Day 1 - Amsterdam

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Ok this is officially my first blog from a foreign country. I am sitting in the basement bar of the hostel watching arsenal vs Liverpool seemingly live... Weird

Anyway after being awoken eventually this morning by 2 of my alarms and 2 ferry alarm calls
I paid an extortinate fee for a breakfast on the ferry. I arrived in Amsterdam without too much mishap. Just getting in a debate with the ferry lines official in the hook of holland that I had not been given my train ticket at the harwich end as she was insisting that I had been. Then i got out of the ferry port and stood confused because the only train at the platform was to Rotterdam. It turned out that I was meant to get on that train and change for Amsterdam at Rotterdam.

Arriving in amsterdam it took me a good half an hour to buy a 48 hour travel card from the tourist office then another half hour to find my damn hostel. Anyway in the end I found it checked in dumped my rucksack set upy day bag and off I went. I spent the morning and early afternoon wandering around the canals (I once accidentally entered the red light district. Always a disconcerting experience). In the afternoon I found my way eventually to vonderspark (a wonderful park that has a few lakes and some brilliant scenery). I then lay in the sun by a lake reading my new Robert Ludlum book that I had bought in one of the 3 English bookshops I found (one being waterstones). I then found an oriental bar kind of cafe
and had a very nice noodle dish before coming back to the hostel. Which is where I am sitting drinking a pint of Heineken (not as nice as amstel which I was drinking during lunch).

I'll definitely be able to post tomorrow but after that I don't have a clue. I'll have to take each day as it comes

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