Amsterdam

After a turbulent flight from Sevilla, I had a lovely few days in Amsterdam. It is such a unique and picturesque city. I got a little lost going to meet Nite from the airport, as I took the train in the wrong direction. Several people told me it was correct, but I was very doubtful, and it turned out that I was right. Eventually, I got on the correct train and met Nite in the train station. We had a nice time catching up and making plans for the next few days in her apartment. We were both super tired from the past few days in Sevilla so we made some dinner, watched The Kite Runner, and went to bed early.

On Wednesday, we had a leisurely morning and began with a stroll through a park. We ended at a concert hall where she works that has free lunchtime concerts. Unfortunately, this week’s concert was a very strange experimental orchestra that was far from pleasant to the ears. We continued walking towards the center and visited this adorable residential area surrounding a courtyard. I could definitely live there one day…if I make a ton of money. We had a soda overlooking one of the many beautiful canals. Nite left me in Dam Square and I walked around that area for a few hours. It was full of cute shops, chain stores, restaurants, and, of course, the infamous coffee shops. Don’t worry, I didn’t go in there although I found them fascinating. I found this really cute square where I sat for a while and watched everyone go by, mostly on bikes. It was really refreshing to see lots of blonde people after being in Spain for a while. I think Dutch people are adorable. Eventually, I made the very long walk back to Nite’s apartment where she was making me dinner. She treated me to a very Dutch dish of mashed potatoes with greens and meat and sausage on the side. Yum yum. It was very hearty. After dinner, we went back to the center to catch a canal cruise. It was very relaxing and I got to hear about and see all of the city. My new dream is to own a private boat and ride it around the canals. The boat tour was great, but the people in private boats seem to be having a grand time. The city is just lovely, especially all lit up at night.

We woke up earlier on Thursday to try to avoid a long line at the Anne Frank House. The line wasn’t bad at all, so we lucked out. The museum throughout the house was really well done and, of course, very sad. Although my living conditions in Spain weren’t incredible, I’m very grateful for my big room and the fact that I could move around during the day without fear of someone finding me. With the decibel at which Rebecca and I sang songs from Glee, we would have been captured immediately. As always, there were too many tourists in the house with us, but it was still very powerful. After that, we went to eat something I have been craving for a long time….bagels! What a delight! I was so glad the Dutch were on the same page with me about how good bagels are. After indulging, we walked for a while to the science museum that has an incredible sloped roof with a nice view of the city. It was heaven for children, with a waterfall along the steps and various life-size board games. Nite and I just enjoyed the sun and laughed at the adorable bleach blonde children. Then Nite went off to a meeting and I went to Museum Square, which is a big open field surrounded by great museums. It has the famous I amsterdam sign so I took a picture there and watched people climb all over the giant letters. It was pretty entertaining for a while, and then I went to the Van Gogh Museum. He was quite a talented guy, eh? It was a really good museum, mostly featuring his works. After getting cultured, I walked home again and spent a few hours planning some things for the rest of my trip. It was amazing having working fast internet again. I picked up some dinner at the grocery store and was quite productive. Nite came home later and we hung out for a bit before heading to the infamous Red Light District late at night. She biked there while I took the tram, but she left before we found out that my tram was not coming because a bridge was broken. Eventually, we met up and it was fine, and I got to use my Spanish while communicating with a Portuguese woman about the problem. I have distinct memories of visiting “curtain street” on my last trip to Amsterdam, but it seemed very different this time around. It was one of the saddest things and by far the most degrading thing I’ve ever seen. I feel terrible for these women who just stand behind windows “hoping” for customers. It made me nauseous and we were some of the few girls there, so we didn’t stay too long.

This morning, I packed up my stuff to move on to my next city – Berlin. I’m now on the plane and very excited to see this city. My family and everyone who goes there loves it, so I hope it has the same effect on me. Thanks to Nite for being such an amazing host and Amsterdam tour guide. I absolutely loved my trip there!