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Published: November 14th 2004
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I had a great flight into Amsterdam, so excited that I could hardly sleep. I waited for Jason's train and had a snack from these nifty snack-wall machines. You put in one euro and the glass door opens revealing a tasty morsel that is something fried. Seeing a friend from home was a great feeling; I felt more comfortable and safe than in a while. We began our journey through this incredibly beautiful city with a visit to a "coffeeshop" called 420... yeah. We then wandered around Damrak Square which seems to be a touristy place. THe architecture in this city is its best feature, by far. Surrounding us always were unbelievable shopping centers that could pass for castles. These hover over quaint canals which reflect golden lights found all over the city. These canals also make it absolutely impossible to find your way around. The first day, we accidentally found ourselves in the Red Light District. It could have been amusing, in a way, except that we weren't ready for it and freaked out. I think the Red Light must be mentally prepared for and visited in good humor. We finally found our hostel, though I still believe we spent
3/4 of the trip lost. "The Flying Pig," so our hostel was called, was on the main street: Nieuwendijk. Along this street were billions of clothing and boot stores. Nestled throughout them, though, are food stores. I am a firm believer that Amsterdam planned perfectly to maximize the city's income via food placement and frequency. Pancakes, apparently a Dutch specialty, are available everywhere. They are flat and come with choices of toppings. I am not surprised at their popularity because they are delicious; Jason and I ate them twice. Along the narrow streets are also donut shops with pastries, pizzas, falaffels, etc.. The people there enjoy a good meal, luckily for us.
Our hostel was the best one I've stayed in thusfar. It had very clean rooms and a great lounge area with free internet and a cheap bar. Surprisingly, too, they played good music. THere are red glassed candles scattered throughout the bar and a big library. At the entrance is a raised platform with low tables and lots of pillows, labeled with a sign saying, "No shoes, No sleeping."
The museums kept us busy most of the days. We got lost on the pier, of course, on our
Beautiful canals
It seems as if there are more bikes than people here way to the first museum, but when we found it it was well worth it. The Stedelijk modern art museum was in a warehouse of sorts and had interactive exhibits and Bauhaus furniture. Also there were paintings by Mondrian etc.. It was great. We also made a stop at the Anne Frank Huis. Obviously, you can imagine the perspective it puts on one's life. It sits right on one of the canals. For a sort of sick pick-me-up, we then went to the Sex Museum. This was basically a collection of porn through the ages and was quite interesting. I couldn't stop thinking about how silly it was that I wanted to giggle but felt I shouldn't because it was a "MUSEUM." Finally, you realize what museum you're in and let it all out. That night we took a "Lovers" cruise on the canals. It is such a beautiful city at night, magical Christmas-like lights with thousands of darting bicycles and houseboats. We wove around the city to the sound of a really cheap recording in five languages, cheesy really, but a fun experience.
For a last museum day Hoorah, we visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijks museum.
the Rijks has beautiful work, but very classical, realistic, old pieces. Though it was great and I respect those artists tremendously, I found the Van Gogh museum much more pleasing. It is set up as a timeline, so we were able to see his progressions and depressions. I feel very lucky to have seen this and the other museums.
After three nights and four days in Amsterdam, Jason and I are completely exhausted. It was, though, an amazing time and I would like to go again (though this time definitely in the summer). I heard more American voices there than any others (though all local people speak perfect English). It almost felt like summer camp. Yes, suggestion to all you camp leaders out there: take camp to Amsterdam, it's sure to create many great memories, or at least provide the experiences for memories. I missed my flight this morning. My clock magically jumped backwards an hour at some point. I was almost sick at the thought of having to buy a much more expensive ticket home, but EasyJet booked me on the next flight no charge! After that, the stress and worry were relieved and I made it home no
worries, only spending $25 more than I would've if I hadn't missed the plane.
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Great pictures. Best blog thus far. ^love