Best City Yet!

Unfortunately, our hotel is charging 4 euro per 15 minutes to use the internet, so we’ve had to postpone our blogging for the time being. But we are currently in Amsterdam! Our new favorite city, just edging out Brussels! It is so clean and beautiful here. There are canals running through every few blocks, and the townhomes and architecture is the best. It reminds us of a more clean version of Venice with better architecture. And the people are so nice, and most speak very good English.

We got in on Thursday at around 5pm, a little later than scheduled because we had some train mishaps. We had to stop and reconnect train routes twice because of some rail work. But we made it! And we’re so happy to be here. We’re staying at the Park Hotel which is absolutely incredible. It’s completely modern and chic, we feel like we’re staying at one of the best hotels in New York City. The Park Hotel is also conveniently located in the heart of Amsterdam, right down the street from the Van Gogh Museum, Heineken Museum, Vondel Park, Rijksmuseum, and Leidseplein, the main area for restaurants and shopping. We’re on the top floor of the hotel and have the corner view out to the main square, just across from a beautiful canal.

Our first night in Amsterdam, we walked across the street to Vondel Park while the sun was still out. The last 4 or 5 days in Europe have been ideal weather conditions with the sun shining all day and not setting until 9pm. There were tons of people walking and picnicking in Vondel Park while enjoying the sun. They really have life figured out here. Much to our surprise, while strolling through the park Austin spotted one of his fraternity brothers laying in the grass with his girlfriend. Erick Dearkland had been studying this semester in Roterdam, just a quick 45 minute train ride from Amsterdam. It’s really such a small world. After completing our stroll through the park, we decided to grab a bite to eat because we were starving. We found a restaurant in Leidseplein, just a short walk from the hotel. With only a couple hours before our bed time, we decided to walk around Amsterdam to get a feel for the city. There were so many people out, most walking through Leidestraat, a main walkway filled with shops and restaurants going through the entire city. Following that road, we came across Wallen (the Redlight District). We decided to check it out, just to say we did. It was quite the experience, with lots of girls in windows, but there were hundreds of tourists walking around. After that, we walked back to the hotel to rest up before our next day in the city.

Today, we woke up at around 9am to start the day. We took the tram to the Anne Frank Huis and were greeted by a line wrapping around the block. Feeling as though it would only get longer, we jumped in line and prepared to wait. We made friends with a nice woman named Kathy and her husband from Long Island. We chatted about our travels, and talking with them made the time pass by fast. We were in line for about an hour, but we were expecting it to be longer. It took us about an hour to walk through the Anne Frank Huis, which was quite the sobering experience. We saw the annex in the back of her father’s business where 8 people, including the 4 Frank family members, hid for 2 years before they were captured. They lived in complete darkness and silence, with all window shades closed and no water running during the day time to keep from being discovered by the workers in the front who were unaware that anyone was in hiding in the back of the building. We even saw the original copy of Anne Frank’s diary. After leaving the Anne Frank Huis, we walked down the street to the Pancake Bakery, a pancake restaurant recommended to me by my friend Bryn who studied abroad in Amsterdam this semester. The pancakes were larger than a frisbee, and absolutely delicious. Quincey finished more than half of hers, while Austin was about two bites from finishing his.

Stuffed from our meal, we decided to walk it off and head back in the direction of Leidseplein to take an Amsterdam canal tour. We hopped on the boat for our one hour tour, which was great. It took us around most of the canals through Amsterdam, and showed us major sites throughout the city. We also had the chance to see all of the canal houses. The captain decided to surprise us while taking us about 10 feet from a docked cruise ship in the Amsterdam harbor. We’ve never seen one from the water quite that close before. After the canal tour ended, we walked to Heineken Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed so we found out the hours and plan on going tomorrow. We also walked to the Van Gogh Museum to see what time it opens tomorrow morning so we can avoid the line. Outside of the Van Gogh Museum is the I AMSTERDAM sign, which is a huge sculpture like the Hollywood sign. We both climbed in the letters for some good pictures, and then headed back to the Park Hotel to put our feet up before dinner. Right now we’re deciding what to do for dinner, and where to go afterwards. We’ll let you know how our third day in Amsterdam goes!