Bikes, coffee shops, tulips and more bikes...

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Ohhhhhhhhhhh Holland! Such a beautiful, wonderful country! The three cities I visited were all unique but I have to say that Amsterdam is my favourite. It is such a fabulous city. I know there are very trouristy aspects of it, but it also has a romance and beauty about it. The little canals, house boats, stunning architecture, bikes bikes bikes... it's just buzzing!
I was so lucky with the weather while I was there. It felt like Summer! And sunshine is a guarenteed way to make you feel happy and alive!

Iris (a gorgeous gal who I met in Montezuma, Costa Rica) met me at the airport Tuesday night and we set out to wander the streets of Amsterdam by night. The biggest eye opener for me was the famous 'Red Light District', it really shocked me. Of course I had heard about it but didn't realise exaclty what it was like. It's right in the middle of the city and people (families, children, elderly) walk down these streets just like any regular street, only here the girls are paraded in windows surrounded by red lights like pieces of meat, objects for men to pleasure with. I was actually quite discusted and saddened by it. Appreantly it is a good way to 'control' prostitution and make it 'safer'. As far as I am concerned it is all kinds of wrong and degrading to women. I also heard terrible stories about where some of these girls come from and how they are coaxed into it without knowing what they are getting themselves into. Oh, it's just awful!!

Apart from that confrontation I fell in love with Amsterdam, it was an instant attraction. The city was alive and just had such positive happy vibes!

During my next few days in A'Dam I got lost exploring the streets, wandering alongside canals, discovering random graffiti, meeting cool cats in coffee shops and bars and enjoying the sunshine.
Iris really looked after me and made me feel very comfortable and at home in her lil flat. Her flatmates were lovely also. We had a fun night out with a bunch of her friends from her home town for one of her friend's 20th birthday (do you know how old that made me feel?! 😊), they were all super sweet and spoke perfect English. I am in ore of these people who can spk 2, 3 and/or 4 languages. WOW! One day I'll be fluent in Spanish 😊
Iris and I spent a fun afternoon relaxing in Vondel Park with Guus (who Dean and I met in Nicaragua), so fun to catch up and have an arvo/night session together. We enjoyed the afternoon sunshine before getting caught in the rain, though when it is warm rain it is refreshing. We sat outside undercover in a street full of people eating out before a night on the town. We ate pizza, drank wine and watched as people tried to escape the rain and wet. Something that makes me smile so much is their love of bikes. People will be dressed up to the nines (girls in heels) but still out on their bikes, the young and old, they all have bikes. It is such a convenient and environmentally friendly form of transport.

I also visited some other friends in different cities, Tom (who I travelled with for two months in Sth America) and his girlfriend Chrissie, in Delft and Sija (who I met in Montezuma with Iris... such gorgeous gals).

I had Easter brunch with Tom's family which was so lovely. Tom and I became such close friends whilst travelling in Sth Amez together and both talked so much about our families and friends so it was so nice to be able to meet them and spend some time with them. Delft is such a pretty little town. Tom and Chrissie have a great apartment right in the middle of town, looking out to a church (which is very loud when the bells go off, twice on Sundays for half an hour. First at 9:30am, then again at 4:30pm), it's a great possie.
I rode with Tom (on Chrissie's bike, which was so comfortable and nice to ride) to watch him and his team win their last volleyball match for the season, I then joined him and his team for a very loud and funny dinner and ended the night bar hopping with Tom, Chrissie and some other friends till all hours of the morning! We were a bit slow the next day getting ready for Easter brunch, but pulled up pretty well 😊

After a night in Delft it was off to Groningen to have a couple of nights with Sija. She met me at the station and we were both looking for blonde tanned girls (as back in Montezuma we were blonde and tanned... her much more so than me 😊). When we saw each other we were a little unsure but quickly realised despite the hair and skin colour difference we were still the same! Sija and her friend Hilena (spelling?!) had cooked borritos, it was so nice to sit down to home cooked meal. You don't think you could really get sick of eating out, I mean you don't have to cook or clean up, but you really do get over it pretty quickly. We; Sija, Hilena, Richard (who's pad it was, so so nice, like all the flats/apartments I visited in Holland, so clean and well finished) and Arna, sat around chatting about travel and drinking wine. Then Richard pulled out his Hukka extravaganza and we smoked some smooth apple tobacco, an Israeli tradition. We headed into town to check out a couple of bars. Another buzzing, happy city full of youth (as Mum and Dad would say), it is a university city so the youth dominate. The next day Sija and I jumped on her and her bro's bikes and rode into town to canoe in the canals. We spent an hour on the water paddling our way around. It was such a great way to see the city. We were able to see house boats up close and personal (yes people really live on the water) and some of them were all class, if you were sitting inside it you wouldn't even realise you were on a boat, but from the outside it looks like a regular boat. At first I thought it was so odd, having your home in a boat on the water, but after seeing some of them close up they look so cosy, I think it's a great idea. We struggled a little with paddling in a straight line. It wasn't till we were in bed later that night that Sija imformed me she was often doing more sight seeing than paddling, cheeky lil bugger 😊 After an hour paddling and a bit of bike riding we decided it was time for a beer in the sun. We joined hordes of people enjoying the summer sun in the main town square/plaza. Then headed to an amazing Spanish tapas restaurant for a feast! Sija and I alike LOVE food so we had fun wining and dining together whilst swapping travel stories and remembering the good times in shared in Costa Rica.
The next day we had a lazy day lying in the sun by a huge lake close to Sija's place. It was so nice and relaxing and so good to get some Vitamin D. Sija told me that only a few months before she was ice-skating on the same lake. Amazing! It was sad to say goodbye to Sija that afternoon but I am sure our paths will cross again.

I was excited to be heading back to Amsterdam for my last night. I felt like I was at home as soon as I stepped off the train! Oh I can't even describe how much I love that city. Maybe one day I will move there for a Summer (as I can't imainge it being quite so fun in the Winter months). Iris met me, with her green bike, and we set out to get some hot chips and mayo (last night in A'Dam, you gotta do it the Dutch way). We then decided seeing at I was in Holland and it was my last night we had to test out the fine produce of the coffee shops. You can't even imainge (till you are there) how wierd it is to walk into a coffee shop and say "I'd like to buy a joint" and they pass over a pre rolled trumpet joint in it's own personal plastic tube. To be honest I am not really into smoking weed, would much rather drink a beer than smoke a spliff, but when you're in a country that it is legal to smoke in you really can't say no... 'When in Rome' right?! 😊 It was a very funny last night together. Talking, giggling and munching!! Great way to end my wonderful Dutch experience!

Thank-you so much to Iris, Sija, Tom, Chrissie and Guus for welcoming me and making my time in Holland special, memorable, exciting, happy, spontaneous and most of all FUN! I didn't have any real expectations about my time in Holland, more than enything I was just super pumped to catch up with you all! It's amazing how so much time can pass between seeing friends but it's almost like no time has passed at all. I just love the friendships you form with people you meet travelling. It really is so special because you share something together that no-one else ever really understands, memories that you will talk and laugh about forever!

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Photos

First impression
arhhhhhhh the bikes!