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Published: February 24th 2009
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Day 2 & 3 Arrived: Centraal Station - Amsterdam, Netherlands (midday)
Accommodation: Stayokay Hostel-- www.stayokay.com
• first impression = big & business- like/ clean
• room type = 6 beds per room
• shower = shared in room
• tip = book early
Gone.. Go Trippin' How excited were we when we arrived at Stayokay?! Compared to the closet of a space we had in London, this was hostel heaven. Stayokay is a short tram ride followed by a 5 minute walk. The tourist information center is directly across from the train station. You can purchase your tram tickets here as well as get a map of Amsterdam which is well worth it. On our way to the hostel, we had to ask for directions a few times because it appeared as though we were heading away from all the excitement. The hostel is huge and has a great business center complete with tourist guide books and maps. The continental breakfast is plentiful and delicious by hostel standards of course.
First stop-- Heineken Brewery. Tickets are cheap and you get free beer! Lunch was planned at The Pancake Company. Unfortunately, we got very lost and by the time we got there,
the restaurant was closed. Note to self- Attractions and most dining spots close down midday so either come early or come late. While lost, we managed to stumble upon Anne Frank's House, but double wammy for us, it was also closed so we headed on over to the Red Light District. It's an eye opener and out right against all norms We certainly enjoyed this unique part of town. However, magnets for trouble that we are, we couldn't leave without having a near death encounter when we attempted to fake a self portrait to try and capture the "you have to see it to believe it" scene that was behind us. Needless to say, we were chased out of the area by hurling screams and threats of which you can understand in any language. Scary indeed. To lighten the mood, we headed on over to a nearby cafe and treated ourselves to some "space cakes". Since we weren't planning on leaving until later in the evening for our overnight train to Munich, we checked out early and stored our backpacks at the train station lockers while we wandered the city. It was difficult to enjoy much, since we both have
been experiencing some major sinus allergies that started in Brussels and neither medications from the states nor the ones from abroad at local pharmacies were helping. A picture below where we and four others are crammed in a couchette will definitely reflect how we were feeling; all swelled up and exhausted. Prior to our train out, we headed back to The Pancake Company for dinner which was conveniently walking distance to the train station.
Do's & Don'ts DO check for attraction hours of operation.
DON'T take pictures in the red light district. You'll be sorry.
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