In the beginning of the March (which feels like months ago) I traveled to The Netherlands, more specifically Amsterdam, with my friends Celia, Sarah, Sara, Becca, and Elyssa. We embarked on our worldly adventure, Thursday evening, where we flew the lengthy two hours.
As soon as we arrived I knew I was going to love the city- the train station was below the airport- which made everything WAY more efficient and WAY less confusing... take note Czech Republic. In The Netherlands they speak Dutch, which is a lot like German. Even though I forgot my 15 language phrase book and don't know a word of Dutch, I was able to get around much easier in a weekend than I have been in 8 weeks in the Czech Republic. The majority of the people spoke English and it was more Americanized than the Czech Republic. I've gotten so use to how different things are in Prague that not until I traveled out of the CZ did I realize how different/hard it is to be studying in Prague. I've been in the CZ for over 2 months now and I am a little proud of myself for making it this far...
Okay so back to Amsterdam... after flying we arrived in the central of Amsterdam by Train. We didn't plan too ahead so we were map-less, but luckily Sara was thinking ahead and got directions from the train station to our hostel. Our hostel was situated in the heart of the red light district, yep... classy. The Witte Tulip was our home away from home. It was one of the most expensive hostels I have ever stayed in, but it was also the worst hostel I have ever stayed in. It wasn't that bad, but I guess we were paying for the location not the place. We were in a 6 person room so we didn't have any creepy randoms, but we did have a 7th roommate... a mouse. Luckily, I love the top bunk... hehe
After we had a map, we traveled around the red light district to Bird, which is a very delicious Thai restaurant. It was one of the best meals that I had had in a while, Czech food just isn't good. Once we were all full we wandered the red light district.
The following day we got up early and found a breakfast restaurant called “Sara’s Pancakes,” I got the American breakfast: dippy eggs, a pancake, bacon, hash browns, and freshly squeezed orange juice. If that doesn’t sound appetizing to you… well you should probably leave the country and then see what you think. The weather was cold, windy, and rainy, which isn’t ideal walking weather, but we made it work. We saw the Anne Frank House, which was so surreal. I remember reading “The Diary of Anne Frank” years back, but actually being in the house and seeing the original artwork on the walls is truly a once in a life-time opportunity that I will always remember.
During the day Saturday, we ended up splitting up because we couldn’t all fit in the breakfast diner. Celia, Becca, and I ended up going to The Pancake House, which was actually the most famous Dutch pancake house in all of Amsterdam; we didn’t find this out until the end of our meal when we received a free post card with the picture of the historical pancake house on it. I love stumbling upon hidden treasures. After breakfast, the three of us walked around the Jordaan District in Amsterdam, it is more residential and less touristy. We found a market, where I bought a flowered knit hat that was made out of recycled Cashmere and Wool.
We ended up making our way to the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijikismuseum. I loved the Van Gogh Museum because during my art history course it was my favorite section. I love art, it makes the world beautiful, I wish I was more creative and had the artistic abilities that my dad, older brother (Joey), and older sister (Susan) have… I guess Ceramics is good enough.
On Saturday evening we saw the movie, An Education. Going into the movie I had no idea what it was about, but I walked out loving the movie. I know, who goes to Amsterdam and see’s a movie… but it was so comforting to see a movie that was actually in English.
Sunday we woke up, had French toast for breakfast and then went on a canal ride before heading to the airport. It was such a beautiful day and it was a great way to end our adventures in Amsterdam.
The weekend was surprisingly not too wild, well not like the stereotypical Amsterdam stories that you may hear. Before leaving we managed to find an American food store. I only bought two things: 1 box of Kraft Mac & Cheese and 1 box of Gushers… the best $15 I have ever spent. Yes, $15 for those two things.
I am so glad that I was able to travel to Amsterdam; it was such a gorgeous city and it was comforting being in such an Americanized place, but I realized that I am so thankful that I chose to study abroad in Prague. Yes, it may be extremely difficult at times, and the people might not be the friendliest, but there are reasons behind everything they do and I would not have learned any of these things unless I picked this place to study. I am finally realizing that you will never truly understand who you are until you step out of your comfort zone, learn about other cultures, and re-evaluate the things you do and the way you live because other people have it way worse. Complaining is just a waste time, learn how to have fun in any situation that you are in… this is key if you want to be happy.
Until next time…
☮
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