to it. While there my friends and I stayed in a Christian hostel that turned out to be very nice and reasonably priced (the cost of some hostels can be surprisingly steep). The reason I identify it as a Christian hostel is because it is situated next to a Thai Massage parlor about 10 feet from the main section of the Red Light District! Ironic, no?

Overall, I loved the city and was sad I could only stay for two days. It truly was a wonderful experience on many different levels and I look forward to hopefully visiting the city again some day. If any of you every get the opportunity to see the city take it. While it does live up to its reputation, it really has so much to offer everyone. Enjoy the pictures, I'll update this again probably next week. Hope all is well with everyone!

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