Amsterdam

 Amsterdam certainly lived up to its reputation; a radical, progressive, provocative, yet relaxed city that's an ideal location to unwind.

View from our hostel

Laliberla beer; "Mongozo"

 We stayed at Hostel Meetingpoint, which I would definitely recommend.  It had a great location right in town and was decently priced for a two-night stay.  We wandered around the city for the afternoon, stopping at a coffeeshop and a few shops in the area.  The Sex Museum was the first touristy activity that we did.  It was... interesting.  It definitely encapsulated the raunchy vibe of Amsterdam.  
Tom had a friend-of-a-friend, Bibi, living in the area, so we met up with her she took us to an Ethiopian restaurant (Laliberla) for dinner.  The food and drinks were incredible; we started off with flavored beer (Dad- you would have LOVED the banana beer) followed by a group-style dinner.  The food was served on soft pancake-like sheets that you rip off with your hands and use to grab the food on top.

Laliberla dinner

I found out a bit about Dutch culture from Bibi, as she's lived in Amsterdam all her life.  What surprised me most was the school system.  She explained that from a very young age (primary school, if I remember correctly), students are separated into different curriculums based on intelligence level.  Students who score low on "intelligence tests" are given a light/easy load, while more gifted students take on a heavier coursework.  For example, a lower-level student will only be taught English, while higher-levels are taught multiple languages such as French, Italian, German, etc.

view from a pub in town

 After dinner, we  headed to a nearby pub for a drink.  It had a great view overlooking the town square, so we lingered over our drinks for a bit before making our way to the infamous Red Light District.  It was something.  I'll leave it at that.  We popped into a pub for a few rounds of pool and then called it a night.

 

We were greeted by a beautiful sunny day upon awakening the next morning (in stark comparison to the ludicrously snow day prior), so we were all keen to explore the city and the outskirts.  The buildings, canals, cottages, boats, and bikes made for a picturesque stroll. 










    Next was the Verzetsmuseum, or Dutch Resistance Museum, which I thought was well worth the time.  Set up in chronologically, it documented the Dutch response to Nazi Germany in WWII, through various case-studies and personal testimony.  It wasn't the most cheerful of places, but really informative and intriguing.

   For the last bit of tourism, we went on a canal tour.  It lasted about an hour and a half and essentially took us around the city, pointing out spots of interest.  More than anything, this boat ride was simply relaxing.  It was nice to get out of the cold and take in the local scenery while floating down the canals.  We were able to catch a glimpse at the Anne Frank house.  There is an entire museum dedicated to Anne in Amsterdam, but we didn't make it to the exhibition. 







We were hoping to do indoor mini-golf, but found out on arrival that it is only open in the summer time.  So, we spent another night wandering the city, stopping at the occasional pub or coffee house.

Stone's Cafe

On our last morning, Jess and I split from the rest of the group and did some wandering/shopping in town.   We came across a really great open market with plenty of local goods, so we most of our time there.  We also stopped into a few cheese shops for some free samples.  The Dutch really know their cheese, especially goat and sheep.
 





  For lunch, Jess was on the hunt for "poffertjes", a Dutch food that is best compared to mini pancakes.  She opted for the chocolate-chip version, which was absolutely delicious.  If I learned anything from Amsterdam, it's that you can't eat healthy while in Amsterdam.  After 3 days of fries, waffles, and sweets, I feel prepared to eat salad all week...