September 16, 2014

During the stay in Belgium, we were allowed to cross over to the Netherlands, so I can add another country to my list! I went to Amsterdam and boy is that an odd joint! No pun intended.

Okay, pun intended.

Anyway, Amsterdam is so unique. In most cities you have to look out for cars. In Amsterdam, forget the cars; it’s the bikes you have to worry about. There were bicycles everywhere. One parking structure could fit 20, 000 of ‘em.

All joking aside, I had a really amazing opportunity in Amsterdam: I visited the Anne Frank House. I read The Diary of Anne Frank in the eighth grade and it left a lasting impression on me. I can’t believe I walked through the annex where she hid with her family for so long.

The house wasn’t flashy or extravagant. It had no furniture because the Nazis looted most of the items. It was incredibly moving though. A museum was added on to the house and I walked through it as well. It was there that I saw her actual journal – the journal that changed the world.

After my walk through history where it was made, I proceeded to walk around Amsterdam.

For lack of a better term, it’s just so cool!

I know. Many people are familiar with the fact that Amsterdam allows, well, let’s just say it’s a little more looesy goosey than most places. There’s a certain substance that is not exactly legal in most of the U.S. that is free range in A’dam. I would like to go on and say for the record that I did NOT partake of this substance, but it was so weird seeing it everywhere like no big deal. I went into a convenience store to buy some deodorant and behold, there it was right next to the soda machine.

Oh, and I was also walking with some friends toward the bus and we took a wrong turn. We somehow ended up in the red light district. I felt like I needed to take a shower after walking through there! Some people need to keep it PG!

Crazy as it may be, Amsterdam was an awesome place to see and I’m so glad I took the day to experience a country that wasn’t even on my itinerary.