Amsterdam, Netherlands (Post #13)
On Tuesday, June 14th we flew to Amsterdam. Going to Amsterdam, Netherlands (Holland) from Reykjavik, Iceland was quite a shock. We walked off the train going from the airport to the city and thought, “WOW! This place is really, really, busy!” There are so many people, bikes, trams, and cars. You have to be careful not to get run over!
The architecture is incredible and all the canals make for a beautiful city. The weather here is great too – 21 degrees (70 degree F) and sunny. We are staying in a hostel that is much like a huge hotel. There is a bar and restaurant in the hostel and even pillows and blankets on our beds! The first day in the city (Tuesday, June 14th) we walked and walked all over the city and got lost a few times but it was fun looking at all the cafe’s (bars) and coffee shops (places where people buy and smoke pot). The city has the smell of marijuana because people walk around smoking it and because the smell comes out of the many coffee shops. This seems very strange to us (of course). There are even stores that sell hallucinagenic mushrooms and these are legitimate businesses. These shops are called “smart shops”. One thing about Amsterdam is that there is loud techno, or club, music blaring out from all of the stores and there are so many bikes. Everyone rides a bike here and there are even bike lanes next to the car lanes. Many more people bike than drive and it makes sense in this city because it is very crowded with a lot of people using all kinds of transportation to zip around. Similar to the way everyone talks on their cell phone and drives in the US, everyone here rides their bike while talking on their cell phones. After wondering around on Tuesday, we ended up at a tapas restaurant where Michele immediately ordered red wine. She had only one glass of red wine the entire week in Iceland because alcohol is very expensive there. Here, prices of things are more reasonable, although the euro is used here and the American dollar is somewhat weak against the euro. Still, everything seems pretty reasonable compared to Iceland.
On Wednesday, June 15th, we ate the free all-u-can-eat breakfast in the hostel then set out again on foot and walked through a couple famous markets where they were selling what else? Yes, of couse, pot! And even marijuana lollypops and “space cakes” (like pot brownies we think). We ended up going to Vondel park (like a mini Central Park) where we met two women – Tilly and Nathalie, who, like us, were also seeking shelter under a tree while it rained. We chatted with them for about an hour and a half. We asked them questions about Dutch life and they asked us questions about America. It was very educational and before we left the park they invited us to go on a canal ride with them and their friend on Friday.
Today, Thursday, June 16th, we ate breakfast with a guy named Eric, from Seattle, who was a seasoned traveler. He gave us some tips for when we climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. We headed out to a photography museum before going to an Internet cafe where Michele desperately tried to find a USB port to upload photos. We have not been able to upload any photos because we can’t find a computer anywhere in this city that will allow a plug-in into a USB port. However, we got a good idea from a guy staying in the hostel as to how to upload photos without using the USB connection so we might try this or keep searching for the ever elusive USB port. Our next stop was the Central Train Station’s international booking counter. There, we successfully reserved seats for our 9 hour trip from Amsterdam to Vejle, Denmark which we will be taking on Tuesday, June 21st. We also visited the red light district where we saw many prostitutes in windows trying to lure customers along with a lot of sex shops, strip clubs, and yes, even live sex shows. Amsterdam is truely amazing. The last thing we did was visit the Anne Frank house. This was the actual house where she wrote in her diary. It was very moving to be in her room where she spent several years hiding from the Germans. Now we will be heading for the beach. Tomorrow morning we check out of here (Amsterdam) and will stay the next 3 days in Noordwijk, Netherlands – that’s where the beach is. So, check back with us later!
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Tags: Category #4: Netherlands (Holland)
Michele Harmon
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