I've got a feeling we're not in Dublin anymore

Ah Amsterdam.  If Seattle WA, Portland OR, Boulder CO, and Las Vegas NV all had a baby and moved to Europe, that would almost be Amsterdam.

We left on Thursday morning and caught the airport shuttle bus right outside of campus.  After a flight which felt like about 20 minutes, we hopped on the very convenient train and ended up at Amsterdam Centraal.  A 5 minute walk later and we checked into our youth hostel.  We had originally booked a 20 bed room but the guy at the desk told us we could stay in the 10 bed one for the same price (which meant all of us were in the same, private room).  A great way to start the trip!

View from our room

Trying to find a place to eat

We walked around the city a little and had some dinner.  I was amazed at the architecture.  To date, Amsterdam is probably the most beautiful city I've been to.

The next morning, we got up early to buy our tickets for a hop on hop off canal tour suggested by Eimear.  It was something I wouldn't have thought to do but it was a great decision!  There were 3 different routes through the canals and our ticket let us get on and off whichever boat we wanted for the entire day.  The boats stopped at various points of highlight around the city so you could get off and explore.

The canals

Our first stop was the Anne Frank Museum.  We went through the self guided tour in which you got to walk through the house and explore the various displays of original artifacts.  It was one of the most, for lack of a better word, chilling things I've ever done.  To actually be in the place where her story happened was mind boggling.  I got chills numerous times going through and could not believe what had happened in the house. 

Anne Frank House

After going through the museum, we got back on a boat and went around the canals some more.  We got off a few more times to walk around.  Our plan was to go to the Van Gogh museum but it was pretty pricey so we decided not to (we went into the lobby which means we can technically say we've been there).  We grabbed some lunch back at the hostel (the city is small which makes getting places fast/easy) and hopped back on a boat.  We got off at a stop with one of the few remaining giant windmills in the area and also walked around a farmers market.

After some dinner, my friend Julie and I walked around the infamous red light district a little bit to see if it lived up to all the hype.  I know my grandparents read this so let's just say everything you've heard about it is true.  From a sociological standpoint, it was fascinating to watch everything that was going on!

Some red light windows visible from the hostel.  There's an unwritten rule that pictures are not allowed in the red light district.

The next day, some of us met up with one of the girl's in our group friend who happened to be in Amsterdam for the weekend as well and we tagged along.  We walked around some more and planned to go to a neon art museum but for some reason it wasn't opened.  It started to snow which made things a bit chilly but also added to the scenery.  After some lunch, we went to a museum near the red light district and then stopped at a coffee shop (it served actual coffee) to warm up.  Being in the Netherlands, some of us wanted to get Dutch food so we wandered around and found a place.  The food was delicious!  Service on the other hand was terrible (which was a running theme).  If ever in Amsterdam, never eat at Fogata or Jennifer's near the train station.  They try everything they can to rip you off...unsuccessfully I might add.

Dutch food is quite good

We then went out to a few bars in the red light district where I met someone who knows Heather, my roommate/one of my best friends in Colorado.  Very small world!

Amsterdam made me realize how much I love Dublin, especially the pubs!  It was a fantastic vacation from my vacation but I'm glad to be home.  I had a lot of moments this weekend where I was sitting down and thinking to myself, for example, "I'm sitting on a boat in a canal in Amsterdam!"  It's pretty amazing.  I love those moments.  I loved Amsterdam and am excited that I will be back in about a month on my Bus2Alps trip!  Can't wait!

Other notable things:
-Went to the climbing wall and met some people from Scotland and Ireland.
-Will have been here for a month on Friday...crazy!  Where is the time going?

I'm headed to Edinburgh, Scotland with API very early Friday morning for the weekend.  Can't wait!