AMSTERDAM

Hey everybody,
Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, it just didn’t feel like Thanksgiving without you guys, not to mention all the marvelous food we have. Thai food really just wasn’t the same…Anyways, I had a good weekend in Amsterdam, but as usual am happy to be back in Paris. Wednesday, my 3-hour art history class was cancelled because the professor was sick, so I actually ended up going on a motorcycle ride with Xavier!!! It was really, really cool, although by the end of it I was really sore and tired from clinging on for dear life, haha. We went on a pretty long ride, out to the west of Paris, which reminded me a bit of Ohio, very odd. Xavier really knows what he’s doing on a motorcycle, so it wasn’t too scary after I got over the initial terror, haha. I also met up with Kristin that night to steal her wifi and catch up a bit, and then Thursday Alex and I were off to Amsterdam, leaving directly after our Atelier class. We made it through the airport with no trouble, and had plenty of time, a rare feat! We got in to Amsterdam at around 8:30, and set out to find our hostel, taking a train to Central Station, and then a tram to our hostel. It was very easy, and gave us a beautiful view of the city at night, so gorgeous, especially with all the Christmas lights they had set up. Alex and I then checked in and then hung out waiting for Heather; the hostel was actually very nice, and even had a nice cheap bar at the bottom floor, with a cool lounge with lots of comfy couches. We relaxed there for a bit, and then Heather got in, yay. By this time we were all very hungry, and ready to go out to celebrate Alex’s 20th birthday! So off we went; it turns out our hostel was in a really great location, right near a main area with lots of restaurants, shops, and the like. We found a nice thai food place, Alex’s birthday choice, not Turkey but still very delicious. Then it was off to do some exploring, and we stopped in at the Bulldog, which was actually the first Coffeeshop in Amsterdam, and has since multiplied. We spent quite a while there, before heading back to the dorm to talk a bit more, and get to bed-it was getting late. Friday, we got up for the free breakfast, and then headed out to do some more exploring. We went over to the Anne Frank House, which was really moving; they even let you go up the stairs to the top, where she and her family hid, so you get to really see the conditions they were forced to undergo in hiding. They also had her original diary, and other remnants of the time spent in Amsterdam. Very interesting, although we were a bit disturbed by the café they had set up on the level underneath…a bit inappropriate. Then it was off to wander around a bit, and we made our way over to the Heineken brewery and did the Heineken experience. It was fun, the highlight being the a little ride where “you are the beer”, very amusing. We of course also got to do some tasting, always fun, and there were some amusing interactive stuff they had set up. After that, it was getting to be around dinner time, so we wandered a bit more and then found a great Indian restaurant, delicious. Afterwards, it was about time for Ryan to be getting in from London, so we decided to make our way over to his hostel-which is in fact a Christian hostel located in the Red Light District (he of course went for the cheapest hostel he could find…oh Ryan). So, we got our first look at the Red Light District of Amsterdam, which was….interesting, haha. It was pretty unbelievable, there’s this pretty canal running right down the district, and then on either side it’s just lined with sex shops/shows, and prostitutes posing in the windows of all these old houses. Definitely an experience; we ended up stopping in at a tattoo parlor, where Alex was going to get her second tattoo, although it ended up being too expensive. We did however get to talk to a nice guy from New York, a soldier in fact, and his Canadian friend who was getting a tattoo of the world on his arm, and did his best to convince us to get some as well. Don’t worry, I was very responsible and didn’t get anything, I’m not a tattoo kinda girl . Afterwards we left and walked around a bit more, turning down the many offers for ecstasy/cocaine/whatever and sex shows, and we decided to go into Ryan’s hostel and see if he had checked in (as by this point I had not heard from him, and it was getting late). It was a nice hostel, especially if prayer groups and Jesus are your thing, and oh so hilarious as literally next door there was a whorehouse. They were very helpful, and I left Ryan a note telling me we had gone home for the night, and to give me a call. We then made the long trek back to our hostel, stopping in at a coffeehouse for a bit on the way. Definitely an interesting night, the juxtaposition of beautiful, old houses and canals, not to mention memorials like the Anne Frank House, and then drugs and prostitutes was just so weird.
The next day, we decided to get the “I amsterdam” card, which costs like 33 euro but then gives you access to all sorts of museums, transportation, discounts at restaurants, and other free stuff. I checked my email before leaving, as we still hadn’t heard from Ryan, and discovered that he had missed his flight because he had forgotten his passport-oh Ryan. So we went off without him and explored one of the central areas of Amsterdam, including its oldest church. We also went to a beautiful department store and got our free shopping bag with our nifty amsterdam card, very cool. We walked around a lot, and eventually went to the Pancake Bakery, where we had a discount, and which we had heard was the best place to go for some pancakes. It was soooo good, and perfect as we got a chance to warm up (it was pretty much freezing the whole weekend). After that, we made our way back to Ryan’s hostel, and consequently the Red light district again, and he finally arrived. His flight had been delayed, of course, but it was good to see him. We had a free canal cruise included with the iamsterdam card, so we hung out a bit and then headed out to do that. It was nice and warm, and we got to a chance to see the city via the pretty canals, very nice. The tour ended right by our hostel, so we headed back there and hung out by the bar a bit before dinner. For dinner we met up with one of Ryan’s friends from his program, named Rob, and then went back to the yummy Thai place from before. It was a great dinner, nice to be surrounded by some of my best friends, and afterwards we all went out and walked around the city, stopping in at a coffeeshop and eventually a bar. Then we called it a night, as for one thing Ryan had to be back to his hostel before 2am, haha.
The next morning we got up early, as our iamsterdam cards expired at 11, and we headed over to the Reiksmuseum. The museum is undergoing some massive renovations until like 2010, so only part of it was open, housing all the highlights. The museum itself was gorgeous, and looked like it would be really big when open. I was happy to learn that “For the love of God”, by Damien Hurst, was being exhibited, which I have seen in magazinges and such. It’s this caste of a human skull, covered in diamonds, and with real human teeth. It was sooo cool, in it’s own dark room, and light strategically placed to highlight the diamonds. Apparently the name originates from his mother’s reaction to his idea to make this skull, haha. Afterwards, we went over to the Van Gogh museum, stopping in fron of the “I am amsterdam” lettering for the necessary photos. The museum was great, it was nice to actually recognize a lot of the paintings . After the museums, we decided to do some shopping, and grabbed some lunch. At this point, Ryan was of course MIA, so we just kind of walked around and checked out the touristy shops, and Alex found herself a pair of boots (which she had been wanting for a long time). We moseyed over in the general direction of Ryan’s hostel, and finally got in touch with him quite a while later. He was having major troubles with this cell phone, sigh. In any case, we all met up and walked around a bit, stopping in at a coffeeshop to hang out and warm up. We were all pretty tired at this point, and had run out of things to explore, so we just kind of wandered around a bit more and then went back to the hostel to relax for a bit before it was time for us girls to head to the airport. We collected our baggage, and then it was goodbye to Amsterdam, and Alex and I headed back to Paris. I got home at around midnight last night, exhausted, and upset as I lost my favorite necklace during the day (the flowery one from Provence)…must have fallen off…I was pretty bummed. But in any case, got home safe and sound, and then slept in late this morning.
So that brings me to today, where I spent the day at Sweet Briar, first with class, and then on my computer trying to make sure this application is coming together. The deadline is today; I found another professor to do my language proficiency report, as it had been two weeks and my best spanish teacher still hadn’t responded. Unfortunately, the one I got is actually traveling right now, so has to search for a fax machine, ackkkk. I’m just hoping hoping hoping that she finds one and sends it in, otherwise I’m pretty much screwed. Meanwhile, my french professor forgot about the recommendation she was supposed to do for today, and only just did it and faxed it off, so I need to make sure they received it…Argh, I just want this whole process to be over, I’m going to be so upset if something goes wrong and I can’t go to Spain!!! Anyways, tonight I’m going to go over to Kristin’s house and use her wifi to check in on all this stuff, wish me luck! Other than that, I’ve got a huge amount of work to get done, so am stressing out about all that, sigh. Again, wish me luck, this next week or two are gonna be rough. Alrighty then, off I go, love you all,
Brit