Amsterdam!!!

Amsterdam 6-20-12

Let me just say ... wow. I knew there was bound to be interesting things happen while we were in Amsterdam and I was pretty much right. Initially we weren't really sure how we would be traveling around Amsterdam - I assumed we would all stick together and be limited as to where we could go and what we could see. I wasn't planning on getting crazy but I am very interested in the way different cultures work and Amsterdam is much more liberal than anywhere else I have been and, well, I wanted to see it. Getting to come spend time in Amsterdam already had me emotionally warped because it was one place Alex had always wanted to come to. Now he would have EXPERIENCED it; I just wanted to SEE it.

Much to my (pleasant) surprise, we took the train from the airport into Amsterdam, got signed up for a 'hop on, hop off' canal tour and at each stop we were given the opportunity to split up and explore where we pleased. Even more exciting was that Shannon was just as willing as I was to go off the beaten path to get past the touristy parts and really SEE Amsterdam.
"Hey, wonder where that street goes"
"Only one way to find out!"

We also discovered that we are more alike personality wise than either one of us had initially suspected. It's difficult to describe - we just got each other with no need to pass any judgements. We just wanted to (safely) have an Amsterdam adventure. About 10 minutes into our first adventure and we end up in the Red Light District. Oops. I would assume we were more on the edge of it; it wasn't too outrageous, we just kept on turning down random streets with no end game in mind. We just wanted to take in as much as possible before we had to meet the group back at the canal stop. And, the rumors are true. Everywhere you walk there are people sitting outside cafes and bistros smoking joints like it ain't no thang. However, there wasn't nearly as many as I had initially assumed. I would guess that because it's not taboo, less people sneak around, therefore it's less appealing to the kiddos. I'm not gonna lie - Alex would have loved it. In fact, as we were on our way back to meet up with the group, BOOM! A "Hemp Shop"...full of cannabis, pictures, and other general paraphernalia. At this moment Shannon and I realized that Alex was indeed guiding our tour, there was no other explanation.

Amsterdam is extremely beautiful and very rich in history. The average houses used to be 3 yards wide. Talk about skinny! We saw many houses that looked like the front was about to fall off and I was concerned that it was structural issues. Come to find out, they are built that way on purpose. Not only does it make the house look bigger from below, it also helps protect the house when furniture is moved in. Because the houses are so narrow, the only way to get furniture in is to lift it with a rope. Most of the houses have a hook hanging over the top level that can be used as a pulley to get big items inside. Clever.

On our second excursion we found a little cafe where we had a scrumptious lunch. I had a BLTCA (bacon, lettuce, tomato, chicken, & avocado). It was reallllly good. Shannon had the weekly special - it was a healthy burger that was about the size of a slider and a half from the states. Hers came with these chips that were like baked Doritos but thicker in width and smaller in size. They were good too.

After the third trip on the canal tour we were pretty puckered out. The group decided (or so we thought) to split up and either take the 2:25 or the 3:45 canal boat back to the train station and then rendevue back at the airport. We were tuckered out so we make a quick trip to the Hard Rock Cafe so we could get some shirts and then we decided to head back.

Let me take this opportunity to fill my wonderful readers in on something most of you probably do not know - Amsterdam is extremely proud of their bicyclists. They joke that the canal is made up of 3meters - 1 meter water, 1 meter mud, and 1 meter bicycles. They have bike lanes and bike signals. And honey, if one's a comin' you best get out the way! Our part of the sidewalk was taken over by construction vehicles so when a car staopped to let us across I shot across to the median, looked both ways and then ran to the other side of the street. I THOUGH I was on the sidewalk when all of a sudden this horn screams out from behind me. I'm exhausted, I just ran across a busy street, and now I'm extremely confused as to why a car would be up on the sidewalk with me. I turn around to see an older Korean woman on a bike and she had a face that clearly showed she was in no way pleased with me. Still processing her car horn on a BIKE, I managed to hop out of the way and apologize. She then proceeds to shoot past me only to turn around, flip me off and grunt before speeding off. Accidents happen!! Needless to say, at that point I was just ready to go.

Shannon fell asleep on the boat - I made it until the train which, was delayed 35min due to some emergency further down the track. After that we arrived at the airport, found our bags and went ahead to the gate. My international plan has not been working so I had no way of letting Brad know where we were so I used a wifi hotspot and messaged Mike via Facebook in hopes he would see it and let Brad know what was going on. I know how Bassett works - he doesn't like to not know where everybody is. I feel better knowing he knows too plus I don't think Amsterdam could handle one of our arguments (people never know how to respond), so I was pretty nervous waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Shannon passed out again so she wasn't too worried. :) Sure enough, he came and it was then we realized we had misunderstood the splitting up directions. I apologized and he then admitted he really just didn't want to have to call my dad and let him know that he'd lost me in  Amsterdam. :) I told him my dad probably halfway expected it to happen anyways. I'm a Hamilton after all - we always have crazy adventures.

This one was no different. Thank goodness!