Wow where do I start with this trip....
First off, I stayed in my first Bed and Breakfast. The lady who ran the B&B was a little old lady named Angela. Right when we arrived at the B&B, Angela greeted us and made us feel at home. She was very nice and helpful throughout our stay for the weekend. Angela sat my buddy Reza and I around the dinner table and showed us on a map where all the best coffee shops, bars, shopping, and museums were. Now I understand why Angela and her B&B got awesome reviews from past guests on hostelworld.com.
Anyway, Amsterdam is a very unique place. It reminded me of San Francisco in the way that it was very liberal and different, if that makes sense. Instead of outlawing certain things, they have made them legal. With this, they have also created strict regulations so that these activities are decriminalized and/or safer than if it were illegal. Amsterdam also gets very cold. I had to purchase wool gloves because of how cold it was. The temperature was around 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. That is the coldest weather I have probably ever been in! It was so cold that all of the canals had frozen over and at night, there were ice skating races by professionals. Ice skating is a pretty popular sport in the Netherlands and many people gathered around the canals to see these races. Here are a few pictures of the canals:
Hockey season...Go Sharks!
Amsterdam is ruled by bikes
After exploring the center of Amsterdam and relaxing in a coffee shop, Reza and I met up with the Penn St. guys in our study abroad program who were also in Amsterdam. We then found our way over to the Heineken factory, were most of the heineken beer is brewed. This was a really cool experience and I learned a lot about beer and the actual process of making beer. Here are a few photos from the Heineken factory:
Museums:
The Anne Frank and Van Gogh museums were very interesting. I went into the Anne Frank House not really knowing what to expect. I did not know how big it was going to be or what was going to be on display. While going through the Anne Frank House and learning more about Anne Frank, she showed me how writing a dairy (blog in our modern age) is very important. Everyone should try and get their thoughts down on paper or computer. Without her diary, there is so much history that would have been lost. Her accounts give us an inside look at what exactly happened with millions of Jews during the Holocaust. It also serves as a reminder that society should not let history repeat itself with such an ugly event. I could not imagine ever living in a house in secret for two years. The Anne Frank House was a very powerful experience and something that I will never forget. I also wanted to respect the museum's wishes so I followed the rules and did not take any pictures.
The Van Gogh museum was also a very cool experience. I did not know a lot about Vincent Van Gogh other than the fact that he was known for a unique style of painting. I really enjoyed his style of painting and the work he created. Van Gogh was only painting for 10 years before he committed suicide, but in those 10 years he created thousands of paintings. It was very cool to see his progression of work from the beginning to the end. Visitors to this museum were also not allowed to take any pictures but I was able to take two pictures very quickly.
The food was also good because Amsterdam is very touristy. I finally had a gourmet burger and a Mongolian beef stir fry that was awesome. The morning of my flight, my last meal in Amsterdam was unforgettable. Belgian pancake with shredded chocolate, chocolate syrup, bananas and vanilla ice cream for breakfast:
Last Thoughts:
The people from the Netherlands were very tall and big. They had this very distinct body structure and I found myself thinking I was very small at 6'3"-6'4". The heineken beer tasted way better in Amsterdam. I recommend visiting this place in the summer or when it is not 15* so you actually feel your face and other body parts.
Overall, this was an unforgettable trip and experience and I learned a lot about myself. I really enjoyed Amsterdam and think everyone should check out this place. Here are a few more pictures of Amsterdam:
Coffee Shop
Red Light District
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