Amsterdam

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After spending one night in Hamburg with a friend I studied with we head to Amsterdam. On the way there we had to switch trains which normally isn't an issue except this time I got stuck in the mens bathroom at the train station thanks to a faulty turnstyle. The staff there then proceeded to yell in german for me to push (I think) which didn't work, so he came over, waived something in front of the sensor then yanked it free, thus freeing me. After a quick stint on the second train we arrived in Amsterdam to what would have been the most achitecturally stunning central station had it not been for the scaffolding and construction around it. From the station our hostel, another St Christophers, was only a short walk away on foot, this however turned out to be the dingiest one we have stayed in. There was only one incredibly small window in the room which was just above street level and with eight people in the room this made it very hot at night time. The mattress was also the worst I have experienced so far. No matter how you lay on it the springs would find some way of stabbing you.
Our first full day in Amsterdam consisted of a walk around the centre of town and some souvenier shopping before we took in a Guided Tour of the Red Light Distrct. This certainly wasn't as shocking as I thought it might be although it was only 7pm when we went around. Our tour guide, Kevin, gave us a run down on how prostitution first came to be in Amsterdam as well as showing us some of the more weird and wonderful buildings located in the area.
The following day we did a Sandeman's New Europe Free Walking Tour of the city and our tour guide was once again Kevin who turns out to incredibly knowlegable on all things Amsterdam, so take his tour if you can. We got to see many old buildings we would have otherwise not seen, the Red Light District during the daytime and the "Coffee Shop" that was used in Ocean's 12. After the tour we took a cruise around the city via the canals, turns out Amsterdam has more bridges than Venice. Following this was a visit to the Sex Museum which is pretty bizarre but worth a look anyways. Then it was back to the hostel to watch yet more Football.

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