Amsterdam

So I have a little bit of catching up to do. I've been pretty busy this past week, so I've only been getting more pictures of more places. Amsterdam first, the rest will come later today or tomorrow.

Amsterdam was incredible. I haven't had the opportunity yet to see too many European cities, but Amsterdam is my favorite place of all time. It's not very large, but it's lively and quirky. It's incredibly beautiful and unique, and unlike anywhere I've ever been. This is a terrible comparison, but it seemed like the Vegas of Europe. The streets were small, there were lights and people everywhere. Definitely a lot of tourists looking for a good time, but it still had lots of very unique, lovely qualities that was unlike any other place.

There were bicycles everywhere, canals every few blocks, the houses leaned in various directions, and what seemed like a lot of history. While I was there there was also this carnival in Dam Square that had a few rides that were over the top. I rode them all at one point which was fun. We did a walking tour of the city and went to Anne Frank's Museum which allowed us to go inside her hiding place. I went to a torture museum that had a lot of medieval torture devices. We walked through the red light district, drank, and sat in coffee houses. It's the first time I've ever been carded in order to go into a coffee shop.

It rained on Saturday. It just poured. I came on this European adventure with inappropriate footwear so my feet were wet and hurting most of the weekend in Amsterdam. Finally, on Sunday I found some shoes that would make do for a while. They were the cheapest I could find at 21€.

Amsterdam was just great. I had a lot of fun. I had wished I was there with people I knew better, like friends from home and my family, but it was incredible either way. I'm hoping to go back again soon. Hopefully in just a few years.

[One of Amsterdam's many canals at dusk]


[More]



[Leaning houses. They were everywhere. It seemed like a crooked little town]


[One of Amsterdam's smallest houses. There were only two or three of this size]


[Carnival]


[Me across a canal from Anne Frank's Amsterdam hiding place. There is a facade on it so you can't see the real building. It's the one with all the people in front of it]


[A restaurant...]


[Part of my tour of the torture museum]


[Red light district]


[The cheapest footwear I could find in Amsterdam]