Onthaal aan Amsterdam (Wecome to Amsterdam)!

Hello again. 

I hope you didn't miss me too much, but I was just having so much fun in Amsterdam, I just havn't had the time. Oh my god, it's so nice to be too busy for the internet. 

So, yes. The trip went off without a hitch. We had to leave really early to get to Madrid, but the flight was fine, and getting to our hostel was pretty easy also. 

Friday night when we got in, we were pretty beat, so we just had a calm dinner in town. Amsterdam at night is really fun. There are lots of strange neon signs and lots of people in the streets. there is also in the center of town an ice rink which blares Justin Timberlake. Katie and I found the food hotspot, lined with every type of food imaginable just off of Liedensplein and decided to grab some Thai food which almost bought us to tears of happiness. 

Saturday we got up around 8am and hot some free breakfast at the hostel which consisted of bread slices, cheese, salami, plain yogurt, and tea. It was pretty plain, but still an amazing change from the shitty spanish breakfast muffins we all hate. First item on the agenda on Saturday was the Van Gogh museum. The line was a bit tiresome, but we both loved wandering and enjoying the gorgeous artwork. I particularly love museums because people (usually) keep quiet and it allows me (one) to have a little reflection and peace of mind. Movies have a similar effect, but the movie itself is usually loud which disrupts your own sense of mental calm. 

After a delicious and nutritious vegetable filled lunch (Katie and I had been dying for some green food) we decided to rent some bike's at Mike's Bikes, which, like all the bike shops, was uber hippie/stoner. Because I'm a tiny person, I had to get the special pink bike, which was probably made for kids ten and under. But it's cool. I rolled with it. 

The biking thing in Holland is crazy. There are tons of bikes everywhere, and many designated bike lanes. However, the rules seem tedious and there are also many cars and trams occupying these small paths.  I was afraid for my life once or twice because my biking skillz are sub par. So, in order to relax a bit, Katie and I biked over to Vondel Park which was quite stunning in the midday sun.  Biking was probably one of my favorite activities of the trip, except that my butt was pretty sore the next morning. That night, we, with great difficulty, finally decided on Mexican restaurant for dinner. So many delicious choices! None of which were fried. Happy and full, we thought we might try out the bar scene. Unfortunately, the night resulted in us leaving a pretty fun bar because of this dirtbag/creeper who wouldn't just let us be! Sigh. We thought we left all those guys in Spain. It was alright though, because the night life in Amsterdam is a bit sketch and we didn't really know what we were doing. Clearly. 

Sunday, we headed out to explore the Red Light district, a must for tourists, but only really during the day unless you truly are interested in purchasing a prostitute. Katie and I weren't. The only downside is the "red lights" were pretty hard to see at noon. Also, the women in the windows were pretty appalling. Feeling adventurous, we decided to try and reach Central Station and the waterfront. We made it, but got lost on the way home. I think we walked at least 10-15 miles. We definitely had to get a nap. Sunday night we sampled some AMAZING greek food and got a drink in the hostel where we met this crazy belgian guy. He seemed nice tho and had a girlfriend, which was good. 

Monday, the last day, was a slower day. At about 11, we headed across town to see Anne Frank's house then grabbed some fresh pizza. We might also have done a bit of unnecessary shopping. Later that day in the hostel, we ran into Belgian kid again, and asked him if he wanted to grab some Indian with us. He ended up being hilarious. His english was really good, but according to him, almost 100 percent of it he learned from movies. I could never do that. Later we went to an Irish pub and then a silly dance club (It was a Monday night..). Belgian guy got down!! It was hilarious. He was so skinny too. We may have been laughing at him most of the time, but I don't think he caught on. Plus, he ordered a blue lagoon (blue liquor and 7-up) which was extra silly. 

Tuesday we got up way too early to catch out 10 am flight.

I already miss Amsterdam! Such a cute city with friendly people and great ethnic food. The energy in Holland is much more calming than Spain also. But, I love Valladolid and am glad to be home. I am not looking forward to midterms coming up, however. They should be pretty easy, but it can be hard to study here with limited internet access/hours, etc. Hopefully I will get my pictures up soon. 

Sending love from across the pond!