Amsterdam

First of all, my apologies for the delay of this post. I got back from Amsterdam on Monday and since then I feel like it has been nonstop work. Gotta love the end of the semester. Anyway..

This weekend I went to Amsterdam! I was there from Friday afternoon until Monday morning and it was just lovely. I met up with my friend Lexie from Dickinson and it was so much fun to see a familiar face! Amsterdam is a beautiful city. I for one didn't realize just how gorgeous it would be. Winding canals, bikes on bikes on bikes, funky architecture, everything about it was amazing. In my head I guess I thought that the city where weed and prostitution are legal wouldn't be as nice as it was. Who knew!

On Friday, before Lexie got there, I went to the Stedelijk museum (pronounced Stead-a-like) which is Amsterdam's modern and contemporary art museum. I had studied the architecture of the building at Dickinson and seeing it in person was incredible. It looks almost like a giant white bathtub fused together with a Dutch castle. I for one loved it, though I know it's highly debated. I'll let you form your own opinion. After walking around for a bit I met up with Lexie! We grabbed dinner at an Indonesian restaurant (Amsterdam is known for its Indonesian cuisine - thanks colonization!) and caught up on what we have been up to these past seven months. As we walked back to our hostel we decided to go to the Van Gogh museum since it was right across the street and since it was open until 10 on fridays. There was a Dutch band playing in the atrium of the museum which was really fun. The museum was great because it really showcases Van Gogh's early years and how he developed the style that he would come to be known for around the world.

Stedelijk

Stedelijk

Stedelijk

Stedelijk

Museumplein - Gorgeous park surrounded by museums

On Saturday, we started out the day with some pancakes - a must when in Amsterdam. Absolutely delicious. For the next three hours or so we went on a bike tour of the city which was awesome and if you're ever in Amsterdam I would highly recommend it. Our guide took us literally everywhere in the city. We explored all of the different neighborhoods, including the red light district which was probably the weirdest experience of my entire life. These women just stand in doorways staring at you. Freaky. The sun came out during the second half of our tour so when we were done, Lexie and I walked around and explored some more. We visited the house where Rembrandt lived and saw his studio and cabinet of curiosities and found a cute little café and had some cake to refuel. We walked back to hostel, took a break for a bit, then headed back out to dinner at this organic/local foods restaurant that we had found earlier in the day. We sat outside which was lovely as the sun was out really late.

Biking selfie!

My trusty steed

There are several of these in Amsterdam - who knew!

Rembrandt's studio

Rembrandt's paints

Have to have a Heineken in Amsterdam

Delicious dinner

Sunday morning we got up really early to get to the Anne Frank house before the line was insane. Even though we got there around 30 minutes before it opened, we still had to wait for close to 45 minutes. Nonetheless, the museum was well worth the wait. We got to walk through the secret annex where Anne and her family hid for two years and we saw her original diary! Truly an incredible experience. Made me want to re-read her diary, considering the fact that I read it in middle school and definitely don't remember everything. From there, we walked over to another awesome restaurant for breakfast. I had eggs florentine and it was probably the most amazing breakfast I have ever had. Everything was fresh and home-made, aka super delicious. Next on our list was the Rijksmuseum (pronounced Rikes-museum) which houses the national collection of Dutch art. We again had to wait on a long line but it was definitely worth it because not only was the collection amazing (Vermeer, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, etc.) but the museum was recently renovated and the architecture is incredible on the inside. And yes I am aware that I am a loser. Whatever. We ate some stroopwafels after that (two super thin waffles sandwiched together with caramel.. I mean come on) and then walked around Dam square and other areas of the city that we had yet to explore. Lexie left that afternoon to head back to Copenhagen and I met up with James, one of my friends from high school! We grabbed dinner at an awesome burger place and walked around for a while exploring the city.

Anne Frank Museum

Her family hid in the annex attached to the back of this building

Amazing breakfast

Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum

Insanity surrounding Rembrandt's The Night Watch

Inside the museum

Stroopwafel!

Wantagh in Amsterdam!

It was such a fun weekend and a great way to kick off all of the traveling that is about to unfold in the coming weeks. My next destination is Nice for Easter weekend!

42 days until home.