Hands down, Amsterdam is my favorite European city that I have seen. It is one of the first cities that I visited and said, "I don't want to come back, but I HAVE to come back." It was a bit surreal to finally visit the city since I have wanted to go for so long, but it surpassed all my expectations. When you hear people talk about Amsterdam, you mostly just think of pot, hookers, and debauchery, but I found that behind the stereotypes there is a beautiful city with so much to offer. I thought the city would be grungy and gross, but it ended up being one of the cleanest places I have set foot in with some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen! The Dutch are all tall and handsome, which probably means that I need to move there since I only seem to meet short guys in the US. It was weird seeing Dutch girls who towered over me, that is definitely something I'm not used to anywhere else! This is the first foreign country where I have actually felt like I fit in, even in the US I'm not used to seeing so many people that look like me, dress like me, and seem to mirror everything about me. On top of it all, I didn't get to see nearly as much as I wanted to. The Heineken Experience was closed for remodeling, which was the biggest disappointment since all of my friends who had been to the city say it is the one thing you HAVE to do. I also didn't get to go to the wax museum because it was "too expensive" according to the people I was with, and I missed out on Rembrandt's house. Even though I missed out on a few things, Amsterdam was truly an unforgettable experience, and I can't wait to go back. Here is the story of one crazy weekend.
Our flight on Thursday offered free Heineken... We had to take full advantage of it. I have found that European Airlines tend to be much more generous than the American Airlines...plus you see amazing views of places like the Alps.
Enjoying another Heineken at the hostel bar.
Amsterdam tends to cater to those "cravings" that people get every so often. I have never been to a place where they sell chocolate -covered waffles everywhere.
Night #1: We arrive at the Bulldog Hostel in the Red Light District. I had heard mixed things about this place, but it ended up being the best hostel I have ever stayed in. Cool decorations, a way better bed and shower than I have in Rome and free breakfast! The picture above was taken in our room around 10:30 pm, when we had just returned from walking by too many prostitutes and groups of wide-eyed college boys. We promised ourselves we would go back out after a "short nap" but 7 hours later we woke up and just had to laugh.
Day #2: I found out that I prefer the canals in Amsterdam over the ones in Venice.
I saw this place by our hotel and just knew I had to take a picture for Dad.
We went to the Erotic Museum to start off our day. I think Whitney was in shock...The rest of my pictures are a bit too scandalous to post in this blog. I am trying to keep it PG for certain family and friends.
One other thing that I loved about Amsterdam is the shopping! I saw some amazing shops where I couldn't afford anything, but it was all my style! In Rome, NOTHING is my style, but I loved almost everything I saw in the Netherlands. The best thing about it was that we weren't even trying to go shopping, we just randomly found all these great shops on the way to the Anne Frank House.
Another "coffeeshop" that made me wonder why my Dad has never been to Amsterdam...
Alright, so here is where all the big drama starts. On Friday night the boys arrive, claiming we "definitely" have a place to stay. We get to this hotel which is a bit removed from the central part of town, and find out that THEY CANCELED THE RESERVATION for some "unknown" reason. After a good half hour of people getting angry and freaking out, I get out my guidebook and call a place that miraculously has 6 beds available. We get there...and the picture above is the result. Lonely Planet says that the Hans-Brinker Hostel "is a popular place among travelers, with a bouncy, animal-house vibe to it." What??????????????? More like a hostel with a bunch of 16-year olds running around in hot pants. All of us felt old and couldn't handle it. Did I mention the rooms were like giant prison cells? At the time, we all were in hell, but now looking back on it all it was pretty hilarious. I just can't believe I found a place for us to stay.
Shopping I randomly walked by this in an antique store...They seem to love Ducktales in both Vienna and Amsterdam because I saw Huey, Dooey and Luey multiple times.
Day #3: I woke up early at our "hostel" to try to find yet another place for us to stay. After calling every place listed in my book, the last hotel had an opening. We didn't know what to expect after the Hans-Brinker experience, but we arrived at a much better hotel with an older dude that reminded us of Jim Morrison. He gave us our key and said, "Hey, it's ok if you smoke in the room, just make sure to open a window." After all the stress of the night before we treated ourselves to a day at Vondelpark and the Van Gogh museum. Another strange thing about Amsterdam is that it reminded us all of Seattle. The people, the vibe, the parks, the restaurants...everything just has that Seattle feel to it. Walking into Vondelpark felt like walking into Greenlake. Having lunch at an obscure place felt like a meal on the ave. We all felt like we were somehow at home in Amsterdam...and I am NOT trying to sound like a big stoner here!
We couldn't believe this bird we saw in the park! It was weird seeing a bird that looked so tropical in February.
On Saturday Night Robin's Dutch friend Bart took us to a big house music party outside of town.
In the cab with Bart. On Sunday Bart text messages Robin asking her if he could "show her the countryside and parts of Holland that she wouldn't normally see." I couldn't believe she turned down the offer!
View from the Van Gogh museum.
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