Holland
Hello Everybody!
The weekend before this past one (the weekend of my beautiful sister's birthday) I went to Amsterdam. Specifically, I went to Holland for three days and spent two of them in downtown Amsterdam.
So to get to Holland I took an overnight bus so we would get there Friday morning and be off running. So Friday, we got to Amsterdam relatively smoothly but with only a couple hours of sleep. Sarah and I took the same bus, but Julia left the night before at met us at Schiporl Airport. From Schiporl we went straight to Keukenhof. Keukenhof is like the botanic gardens in Chicago on tulip crack. It is 60 hectares of almost nothing but tulips. Tulips, and Dad, is why I wanted to go to Holland. And boy was I happy with my Tulips.
Saturday and Sunday I spent around downtown Amsterdam - walking and enjoying sightseeing with two of my peers, Julia and Sarah.
I grew up to stories about the Dutch and Holland as my father would travel back and forth for work. When he came back he always had a souvenir for each of us. Delft for me and my sister, and little row houses for my mother. So while I was in Holland, I went to the Delft store and picked up souvenirs for everybody, except for Dad (who I think is mostly grateful he doesn't have to keep going to and fro anymore).
Amsterdam is beautiful. It is easily the most beautiful city that I have ever seen in my entire life. I have never been a city person, never really enjoyed going downtown (except when it meant a special bagel shaped treat). But Amsterdam felt different. Unfortunately, I could never imagine actually living in Amsterdam for a number of reasons.
1- Weed is legal in amsterdam and it stinks. It stinks up everywhere. I am officially and permanently against the legalization of marijuana. Eugh.
2- my nemesis is ever present. STAIRS. And stairs in Holland seem to be permanently steep. I don't know if everyone knows the story about me and stairs - but when we moved to Virginia it seemed like I was falling down the stairs on a schedule and fairly regularly. It hurts to bounce down stairs. When I went to Blarney Castle in Ireland (steep, wet, tiny, stone stairs with no railings) it exasperated the issue a bit.
3- people just walk everywhere with no sense of oh I shouldn't cross the street here. Like literally people would just walk out in front of trams. Crazy business. That kind of thing gets you a fifty euro fine in Munich.
4- Prostitution should be illegal and the red light district should have warning signs. BIG FLASHING SIGNS THAT SAY "COVER YOUR EYES, INNOCENT CHILDREN".
All of things aside - I enjoyed my visit walking around this beautiful city. So I will leave off with some of my photos.
Tschüß!
The weekend before this past one (the weekend of my beautiful sister's birthday) I went to Amsterdam. Specifically, I went to Holland for three days and spent two of them in downtown Amsterdam.
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| I think you can tell I got like four hours of sleep |
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| Keukenhof- doing my favorite sister pose (but missing the sister) |
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| Never ending TULIPS |
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| MORE TULIPS |
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| Fields of Tulips |
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| Me, Julia, and Sarah walking to our AirBnB (and OH BOY) |
Saturday and Sunday I spent around downtown Amsterdam - walking and enjoying sightseeing with two of my peers, Julia and Sarah.
I grew up to stories about the Dutch and Holland as my father would travel back and forth for work. When he came back he always had a souvenir for each of us. Delft for me and my sister, and little row houses for my mother. So while I was in Holland, I went to the Delft store and picked up souvenirs for everybody, except for Dad (who I think is mostly grateful he doesn't have to keep going to and fro anymore).
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| Sarah, Myself, and Julia with the Central Station in the background |
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| At the Delft Store |
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| It was so bright most of the time I pointed my phone and hoped I got everything in the photo |
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| One of the bigger Amsterdam city squares - where my mom and dad visited on that scarring trip they took to Europe when I was a little squeaker |
Amsterdam is beautiful. It is easily the most beautiful city that I have ever seen in my entire life. I have never been a city person, never really enjoyed going downtown (except when it meant a special bagel shaped treat). But Amsterdam felt different. Unfortunately, I could never imagine actually living in Amsterdam for a number of reasons.
1- Weed is legal in amsterdam and it stinks. It stinks up everywhere. I am officially and permanently against the legalization of marijuana. Eugh.
2- my nemesis is ever present. STAIRS. And stairs in Holland seem to be permanently steep. I don't know if everyone knows the story about me and stairs - but when we moved to Virginia it seemed like I was falling down the stairs on a schedule and fairly regularly. It hurts to bounce down stairs. When I went to Blarney Castle in Ireland (steep, wet, tiny, stone stairs with no railings) it exasperated the issue a bit.
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| So tiny- so steep |
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| They hate me |
3- people just walk everywhere with no sense of oh I shouldn't cross the street here. Like literally people would just walk out in front of trams. Crazy business. That kind of thing gets you a fifty euro fine in Munich.
4- Prostitution should be illegal and the red light district should have warning signs. BIG FLASHING SIGNS THAT SAY "COVER YOUR EYES, INNOCENT CHILDREN".
All of things aside - I enjoyed my visit walking around this beautiful city. So I will leave off with some of my photos.
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| French fries on Sunday with Mayo. Europeans do mayonnaise right! |
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| that house with the two red doors is only as wide as those two red doors |
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| The door under the other is for the servants. Rich people lane |
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| Berry Jenever |
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| the self proclaimed smallest house in Amsterdam |
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| on our canal trip |
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| Sarah and I |
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| the walk from the bus stop to our Air BnB |
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| This canal was also on the way from the bus stop to our Air BnB |
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| Dinner Saturday Night. From Right to Left: Chicken Satay, Meatballs, and Ossenworst. Ossenworst is a traditional Dutch food. It is raw beef sausage. Hello Cow Sushi! It was actually really good. I would totally eat it again. They will actually eat it as part of a sandwich. How crazy? |
Tschüß!
OMG you make me laugh so hard.
ReplyDeleteYOU SAW THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT
ReplyDelete