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I just got back from Amsterdam yesterday. What an amazing trip. That city is incredible. The weather was PERFECT fall weather. Absolutely beautiful and there is so much stuff to do and so much great food and people and everything. I'm in love.
We got there at about 9am on Thursday morning. Claire and I found our hostel and got settled in. It was a really cool place with a lounge and bar downstairs. There was this platform area with a bunch of pillows and people were just laying there smoking weed, haha. Quite an interesting sight. Besides getting lunch and dinner, we just slept a bunch. We had been running on 4 hours of sleep the whole day so we were exhausted.
Friday, Matthew got in and he, Claire and I went to the Heineken brewery. We went on a tour of the museum (which was similar to how the coke factory is. just interesting, fun things to do) and we got three free beers and a free gift at the end. Then we took a canal cruise around the city. Got some good pictures of that. Then that night was Shapeshifter which is a New Zealand drum and bass band. It was the main reason everyone went to Amsterdam that weekend. There was a group of about 30 of us there so it was pretty fun. On the way home, we got Walk to Wok which is some delicious chinese food for real cheap.
Saturday, we went to the torture museum, Ann Frank House and rode bikes around the city. Stopped at a market, got some good food and bought some old books. Then we went to the Hard Rock Cafe of course. Got some unhealthy american food (I had been craving buffalo wings). Then went to a pub next door to watch the rugby game. France lost :( I met a bunch of Irish guys and they were really disappointed too. They said they would NEVER root for the English, haha. There was this really drunk scottish guy there too and he said I smelled absolutely amazing. He was REALLY drunk.
Sunday,I went to the wax museum and then I just walked around the city for hours by myself. It was so relaxing and I got to see parts I hadn't seen yet. Twice, I accidentally walked through the red light district and didn't realize till I saw half-naked women beckoning in the shop windows. That night, we all went to a coffee shop and hung out for about 4 hours. Had some of the most delicious milkshakes I've ever had.
Got home yesterday. It's weird but now that I've left Lyon to go on a vacation, coming back actually makes Lyon feel like home. Before, it just felt like a really long vacation. I like this feeling.
Things I learned from Amsterdam:
- It really doesn't hit you how bizarre hookers are until you actually see them in shop windows like zoo animals just waiting for men to come in.
- It's even more bizarre to see men walking in to get a hooker at 2:30 in the afternoon.
- Always make sure you have change if you need to go to pee because 90% of the restrooms in Amsterdam cost about 50 cents. It really sucks at a bar when that beer runs straight through you. Those bathroom ladies make a fortune.
- The buildings in Amsterdam would cost more if they took up more land so they built up instead of out. Therefore, every staircase you will find in Amsterdam is like climbing a ladder and most of the time is extremely frightening to walk up and down.
- I will never eat at a Febo.
- Walk to Wok is the best late night food. Ever.
- The man with the most beautiful lips in the world lives in Amsterdam. I saw him on the train.
- You actually can't smoke EVERYWHERE in Amsterdam. But don't worry, there will be signs that tell you that you can't. I love that they are needed.
- Riding dutch bikes are the cutest thing anyone could do. Unless the bike seat is too high and you're trying to climb on in a crowded street and you fall straight into another cyclist. (yes that happened to me.)
- Visiting a sex shop is something everyone should do at least once in their lives.
- Church bells, rivers and canals are what REALLY make a European city.
Claire does not like 4am wake up calls.
Tully and Jamie on the plane.
At the Amsterdam train station.
The massive bikepark outside of the station.
The first sex shops we saw.
One of many squares.
I can't get over how pretty the place is.
"Nachos" to the dutch.
View from the first hostel. The coffeeshop was right across the street.
Heineken
Watching Heineken commercials throughout the decades.
Some of our free beer.
The group.
Canal cruise.
See number 7? That's the smallest building in Amsterdam.
The smallest canal in Amsterdam.
Mushies sold in the smart shops.
A coffeeshop menu
Dutch shoes
There was a carnival at the square closest to our hostels. This was the roller ghoster.
This was one of the signs that said it was not ok to smoke weed here.
Yummy food at the carnival. It was like a funnel cake in ball form. DELICIOUS.
Bumper cars. There were some INSANE kids in there who, when bumping your car, would throw their WHOLE body into it. I got bumped around real bad and now have bruises on my knees. Jerks.
This ride was called Tweedy and it had drawings of looney tune characters getting high.
The coffeeshop that they went to in Ocean's 12.
The guillotine at the Torture museum
One of the markets.
Tons of nuts and some lady's butt.
Finding some good books and eating some chocolate raisins.
Riding bikes.
The line for the Ann Frank house. It's this long EVERYday.
Waiting in line for the house. Matthew got the most disgusting hot dog ever/ i wanted a bite.
Pretty good idea I think.
Some street performers.
Cannabis starter kit.
The wax museum.
Ann Frank (it actually didn't look like her at all)
Picasso
Ghandi and the Dalai Lama
Johnny Rotten
Freddy Mercury <3
Bon Jovi
Pierce Brosnan
This time I actually got to eat dinner with George :)
Pavarotti
My favorite thing in the world is walking down a street and hearing church bells. You can hear them in Vieux Lyon but in Amsterdam, you can hear them EVERYWHERE.
We got there at about 9am on Thursday morning. Claire and I found our hostel and got settled in. It was a really cool place with a lounge and bar downstairs. There was this platform area with a bunch of pillows and people were just laying there smoking weed, haha. Quite an interesting sight. Besides getting lunch and dinner, we just slept a bunch. We had been running on 4 hours of sleep the whole day so we were exhausted.
Friday, Matthew got in and he, Claire and I went to the Heineken brewery. We went on a tour of the museum (which was similar to how the coke factory is. just interesting, fun things to do) and we got three free beers and a free gift at the end. Then we took a canal cruise around the city. Got some good pictures of that. Then that night was Shapeshifter which is a New Zealand drum and bass band. It was the main reason everyone went to Amsterdam that weekend. There was a group of about 30 of us there so it was pretty fun. On the way home, we got Walk to Wok which is some delicious chinese food for real cheap.
Saturday, we went to the torture museum, Ann Frank House and rode bikes around the city. Stopped at a market, got some good food and bought some old books. Then we went to the Hard Rock Cafe of course. Got some unhealthy american food (I had been craving buffalo wings). Then went to a pub next door to watch the rugby game. France lost :( I met a bunch of Irish guys and they were really disappointed too. They said they would NEVER root for the English, haha. There was this really drunk scottish guy there too and he said I smelled absolutely amazing. He was REALLY drunk.
Sunday,I went to the wax museum and then I just walked around the city for hours by myself. It was so relaxing and I got to see parts I hadn't seen yet. Twice, I accidentally walked through the red light district and didn't realize till I saw half-naked women beckoning in the shop windows. That night, we all went to a coffee shop and hung out for about 4 hours. Had some of the most delicious milkshakes I've ever had.
Got home yesterday. It's weird but now that I've left Lyon to go on a vacation, coming back actually makes Lyon feel like home. Before, it just felt like a really long vacation. I like this feeling.
Things I learned from Amsterdam:
- It really doesn't hit you how bizarre hookers are until you actually see them in shop windows like zoo animals just waiting for men to come in.
- It's even more bizarre to see men walking in to get a hooker at 2:30 in the afternoon.
- Always make sure you have change if you need to go to pee because 90% of the restrooms in Amsterdam cost about 50 cents. It really sucks at a bar when that beer runs straight through you. Those bathroom ladies make a fortune.
- The buildings in Amsterdam would cost more if they took up more land so they built up instead of out. Therefore, every staircase you will find in Amsterdam is like climbing a ladder and most of the time is extremely frightening to walk up and down.
- I will never eat at a Febo.
- Walk to Wok is the best late night food. Ever.
- The man with the most beautiful lips in the world lives in Amsterdam. I saw him on the train.
- You actually can't smoke EVERYWHERE in Amsterdam. But don't worry, there will be signs that tell you that you can't. I love that they are needed.
- Riding dutch bikes are the cutest thing anyone could do. Unless the bike seat is too high and you're trying to climb on in a crowded street and you fall straight into another cyclist. (yes that happened to me.)
- Visiting a sex shop is something everyone should do at least once in their lives.
- Church bells, rivers and canals are what REALLY make a European city.
Claire does not like 4am wake up calls.
Tully and Jamie on the plane.
At the Amsterdam train station.
The massive bikepark outside of the station.
The first sex shops we saw.
One of many squares.
I can't get over how pretty the place is.
"Nachos" to the dutch.
View from the first hostel. The coffeeshop was right across the street.
Heineken
Watching Heineken commercials throughout the decades.
Some of our free beer.
The group.
Canal cruise.
See number 7? That's the smallest building in Amsterdam.
The smallest canal in Amsterdam.
Mushies sold in the smart shops.
A coffeeshop menu
Dutch shoes
There was a carnival at the square closest to our hostels. This was the roller ghoster.
This was one of the signs that said it was not ok to smoke weed here.
Yummy food at the carnival. It was like a funnel cake in ball form. DELICIOUS.
Bumper cars. There were some INSANE kids in there who, when bumping your car, would throw their WHOLE body into it. I got bumped around real bad and now have bruises on my knees. Jerks.
This ride was called Tweedy and it had drawings of looney tune characters getting high.
The coffeeshop that they went to in Ocean's 12.
The guillotine at the Torture museum
One of the markets.
Tons of nuts and some lady's butt.
Finding some good books and eating some chocolate raisins.
Riding bikes.
The line for the Ann Frank house. It's this long EVERYday.
Waiting in line for the house. Matthew got the most disgusting hot dog ever/ i wanted a bite.
Pretty good idea I think.
Some street performers.
Cannabis starter kit.
The wax museum.
Ann Frank (it actually didn't look like her at all)
Picasso
Ghandi and the Dalai Lama
Johnny Rotten
Freddy Mercury <3
Bon Jovi
Pierce Brosnan
This time I actually got to eat dinner with George :)
Pavarotti
My favorite thing in the world is walking down a street and hearing church bells. You can hear them in Vieux Lyon but in Amsterdam, you can hear them EVERYWHERE.
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