Amsterdam

When I first got to Europe I had no desire to go to Amsterdam. I don't smoke, don't really party so I was like eh what's the point of me going. But people kept talking about it and it seemed like a cool place so I looked it up and did some research and decided that since I had this train pass I would go.

So I was there from the afternoon of February 6th to the morning of February 9th, and I have to say it is a really amazing city. It was truly beautiful with the ring of canals throughout the city, along with the old yet beautiful architecture. I have to say that out of all the cities that I have been to, Amsterdam is the one that appealed the most to me in terms of its looks and older feel.

An example of the nice architecture

More nice looking places

I wasn't really entirely sure what I was going to do when I got there, besides visit the Anne Frank house and a museum dedicated to the Dutch Resistance against the occupying Nazi force, but once I got there I realized there is a lot to do.

I got there Friday night around 5 or so. I hung around in the hotel for a bit an went and grabbed some food. Then I took the train into the city center and decided I would just walk around a little bit and sort of get oriented and just see what what going on in the city.I didn't have a map or anything, I just decided I would walk around and not get too lost and just see what happens. There were tons of people everywhere since it was a Friday night and I just figured I would follow the mobs of people and see where it led.

Answer: The Red Light District

Seeing as it was a Friday that is of course where everyone was headed, and right where I ended up. I was reading this travel website about Amsterdam before I left and it said don't go to the Red Light District right when you get to Amsterdam because then you will get the wrong idea about the city. Uhhhh whoops. Anyways here is a picture of the Red Light District.

You can see the neon windows on the right and left where the girls are

And for those of you who are just dying to ask: no I did not partake in the services offered there.

I walked around some more and found a few monuments and picturesque areas and that was all nice. Then I went back to the hotel to retire for the evening.

The next morning I headed on over to the Anne Frank House, since that was number 1 on my list of things to do. Apparently it was also number 1 on everyone else's list of thing to do.

Here is the line. It goes down the length of this building and around the corner

The line also went wicked slow. I think I was in line for 2 hours. I can't really remember because it was a long time ago now. But it wasn't too bad because there was a group of Brits in front of me and they were playing that game where you hold a word up to your head and the other people act out the word and the person has to guess what the word is. It was particularly fun when they got to a section where they had to do accents. Of course there were a lot of US ones, including New York, California, and Georgia, which are all easy (or maybe not because they didn't know what Georgia was, but hey they're not Americans so cut them some slack). But the real curve-ball was Michigan. What is a Michigan accent. What stereotypes does Michigan carry? They didn't know, I didn't know, and we were all left stumped. I've been in a program filled with a ton of people from Michigan for 6 months now and I still don't know what a Michigan accent is. Anyways, this has gone on too long.

It was really cool to see the Anne Frank House. I read the book only one time when I was really little, in elementary school I think. But I remembered enough to make the trip cool, such as the living arrangement, Anne's annoyance with the older male guest, Anne and the boy her age in the Annex going up into the attack and kissing for the first time, the sound of the church bell next door going off, simple stuff like that. So it was really amazing seeing the place and literally stepping inside the book.

Unfortunately photos were not allowed within the Annex. I suppose I could have snapped a few off, but it just didn't feel right.

I might go back and read the book again. Might be even better now since I have been there, just like Bastogne.

After the House, I went and bought a tour of the city via a canal boat.

Like this one

Basically you sit on the boat, he drives you all around the city for a little over an hour, you plug some headphones into the jack, select your language, and then just sit back and enjoy the ride. As you go throughout the city the headphones are playing the history of the city and pointing out the famous sites and stuff like that. It was a pretty fun time.

I don't know when I decided I would do this, but I decided that I was going to go eat at Hard Rock Cafe in every city I visited that had one. Amsterdam was my first time making good on this. I didn't do it in Krakow in Rome. I wanted to do this so I could buy the souvenir glass with the name of the city on it. I now have glasses from Boston, Tampa, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and London. 

The next morning I went on over to the Dutch Resistance Museum. Worst museum I've ever been to. So boring. They didn't have a lot of original objects on display. So it was basically like paying 5 Euros to go read a really boring narrative on WWII. The most common thought I had while in the museum was "Ugh, there's more." At the half way point of the museum I left because I was so fed up with it. Those of you who know me well or have been to a museum with me know that I never do that. I am normally the guy who read every single little thing and always spend a couple hours more than the recommended visit time there (and consequently I am the guy no one wants to go to a museum with, sort of like how no one in daycare no one would play me in NHL Hitz 2002 because they were sick of losing 20-3. Yes I'm still bitter)

So I left the museum and headed over the Heineken Brewery (I feel like this is beginning of a joke). Amsterdam is where Heineken was founded, and they have this thing at the site of the orginal brewery where you get to walk through and learn about the company, how the beer is made, and of course taste the beer. You get 3 beers with your entry. Not bad. 

This is the brewery

They have a thing where you learn to pour the beer from the tap and you get a certificate saying you are a certified pourer. Beer is supposed to be in the middle of the red star. Nailed it.

I also payed 6 Euros to have my name printed on this label. It wasn't until I got back to Munich that I realized that I can't bring the beer back to America since I won't be 21 when I fly back. Guess it will be just the bottle. Also pictured: My right shoe and beautifully trimmed fingernails

After Heineken I went on over to the Amsterdam Ice Bar. Its a bar that's completely made out of ice, including the cups. You get 3 cocktails with your entry. It was a sweet place, but it was like 14 degrees or something stupid so basically everyone goes in, snaps a few photos, chugs the drinks, and gets out. The upside is that they give you a giant coat to wear, as well as gloves. You get to keep the gloves, so I now have gloves, which came in handy for the rest of my trip.

A part of the ice bar

Sculptures

The cups and drinks

Drink

Sign

After the ice bar I got some food, walked around some more. I stumbled upon the famous Amsterdam sign, so I snapped a photo.

Lots of people

And that was basically it for Amsterdam, next stop: Brussels!