Day 24-26 Amsterdam

So it is finally time for the infamous Amsterdam, we have two days, hopefully enough time to have our fun but also enough time to not get in any trouble. Sal and John have been in Amsterdam for a few days remember so now it is time for our reunion!

Day 1

From Prague Jamesy and I had to take an overnight train from 6PM til 10AM the next morning, at first I thought it was going to be the ride from hell. Although it could have gotten a lot worse it still was not very pleasant. We got stuck on the tracks for a few hours while we waited for a storm to pass but the good news is we still had a cabin to ourselves at this point. We were in a 6 bunk room that we were praying wouldn't fill up. Well it did, at 3AM we were awoken by 4 Hungarian guys getting on the train in Berlin. They spoke English pretty well and turned out to be pretty cool.

Jamesy in the bunk


We finally made it to Amsterdam by 10AM and we were greeted by pouring rain! I was in boardshorts, a t-shirt, and sandals! Pretty sweet.

Day 2

THE LOST DAY

Due to the desire to avoid self incrimination in regard to myself and the others this day will be referred to as "the lost day" as we strongly invoke the 5th amendment.

Amsterdam truly is out of this world. Pot can definitely be found on every corner, even still it does not stand up to the quality of California's. Heineken flows like water. You can purchase magic mushrooms from the store just like your groceries, sex shops are more frequent than pharmacies, and 75% of traffic is on bicycles. The canal systems were also nearly as abundant as the streets in city centre. If you want the nitty gritty of our Amsterdam Day 2 adventures you will have to ask us individually.



Given our state I was surprised we fit in any sight seeing even though the only place we saw was The Hash, Hemp and Marihuana Museum. I truly believe we are in a defining age for marijuana similar to what those experienced during the 1920's in regards to alcohol. I don't care to jump on my soapbox but our current stance on the drug in the U.S. just isn't working.



Day 3

So "The Lost Day" definitely took its toll on the other members, so the one man show would resume for another day. I definitely got my sleep in though as I didn't leave the room until 2PM. My first stop was the Rijksmuseum where I found most likely is my favorite piece of art from the entire trip, Rembrandt's "The Night Watch". Rembrandt was a revolutionary in terms of using specific shading and light to depict movement, you really felt his painting coming at you.

The Night Watch


Next I moved on to the Van Gogh Museum, that man was intense. Van Gogh was as brilliant was he was self critical. He had a mental illness which eventually drove him to suicide, generally he considered himself a failure, if he could only see today the love people have for his work. After the Van Gogh Museum I made my way to the Heineken Museum and Brewery where I got to learn quite a bit about one of my favorite beers and taste it straight from its source.

You got what I need!


I Amsterdam


My second to last stop was one of my favorites for the entire trip, the Anne Frank House. I can remember the first time I heard the story of Anne Frank, I always felt impacted by her because when things were tough for my family when I was 8 or 9 I remember writing and writing because it was the only thing that made me feel any better. If any of you take a trip to Europe I strongly urge putting this one on your list, Anne's stunning ability to articulate her emotion lets you feel like you are living her situation as you stand in the house.

Anne Frank


Anne Frank House (where she hid is actually on top and in back)


My last and final sight was The Red Light District. I imagined it being much different, desolate and dangerous, instead it was packed wall to wall with people, shops, and restaurants. It was strange to see prostitution considered such a norm. The women in the windows were intensely aggressive, they would pound on their windows, or yell things to you, and occasionally come outside at which point you had to lower your head and book it. It was funny to see some young guys getting stuck in super awkward situations that they were far too drunk to deal with, I saw one guy getting dragged into a room by a black woman 3 times his size.

Overall I was truly impressed with Amsterdam, it has caught a terribe rap but I believe if you look for trouble you can find it anywhere. I'd like to visit again and see more of the surrounding areas as I've heard good things about the countryside as well.