This weekend's speedy trip to Holland is already starting to blur together. It was crazy fun and an awesome bonding experience for Jessica, Ulfie, Molly, Anne, and myself. The weather was beautiful every day, but then again, I'm not surprised. I do bring the sunshine with me everywhere I go. My head is presently foggy with cold medicine but I will still do my best to recount the events of the past 3 days.
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| Bikes are really popular in Amsterdam. |
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| Amsterdam Canal |
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| "I Amsterdam" in front of the Rijksmuseum. |
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| More Amsterdam canals. |
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| View of the city from the "Around the World" ride. |
Friday (Vrijdag)
We arrived at Schiphol airport without a hitch. The shuttle from the airport to the hotel was quick and after dropping off our bags we ventured into the great city of Amsterdam. We attempted to use the public transportation system (eventually we got the hang of it) and spent 4 euros just to get to the bus station. Once there, we wandered around Bambi-eyed until we discovered a van in parked in the middle of the bus station where one purchases travel cards. Weekend travel cards were not feasible for us, as we were going to be using different forms of transport to get in and out of the city. We dropped another 7.50 on the empty transport card (which doesn't expire for 10 years), and headed to the main train station to "top up". Having gotten all of the logistics out of the way, we proceeded on our adventure.
The first stop (after the main train station) was the Hard Rock Cafe for some lunch and nostalgia. Huge, American portions filled our tummies with yummies and picked up our spirits. Our group of four then divided into two and we went off exploring our own points of interest. Jessica and I walked around the beautiful streets of Amsterdam, along the canals to the Anne Frank Huis. The line seemed long but a local convinced us that in reality it was quite short, so we waited for 30 minutes to see the real hiding place of Anne Frank and her family. No pictures were allowed, but I doubt I'll ever forget. Then we continued our wandering the streets. On our way back to the station to catch a bus home, we found a carnival going on in Dam Square. The blinking lights, happy music, and scent of sweet things to eat drew us in. We snapped some pictures, sampled Dutch pastries, and then headed home for the evening, exhausted.
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| Central Train Station |
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| Millions of bikes everywhere. |
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| A pretty church near the Anne Frank Huis. |
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| Amsterdam at night. |
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| Carnival at night. |
Saturday (Zaterdag)
The four of us met downstairs in the morning for another day in the city. We had a full itinerary and needed to make best use of the time. Quick breakfast nourishment form McDonalds (I can't believe I actually ate it) then back on the bus to the city. Van Gogh Museum was first and well worth the admission price of 14 euro. I saw both of my favourite Van Goghs and learned a lot about his life, his style of painting, and his legacy. Très intéressant! We lunch-munched on savoury dutch pancakes (interesting) and then did some more sight seeing. Soon we found ourselves in the sex museum, learning nothing and seeing far too many private parts for any of our liking. Back near the aforementioned carnival, Ulfie, Molly, and I decided to ride "Around the World". This brought my spirits way way up and provided amazing views of the city from the sky (see pictures/video below). We then went to a local pub to chill and have a drink. Time to eat again. This meal's selection was Indonesian, as we had heard rumours that the Dutch do Indonesian almost as well as the Indonesians. So true, it was delicious. We called it a semi-early night and headed back to the hotel to meet Anne, who was just arriving from London.
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| On our way to Van Gogh. |
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| The I amsterdam statue up close. |
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| A pair of swans swimming in the canal. |
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| Riding "Around the World". |
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| Amsterdam sunset as seen from "Around the World". |
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| Indonesian cuisine. |
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| Occupy Amsterdam protest camp. |
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| Occupy Amsterdam protestors. |
Sunday (Zondag)
First stop on Sunday was the Rembrandt Huis. This was a small museum set up in Rembrandt's actual house. It was very interesting and educational. I learned how to make oil paints, how to store them, and all of the work that used to go into making a painting. Then we took a tour of the local diamond factory. This was a bit of a let down, but at least they had free tea and coffee. We wandered to an "ice bar" but the 20 euro minimum set us back out on the street again searching for food (what else is new?). We had a quick lunch of sandwiches from a local deli chain then, feeling particularly adventurous, headed to the infamous Red Light District. Again, no pictures were allowed, but I don't think I'll soon forget this either. We saw lots of scantily-clad women behind glass doors, beckoning with their eyes and other gestures. We saw strange men, women, and even families walking through the streets of the Red Light District. Who would have thought this was a place for children? After getting our fill of prostitute viewing, we headed to the royal palace to check out the diggs of the Dutch royal family. I was less than impressed especially because only one section of the palace was open for touring, the rest of the wings were closed to the public. Boo. Dinner at a delicious italian restaurant left us with full bellies once again. Earlier, in the red-light district, we stumbled upon an interesting coffee shop called Baba. Space cakes were available, and after much contemplation I decided to go for it. After all, when in Rome, right? After a short stay in the coffee shop we giggled, laughed, and embarrassed ourselves all the way back to the hotel. After a short stop in the McDonalds (again, I'm shocked that I partook in this snack session) we tucked ourselves into bed.
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| Oil paint supplies in the time of Rembrandt. |
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| Pretty bridge over one of the canals. |
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| Killing time in the royal palace. |
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| Giant organ in a cathedral. |
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| The ceiling of the royal palace. |
