City of Bikes

My trip to Holland was great! I saw everything I wanted to see and even met some really fantastic locals. I stayed in Amsterdam which was full of things to do. Amsterdam's official name dates back to the 27th of October 1275. When there had been a bridge built with a dam across the Amstel. It is home to many impressive museums, the oldest building in the Netherlands, and is the #1 tourist destination in Europe.

Captains Log Day 1:
 My friend and I took separate trains to Amsterdam but arrived only about an hour apart. So once we met up a little after 11:00 our adventure began! We started off by walking around and completely amazed about everything around us. Since it was a nice sunny day everyone on the streets was out smiling, laughing and enjoying the warm weather. We ran across the flee market which was impressive. Each time you though you were at the end another 20 more were around the corner with their tents pitched selling things. From clothes, books, furniture, and food to antiques, paintings, and rugs. Had I been able to, or had a reason to I would have bought a rug. The rugs there were beautiful and super cheap! After that we kept walking until we found one of the " I AMsterdam" tourist signs. Its very touristy, but I would recommend seeing it. The first one we found was covered with kids on a field trip playing inside the letters and sliding  down the "S" 

Basically at this point I began to fall in love with this city! (but I fall in love with every new city so bare with me...) I would consider Holland/Amsterdam a solid runner up behind Austin. 

Walk, walk, walk, see amazing architecture and some extremely crooked buildings (and taxi boats in the canal)...and BAM now its nearly 3pm and my friends and I are both completely distracted by anything that looks like food. So what better way to eat than to have a bunch of Dutch cheese samples, crackers, and some wine. The cheese, oh my heavens! The Dutch really know what they're doing and everyone else is wrong. It was by far the best cheese I have ever had in my life, it was rich, creamy and packed full of flavor.We both sat there eating cheese and soaking up the sun until it was time to call it a day. But on our way I discovered that bikes run the city the hard way.

A bicyclist in this city is of a higher status then cars, trains, trams, buses, and ESPECIALLY people walking. So there I am just walking down this cute little "straat" that has a good amount of room on each side. There would be plenty of room for, oh lets say a bike, car, and walker. Apparently that was NOT the case in the eyes of the bicyclist that tried to run me over. They were shooting down the street as if I wasn't even there. I had to side step to avoid them and then they continued to drift more my way. Its like they had a target on me! To speed the story up I had to keep getting over to the point where a driving car bumped me. Granted that the car wasn't going fast, but none the less bikes are insane in Holland. For the rest of the trip I probably looked paranoid every time I had to cross a bike path.

Day 2:

The first thing we got to do was figure out the bus system. Since bikes are #1 and everything else is #2 and its as simple as that. Luckily we managed to map out a route to the Anne Frank house that avoided bikes =]. I wasn't completely impressed with the house, which was a huge let down because I read the diary again just for this trip. However I did find it quite nice to see the neighbor hood around it and really paint a picture as to what she saw in hiding. After that we walked to the Van Gogh Museum. I will keep this part short. It was AMAZING we spent over 3 hours in there and anyone who goes to Amsterdam NEEDS to see it. Once we left the museum we met a local who was one of the nicest people I had ever met and they invited us to a soccer game the next day.

I really think the best way to see a city is to walk, observe, and talk to locals. The city is so much nicer when you see the cute attractions for tourist & everything the residents there do day in and day out. 

Day 3:

After a long 2 days of walking it was so good to just watch a soccer game. Fun little fact, the soccer game was the first game I have actually watched the whole way through and payed attention to. I may have a new interest in soccer, but don't worry American football is still #1 in my book and will always be! After the game my friend and I took a nice long walk through Vondelpark, I think the park would look nicer later in the year but it was still very pretty! After a game and a long walk whats better then getting some pizza at a little sports bar cafe, I'll answer that for you! Nothing! 

Day 4:

It was a only a half day since we had to catch a train back to Germany. Regardless with all the museums and walking we were doing we realized we never actually saw Amsterdam's main attraction. You got it, the red light district. Now I'm just going to say it, I am SO thankful we went during the day. Yes it was interesting to see a different culture and what they call the worlds oldest profession. All in all though I'd much rather spend my vacation trips hiking, and seeing museums. Not walking down a street of half naked women in windows, that smells like beer,pee, and regret. 

After a long trip it was hard to say good-bye to such a pretty city and culture! I really liked how active everyone in the Netherlands was and all the history behind the city. Plus, show me a city with nice locals that smile and are very hospitable and I am SOLD. =]

Until next time! Bis Bad!