Amsterdamnit

Amsterdam Canals

Eurotrip #2 Complete. But this one came with a little complications.


Last Thursday we embarked for out second trip while in europe, to Amsterdam. Safe to say the boys were peeing there pants with excitement. Most of us know why ;) Ill admit, I was quite excited myself. Amsterdam is a cliche place to visit, and after seeing Anthony Bourdain's the Layover in Amsterdam I was ready for the weekend. 


We arrived at around 1:30 on thursday afternoon, giving us plenty of time to explore the city while there was still daylight. Hopping off Central Station puts you right into all the action of Amsterdam. The Red Light District was on your left, Coffee Shops everywhere, and Persians galore (???). First things first we checked into your Hotel. Being a girl I whimped out on the whole Hostel idea. And judging from what my friends said about theres, it was a good idea. They were offered shrooms from their bunkmate. I mean I guess it is Amsterdam and anything goes. After dropping off our stuff we hopped over to a coffee shop for the boys entertainment. They were in HEAVAN. It literally is like everyone says. You can go into a coffee shop, buy marijuana and sit there and smoke it. They also have edible things like brownies and space cakes. Of course I did not participate. After the boys were finished we went to the Anne Frank House. This was a must do while we were in Europe. After reading the book in 8th grade it was almost creepy to walk through there. Her pictures she pasted hanging up and the height chart of her and her siblings was still etched in the wall. I still cannot fathom that people lived like that and the other human beings could be so cruel. To think it was less than 70 years ago. How times have changed.. or have they?? 


"Despite Everything, I believe that people are really good at heart"-- Anne Frank


Its amazing how after everything this child has been through she can still find the good in people. Should be a lesson that all of us can take away.


After the Anne Frank House we went back and took a nap. This was to our disadvantage. We ended up sleeping till about 9:30. This is where I encountered my first Shworma experience. Its turkish food thats kind of like Gyros. At only 6 euros it was right in my budget and pretty good if you ask me. Add some chili and garlic sauce and it was even better. By the end of the trip I think we had eaten it twice, some of the boys 3 times. We wondered through the Red Light District at night. It is a whole different world. We saw a transaction go down, really messed up. What surprised me was the lack of bars open at around 2 am. We did find a rock bar in the middle of the Red Light District where we had a Beer. It even came with a front row seat to a drug deal in the alley. After being sufficiently creeped out ended up going back to the hotel and crashing. I should mention, they have beer in the vending machines at out hotel. Step up AMURICA!


The next morning we were determined to be productive. We went of a free walking tour of the city.. on THE coldest day there. Fun fact, Hunter Boots, even with inserts do not keep your feet warm. They do not insulate at all. Biggest waste of $40 I ever spent. My feet felt like they were going to fall off. Our tour guide was awesome. She was a younger woman from germany who had moved to amsterdam about 7 years ago. Giving tours was her job. She showed us around the Red Light District, East Amsterdam, and other various places. 


Fun Facts from the Tour:
1. Marijuana is in fact ILLEGAL. But nobody has been arrested for it in over 30 years. 
2. You will not die from Marijuana. If you call the ambulance they will come give you orange juice and a 400 euro bill. 
3. The Oldest prostitute in the Red Light District if 84 years old, with a 2 week waiting list.....
4. If you take pictures of the "Ladies" in the windows they will come out of their window with a stale cup of urine and throw it on you. (Even this didn't stop some of our friends from taking pictures)
5. There is a church right in the middle of the Red light District. It used to be for sailors to repent there sins after they were naughty. 
6. To become Prostitute, you have to register with the city as an Entrepreneur. I would like to see that on someones Facebook profile. HAH

7. They are trying to ban all these activities to tourists, and making them solely available to people residing in the Netherlands or Hollands.. Which one is it? I don't really know.






After the tour we went to the Heineken Brewery Museum. Safe to say it was way cooler than the Carlsberg one, but it is also a much bigger brand. The Museum was awesome. Lots of visuals and interactive segments. We tried "Wort" which is a mixture of barley and water heated up I believe. We also got to "Become the Brew." This was like a 4D video show with sound effects, water, and moving platforms. It was fun! Other highlights included a lesson on how to drink/pour Heineken properly. (Quick summary: Big foam head to keep the carbonation, huge gulps, let it sit in your mouth that swallow, this allows you to taste the bitterness, and you better finish you whole beer.) I also personalized a bottle with "Lake Life" in honor of Georgie, Erin, and Gordo. Cannot wait to be out on Lake Minnetonka this summer sipping Heinekens the RIGHT way ;) After that we got a bite to eat, surprise surprise more Shwoarma! and some tequila. AY AY AY. Alcohol was way cheaper here, so we were definitely taking advantage. At night we were trying to go to this club called Paradiso, for the second night in a row. But the boys we were with were too cheap to spend any money. So me and my friend Jenn went to a different bar without them. It was soooo crowded and supposedly members only. Being a girl does come to your advantage. We saw a whole slew of people. From the gangstas in the corner, to the athletes towering over everyone, and the random netherlandish (someone help me out here) people we made friends with. Too much tequila was involved in this night, and resulted in us leaving early and some sketchy food place. I don't even want to know what I ate. We got back to the hotel and I had some sort of fetish saying the word "HOUSEKEEEEEEEEEPING" over and over till I fell asleep. HOUSEKEEEEEEEEPING. I was the favorite roommate obviously. 

We woke up the next morning feeling pretty great. Our hotel was right in the middle of the Museum district, and was located on the Rodeo Drive of Amsterdam. It was so legit and not scary at all. We walked around a little bit before we headed inside the Van Gogh museum. This was a must do while in Amsterdam as well. The disappointments I had about this exhibit was its lack of "The Starry Night" portrait and the fact that the paintings were covered in glass. It didn't allow you to see the full effect of the brush stroke. 









The biggest highlight of my trip was Saturday night. Our friend Parker, a Whomp enthusiast, pointed out a concert call Winterkriebels. IT WAS AMAZING. One of the best nights of my life. It was in the city of Utrecht, a short train ride away. It was everything I live for in music.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FHqF_ff1NI&feature=related


We stayed out until 7 am. I have never had such an adrenaline rush in my life. Favorite DJ of the night were the Bingo Players. Pure Genius. This only made me more excited for Avicii and Sensation White coming up later in my travels. 


The fact that we stayed out until 7 am put a damper on the next day, we did not wake up until 3pm. In major need of food and water me and Jenn went out for Sushi. It was the best sushi that we have had in Europe by far. Spicy Tuna x2 and Seaweed salad, my go to. Such a cleansing feeling. After we met up with everyone at this Heineken bar where we just chilled and drank a couple pints of beer. Everyone was exhausted. It was nice just to hang out and chill. I really like the group of people that I travel with. Everyone brings something different to the table. After about 2 or 3 pints we called it a night. Well most of us. Some boys took the absinthe route and hallucinated through there last night in Amsterdam. I cannot even imagine what there brain was thinking. 

Drinking Heineken Properly

Pancakes! Amsterdam

With that we concluded our trip and headed to the Airport. I will gladly say that I had an amazing time in Amsterdam, but will never be back again. Once is enough. It is cool to say you go there. But considering I am not a museum person, I am not interested in prostitutes, and I am not interested in Marijuana, there is not much there for me. I found it somewhat sketchy and dirty. But I DO recommend everyone going there once in there life. And if you can time it right, in the summer. Way more things to do and see.



Monday morning, our last day in Amsterdam. We finished off the trip with some traditional dutch pancakes. They were amazing. So light and thing. I had a banana pancake with mixed nuts while Jenn and her brother had three American pancakes with Bacon. MMM MMM GOOD. We attempted to skate on the canals since the whole weekend they were frozen, the first time in over 15 years. The site of everyone skating on the canals was soo cool. There was even little stands set up selling hot chocolate and other various goods. Unfortunately we were a day too late, and a heat wave of 37 degrees started to melt the ice. We decided to then head over to the I AMSTERDAM sign to take a couple of pictures. You can guarantee at least 3 other randoms in your picture. Still a must see. 

BOMB THREAT

BUT WAIT. our trip did not end her. To our surprise some idiot lunatic decided it was a good idea to lock himself in a bathroom stall and claim he had a bomb. Bomb Threat.. Really?? I thought that only happened in America. We were stuck waiting to enter the terminal for over 6 hours. Granted we were provided free water and coffee it was still awful. The good news is that there was no bomb and the kid was hauled off to jail. I dont think that kid realized how much money and time he cost the world as well as how much his life is going to change. It would be cool to hear what his thoughts were. But finally 6 hours later we took off for home, Copenhagen. It was nice to finally lay in my own bed with all the comforts of my dorm. Candles lit i was ready to fall asleep. I am looking forward to spending a whole weekend in Copenhagen. Can't wait to go out with all my friends. 


Love and Miss everyone back home!


Cheers from Chels!