We flew from Athens to Amsterdam on 4/20 and arrived around 3 in the afternoon. We were meeting some friends here but they were arriving later in the day. We were going to wait for them in the airport but we decided to just head into town and walk around. We took the train to Central Station and bought a map. We were both very hungry so we went to get some Thai food in Chinatown.
On our way we happened to walk right into the Red Light district without even knowing it. We walk past the first window and the woman was standing perfectly still. We both thought she was a manikin until she started moving and we both jumped back. The Thai food was pretty good and it was nice to get some food and sit down for a while. We then planned out the rest of our day.
The weather was gorgeous. It was actually warmer in Amsterdam than Barcelona at the time and some locals said that it was the nicest day they had ever seen before Easter. That put me in a great mood. Our hotel was right near Vondelpark so we wanted to walk there and chill in the park to wait for our friends, Rebecca and Sierra. We slowly walked for about 30 minutes and eventually made it to the park to sit down. On the way we took some photos and absorbed the culture.
When we got to the park we just sat down and relaxed for about an hour until the girls arrived
I noticed some pigeons drinking water. I don't know about anyone else, but watching this was very amusing as I have never seen a pigeon drinking water.
Then I laid back in the grass and looked up at the trees. I was very content.
The girls arrived around 6. We went into the room and put our stuff down. Everyone was pretty hungry so we went to a place called Burger Bar. This place was amazing. You could make a custom Burger and choose from a list of ingredients and cheese. Somehow they forgot about mine and Jourdan's burger so we got an extra 70 grams for free. I wasn't too disappointed that we had to wait but it was extremely difficult to sit and watch everyone grub out on theirs.
The girls wanted to see the Red Light District so we walked over to Dom's Square. They have been setting up a carnival for the past few days and it was open now so it was cool to go there and watch. We also met up with another friend Rachel, who missed her flight and took a later one.
This was one of the spinning chair rides that are at every carnival and when it is dark my camera's shutter stays open longer so I can get some really cool photos.
We walked around for a while looking for a coffee shop to hang out at and watch the Barcelona futbol match. I got some tea and we just hung out until we went back to the hotel to go to sleep. Everyone was pretty tired but it was a lot of fun and everyone was excited to be in Amsterdam.
We all wanted to get some famous pancakes for breakfast. Jourdan and Sierra's friend, Brenner, is studying in Amsterdam so he took us to a place to get some. I got a pancake with Eggs and Bacon, and put some maple syrup on it. Let me just say that it was one of the best pancakes that I have ever eaten. The Eggs and Bacon were cooked inside the pancake instead of being put on top.
Here is the after picture
After this we just walked around for the rest of the day. The girls wanted to do some shopping and since Jourdan and I are so easygoing, we didn't complain. I was just happy to walk around and soak up some sunshine. After a few hours Jourdan and I were getting a little bored so we tried to go to the Heineken Museum but it was already closed for the day. So we just went back to the hotel. That night we basically did the same thing as the last day. Just a coffee shop and go to sleep.
We woke up and did pancakes again, this time near the Anne Frank house. I had a pancake with honey mixed fruit, and ice cream. I figured the mixed fruit would come with all of the different fruits that were on the other pancakes but I was wrong...should have asked. I really just wanted some strawberries but it only came with peaches and pineapple. Why it didn't say "pancake with peaches, pineapple, and ice cream" I am not sure. It was still good.
We then tried to go to the Anne Frank house but there was a huge line so we decided to hold off until later. We went to the I Amsterdam sign instead and took some pictures, then went to the Van Gogh Museum.
I like this one...the S's sharing some love
They didn't allow pictures in the Van Gogh Museum but it was a really cool museum. I am not really a fan of art but I liked him because he is different. I actually got a post card of my favorite paining which was a skeleton smoking a cigarette with a black background.
After this we had to move hotels because the other one was completely booked. Also Jourdan and I had to leave at 3 in the morning because of an early flight so we did not stay in the hotel for the last night. We also stopped bye the Anne Frank house. By this time the line was only about a 20 minute wait and we got to walk around it without it being that crowded. It was a great museum and we saw the entire thing which is not really possible in most museums.
While they checked in we tried to go to the Heineken museum again, and missed it again. The store was open though so we bought some souvenirs...which were fairly cheap.
April 23rd is Jourdan's birthday so we had to go to a bar to celebrate at midnight. We just went to a place near bye and had some drinks...and a round of shots. They also gave us a shot on the house for his birthday but it tasted more like juice, as I would expect for any shot on the house. It was fun but we had to leave and get our bags to go to the airport.
Amsterdam was great. I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do but it was very relaxing and I loved the city and the atmosphere. I could see myself living there for a short period of time.
It was also good to go back to Barcelona. Even though I had a great time on Spring Break, traveling is exhausting. But this week we have finals and then everyone leaves. It is Thursday right now and the week has been very up and down.
So long for now
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