Hello from the Netherlands! Amsterdam

     I arrived on June 12, 2013 in Amsterdam very early in the morning.  My flight was at 7 AM out of Berlin and so I was awake at 4:45 AM.  I am not a morning person, but somehow I managed to get to  the train station and airport on time.  There is something I have been meaning to tell you all for quite some time and that is pack very light when you are traveling around Europe.  Europe has a bunch of low cost airlines, but they are only affordable if you have little to no luggage.  Having my bags have cost me an arm and a leg sometimes.  These airlines are trying to take every possible dollar they can from you, so don't bring more than hand luggage.  Lesson learned!

     When I arrived in Amsterdam around 8:30 AM, our landlord picked me up from the airport and took me to our flat that we rented off Air BnB.  I have never used this before, but I thought it was a good experience.  It is nice to have your own space as well as  kitchen to cook some food.  Manuel and his friends Anita and Valentina did not arrive until after 8 PM and so I had the place and day to myself.  I used this rare time of being alone to sleep and rest as I was still very sick at this point.  It was nice to basically be in bed all day.  It was so great to be with my friend Manuel again!  I can't believe that it has been over a month since I was in Scotland.  Time flies and I have seen so much since then.

     We stayed in Amsterdam from the 12th to the 16th.  I don't really know how I feel about Amsterdam.  It is a beautiful city aesthetically in some parts, but then again many of the building are leaning as if they could fall down any minute.  It was really odd, but I enjoyed walking around the city. It was huge and there was always something new to see.  

     I expected the Coffeeshops in Amsterdam.  There were several of them everywhere and it wasn't shocking.  The Red Light District on the other hand blew my mind!  What a crazy place!  Women in windows trying to wave in new clients, live shows, shops and so much more.  I only went there during the day and it was jaw dropping.

     The four of us had a really great time wandering around the city.  It is always great to have Manuel around because I get Italian made pasta for dinner.  The guy knows how to cook!  One day, we were joined by Arjen, a Dutch friend that guided us around Amsterdam for a couple of hours.  Wonderful few days in Amsterdam!

 Outdoor market

 Street performers

 Dutch Windmill

 Created my own Magnum!

 Flower market

     On our last day in Amsterdam, there was a demonstration against what was occurring in Turkey.  The protestors had signs saying "Stop police brutality"and "Erdogan, new Hitler".  There were quite a few people and the march disrupted the tram system for a while.  I thought it was great to be able to see people fight for what they believe in.  Freedom of speech should be a given right to all citizens of the world in my opinion.

"The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes 'sight-seeing'." 

-Daniel J. Boorstin