Canals of Fun.

Amsterdam. Capital of the Netherlands and home to approximately 2.4 million people in the metropolitan area. Amsterdam is located in the province of North Holland. Famous for the many canals, liberal status, and unique architecture, Amsterdam will always be remembered as nothing but a great time.

In Amsterdam, almost everything is legal. Smoking marijuana in the streets, prostitution (famous for the Red Light District), and all the “coffee shops” are all examples of legal activities. What are coffee shops exactly? Coffee shops are alcohol-free establishments where soft drugs are sold and consumed like marijuana. It was such a weird feeling to be in Amsterdam and witness all these activities that would be considered illegal in the United States.

After getting back from my trip to Berlin earlier in the week, I needed to complete all my assigned homework before the weekend because I knew I would be leaving for Amsterdam early Friday morning. Luckily I finished it all the evening before I left!

Friday 2/3/17

The adventure began early Friday morning. The four hour train ride began at 8AM with four connecting trains. On one of the trains between Germany and Amsterdam, a big bump, or jerk, occurred that seemed abnormal. At the next station, the train that was headed for Amsterdam turned around in the opposite direction. At that moment, no one knew what was happening. About 1 hour later we ended up back at the original train station where we got on the train. Everyone in my group started to panic because we were at the wrong station and we missed our train. Finally, we found a conductor and he told us the problem. Supposedly, our train hit someone or something on the journey and we were going to be delayed for 2 hours. The train was supposed to arrive in Amsterdam at 1:20PM. Luckily the train started to head in the right direction again and we found other connecting trains. We finally arrived in Amsterdam around 3:30PM. When I arrived in Amsterdam, I was amazed with all the unique architecture of the buildings along the canals. They were tall, narrow, and pointed buildings. By the time I arrived in Amsterdam, I was exhausted from the journey and started to head to the hostel across town. Along the walk, we came across the Royal Palace in Dam Town Square. In the Dam Square, people gather around to eat, protest, take pictures with people in costumes, and listen to live music. This square reminded me a lot of Times Square without all the lights and busy traffic. After seeing the palace, we walked along the main strip of stores that lead out of the city center. Amsterdam is composed of a city center (in the middle) with several canals that surround the city center (like a horseshoe). The hostel I stayed in was just outside the last “ring” and canal. After I made it to the hostel, I took a short break and then left to explore the outer rings near the hostel. I found a place that sold waffles and I bought one covered with a caramel shell and chocolate syrup. Unfortunately, as I was trying to take a picture of it, I dropped it all over my coat (just my luck). Thankfully, the worker helped me clean up and covered the waffle in syrup again. Here in Amsterdam, I had to live with 3 complete strangers because all the rooms were full. I stayed with 2 guys from Wales, UK (around 30) and 1 guy who didn’t speak English (around 65). The old man was a partier because he came back every night between 3-4AM.

Saturday 2/4/17

Saturday was also an early morning because I had tickets to go tour the Anne Frank house at 9AM. This was one of my favorite museums in Amsterdam. All throughout grade school we were taught about the Holocaust and about the young girl who was in hiding who kept a diary, Anne Frank. After Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father and only survivor of the family, returned to Amsterdam after WWII, he was given Anne’s diaries and papers she wrote. As a visitor, I was able to walk through the house that Anne Frank and her family hid in for most of the war. I was able to walk behind the movable bookcase that covered the entrance to the Secret Annex. They had to be very quite all the time while living upstairs and all the blinds had to remain shut. Sadly, after hiding from 1942-1944, someone gave an anonymous tip (from someone still unknown today) that Jews were living in the building. They were all discovered and brought to one of the concentration camps where Anne Frank, her sister, and mother all died. What was interesting about the museum was that no furniture was inside. During WWII, the houses of Jews who were deported were stripped of their belongings and sent to Germany. Everything in the house disappeared and when Otto Frank returned to the Secret Annex after the war, he wanted it to remain the same. After visiting the Anne Frank house, we walked up the canals and observed the Amsterdam beauty. We came across the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Amsterdam. This museum had wax figures of famous people and characters that looked to real for me. It was kind of creepy the detail in the figures. On our way to the Red Light District, we came across the Oude Kerk. The Oude Kerk (a church) is one of the oldest buildings standing in Amsterdam. It was consecrated in 1306. This church is near the Red Light District because when the sailors came to Amsterdam, they slept with a prostitute and went to church to rid their sins before heading back to sea. Walking in the Red Light District was a complete culture shock. There were women standing in the windows like caged animals as people were walking by. Taking pictures of the girls was strictly illegal but you were allowed to take pictures of anything else. Since we were walking through the district during the day, there were not as many people or windows opened. The nightlife would be a completely different story. We then made our way to the I amsterdam sign (I Am Amsterdam). This is an iconic piece of art located near the Rijksmuseum. People from all over the world climb on the letters to get the perfect picture. Just across the park, the Van Gogh Museum stood. This museum is a dedication to the works of Vincent van Gogh, a famous painter born in the Netherlands. For those who are not familiar with the arts and Van Gogh, he is known worldwide for The Starry Night painting located in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. After the museum, we came across the House of Bols. The House of Bols is a cocktail museum that shows how a cocktail is made and all the thought that goes into making the Bols liquor (an Amsterdam brand). After the cocktail experience, we were given a free cocktail (YAY)! After the free cocktail, you had the option to purchase more and if you decided to purchase more, you could either choose to make it yourself or have them make it. Of course, we all bought an extra one. I choose to do the make it yourself option, which was a fun experience. I got to measure, stir, and shake the cocktail! This was by far my favorite museum haha. At the end of the night, some of us decided that since we were in Amsterdam, we should walk through the Red Light District at night to get the full experience. The atmosphere during the night was completely different. There were tons of people (mostly tourists) and the streets were lit up in red from the windows. I learned that if a window was blue, then the women also accept women to come inside. Otherwise, only men could enter the red rooms.

Sunday 2/5/17

The last day in Amsterdam was spent a little more relaxing. I was able to sleep in. After checking out of the hostel, we made our way to the Bloemenmarkt. The Bloemenmarkt is the world’s only floating flower market. The Netherlands are famous for their tulips. I am hoping to go back to the Netherlands in April to see the tulip fields in full bloom! After going to the flower market, the Amsterdam Museum was next on the to-do list. The Amsterdam Museum is dedicated to the history of the city. It was a very informative museum and it was interesting to learn the history of Amsterdam and how/when it was settled. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Once again, there were 4 trains to take to get back to what I call home. Just like on the journey to Amsterdam, there was another scare. The train was 3 minutes late but our connection was only 2 minutes at the next stop. Luckily, the train seemed to be speeding and we made it to the connection with 30 seconds to spare. 3 days, 2 nights, 8 trains, and 438 miles round trip later, I arrived back to my apartment where I dreamed “Where to next?”

See you soon, but not too soon

-E