Amsterdam and Reflection on the trip

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I apologize that this post is coming so late after our trip ended. I planned on writing it a day or two after we got back but with work starting only four days after our return I got held up. Amsterdam was a great way to finish off the trip. One of the most unique cities we visited and definitely found more there than we expected. All pot jokes aside, it really had a laid back vibe that helped us finish off our trip strong. The best way to see the sites in this city is by bike. In the two days we rented bikes we saw the Ann Frank House, the Van Gogh museum, the Red Light District, did the Heiniken Tour, and much more. Out of everything we did I think the Heiniken Tour really stuck out. It is called the "Heiniken Experience" which is much more fun and interactive than the traditional brewery tour with some guy telling you how to make beer for the 234123235th time. Cool technology and interesting history behind the company made the "experience" a good one. Another great stop was the Van Gogh museum. It only took us until our very last stop but the Moms will be happy to know we actually went into at least one museum on the trip and it didn't disappoint. With hundreds of his paintings on display, Van Gogh's true brilliance was not admired until long after his death. We definitely enjoyed the display more than we thought we would. It was worth the hour and a half wait in line in the pooring rain. Besides that the usual nights out and a pub crawl here and there, Amsterdam was the perfect ending to a trip of a life time.



As I sit here reflecting on this trip on my third week in the real world I realize how truly lucky I am to have gone on such a trip. Those six weeks were the best of my life and it has changed my life for the better. Here are just a few of the endless things I took from the trip:

1. The People: The countless number of people we met during our travels took the overall experience from great to unforgetable. It blew me away how so many people with different cultural backgrounds, up-bringings, beliefs, and even first languages could share so much in common. I mean there were times when were hanging out with a group the comprised of six seven even eight different countries and we talked with them as if they were our friends back in cali. It was incredible how similar people can be even if they grew up in an entirely different world. That is one of my favorite parts about traveling. I learned so much about people and about different cultures. Just hearing peoples stories made me so much more inclined to ask questions and absorb as much as I could. I liked comparing and contrasting it with life in America. It was suprising to find out how things were similar and different. Sometimes I didnt get the answers I was expecting which made it even more intriguing. Every experience we had on this trip included people outside of the three of us and together we shared experiences that we will never forget.

2. Food: Let me tell you something.....Europe does food. And they do food VERY well. The best meal I had in my entire life (and that's a lot of meals) was in San Sebastian, Spain at a small tapas bar called Bar Haizea. There are no words to express how good this meal was.......I have to leave it at that. If you are ever anywhere near the north of Spain (Basque country) you must visit this little beach city. My new favorite place in the world hands down with the best meal of my life. Tapas style eating is also (in my humble opinion) the best style of eating ever. We came to a conclusion about the food we ate during our trip....ingredients are a game changer. The fresh produce, meat, poultry, fish, spices, or whatever goes into the making of food over there are what seperates it from the processed stuff we are used to in America. You can get grilled cheese sandwhich from a coffee shop and be like "this is the best grilled cheese ever." The ingredients are fresh. Another thing about food over there is each country has its own taste. Just like every city looks and feels different, each one also has a different taste. It was interesting to see how so many countries so packed together could have completely different traditional foods. Being the fat kid at heart that I am, one of my biggest goals on the trip was to eat the traditional food of the area we were in. And I loved them all. From the small tapas of Spain to the pork shoulder with a knife sticking out of it in Germany it was all out of this world good. Last thing about food in Europe is Doner Kababs. If you do not know what they are follow these instructions. Google it. Find the nearest location near you with this delicious item. Drive there. Order. Enjoy. We probably had a doner almost every day. Dead serious. Not only are they delicious and perfect for grab and go, they are very cheap. The one that you will be eating in the states will probably be a poor immitation of the real thing but it will at least help you realize the awesomeness that is the doner. Best doner in the world Pamplona, right on the street where they run the bulls. Can not remember the name but I know we went there twice one the first day of the opening ceremonies. My advice if you ever go to Europe is do not go to a restaurant and order what you always order or try and watch your calorie in-take or not try something because "I don't like that." Suck it up and try something new, something local. And if you don't like that's fine. At least you got a taste for the city you were in.

3. Uniqueness: I think the best part about our trip is we did not go to two cities that were even remotely similar in any way. Everywhere we went looked even more different than the last. Even between San Sebastian and Pamplona, which is only 50 miles apart, there were really no similarities. That was probably one of my favorite aspects of the trip was the fact that we did so much in so many unique locations. Every city required some getting used to. In other words, it was an adjustment from city to city. Which was a good thing. The people, architecture, language, layout, transportation, vibe, attitude, etc was different everywhere we went and it added to the adventure. It was really incredible how much we saw and experienced in the time we were gone. 9 countries, 14 cities, in 42. It is the best place in the world to travel because you feel like you have flown half way around the world every time you change locations. Every city we visited left a distinct image in my mind. None of them can be blended together. And that is the beauty of the Euro Trip.

So I will leave you with this: you must travel. It does not matter where or when you do it but you have to. There is nothing like experiencing something completely different that the world you know and then finding there are some aspects of that world that mirror your own. As for me, I am hooked. It was quite the 180 when I was thrown into the real world when I got back. I will travel again. It is just a matter of saving up those vacation days. I really hope you urge others to travel as well. It would not have been a fun trip with out Matt and Sean. Best travel companions I could have asked for. There is a reason every time we see each other now we can only talk about this trip. It's because it changed our lives. Yes our friends get annoyed hearing us talk about it after a while but we do not care because we know they would be doing the same thing if they experienced what we did. Thanks for following the blog! This will not be my last. Cheers!

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