European Vacation pt 2: The Netherlands

Amsterdam: City of Super Scary Bikers and Tolerance

For those of you who don't know me that well, there's probably something I should tell you before I start this blog. I'm afraid of bikes. I'm afraid of biking, bikers, and bikes themselves. They are a contraption that I have tried again and again to conquer, but to no avail. I don't know if it's because we moved a lot and didn't really focus much on biking, the fact that as a child I would rather just roller-blade, and now as an adult I am an inept biker, or if I just am completely incapable of biking. I really just don't know what it is. Every time I even try to bike, I inevitably fall off. So I've given up on biking. Bikers are fierce people though, especially in Europe, and I am quite afraid of being run over by a bike. Encounters with people on bikes usually send my heart beating out of my chest for a good minute or two.
So with that preface, let me tell you that there are over 1 MILLION bikes in Amsterdam. And bikers seem to have the right-of-way no matter what. Let's just say I screamed a lot. Well, I guess you'd say it was more of a shreak than a scream. But bikers aside, Amsterdam is wonderful, and everyone who is not on a bike is more than friendly. So, on with the blog:

My friends, Becca and Katie, and I decided maybe a month ago to go to Amsterdam for Easter. Looking back, I'm glad we did because all the Amsterdamers had work off both on Easter and Easter Monday (something we apparently don't celebrate in the States). And the weather was in the 70s so we got to see the Amsterdamers at their finest- on their boats or on the steps outside their houses, and enjoying life. Our flight got in at 830 am, so we basically had the entire day to explore the city. Our hostel gave us a map with some highlights already marked, so we walked our ways up and down the streets and around the canals. If you were not aware, Amsterdam has more canals than Venice. And my home town, Pittsburgh, has more bridges than Venice. So basically Venice needs to stop taking the spotlight, I say.

Necessary photo of the I amsterdam sign.

The first of many canals

 

So much cheese!

On our walk, we found the wonderful flower market, which is on one of the canals. It sold actual flowers and bulbs- all of which were tulips. Of course.

These are all flower bulbs

We finally decided to make our way to the Anne Frank House, but took a long way through the city, so we got to see this interesting carnival outside the royal palace (which actually no Dutch king has ever lived in since Amsterdam was a republic). There were all sorts of rides and the typical carnival food there, and we're still not sure why it was there. We think maybe for Easter but couldn't tell.
I had been wanting to go to the Anne Frank House for a while, especially since I'm interested in WWII stuff. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but it was quite a somber museum. The whole time, I just thought, 'Wow, I'm walking in the same place as Anne Frank did. I'm touching the kitchen counter that her mother made food on.' It was quite moving. It wasn't furnished, as Otto Frank asked for the furniture to be removed, but you could still get a sense of where things were. I think the part which got to me the most was the room which held Anne's actual diary and notes. It's hard to explain how it felt, but I'm so happy that I got a chance to see it all. After that, though, we decided we needed to eat our Easter candy and enjoy some wine to pick up our mood a bit. We went in search of a liquor store or grocery store to find some wine, but with no results. We ended up getting sangria at this Mediterranean restaurant, which was a bit overpriced, but it was Easter, so we felt it was ok to splurge a little.
On Monday, we went on a free walking tour- which isn't really free, seeing as the guides expect to get tipped at the end. It was still better than paying 18 Euro or whatever for a normal tour. Our tour began in front of the carnival which I mentioned before and ended at the Anne Frank House. A couple things that we learned on this tour were that Amsterdam is a very tolerant city. Which is why certain activities are allowed there. And also, there are three rules to whatever happens in Amsterdam: It must be discreet. It can't harm anyone. It must be good for business. Now, one can see why, despite the fact that weed is actually illegal in Amsterdam, it is not a law that is enforced strictly. Amsterdam is a city of tolerance.

Royal Palace

1st Buddhist temple in Europe

Old gate to the city when it was still walled

Dutch East India Company's old headquarters- Yeah I'm a history buff

 

Secret part of Amsterdam where nuns live.

 

Anne Frank statue

Since we had already been to the Anne Frank House, we opted for a paddle-boat ride on the canals instead. This was another terrifying experience, as all of the other boats on the canals have proper motors. We just had our legs paddling as fast as we could. We thought we were going to die a couple times, but it was still a pleasant view of Amsterdam.

Katie and Becca doing some paddling before we switched turns

House boat!

After our near-death experiences on the canals, we went to the House of Bols, which is basically a cocktail museum. It was 9,20 with our student IDs, and with that we got a cocktail and 2 shots of our choice. The museum focused on stimulating all of one's senses, but most importantly taste and smell. It was very interactive, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

As we had seen most of the city already, we settled on going to the beach on Tuesday. Our hostel had a partner hostel in Noordwijk, a little beach town an hour and half drive to the south. So we paid 4 Euro each way and went to the beach for the day. Let me tell you, the weather was not quite as warm as it had been the previous two days, and the wind off of the North Sea was quite brisk. Needless to say, we tried our hardest to make the best of our situation.

Despite the cold day at the beach, it was a great trip. I got to try Dutch pancakes and chips with satay sauce, and of course chips with "fritesauce" aka mayo. I would go back to Amsterdam in a heartbeat. I love the culture, the people, Dutch humor, and the lovely architecture. Who wants to join me?
Also- I have less than a month til I go home. I'm so not ready for it, but I hope you guys are enjoying my adventures. Safe travels!

European Vacation pt 1: Florence and Munich

Greetings from a not so warm Edinburgh! So, as you know, I've been on Spring Break for a while. We've just started the exam period on the 20th of April, but I didn't have an exam until the 28th, so I took it upon myself to travel a bit around Europe (Brits do not consider themselves to be "European" by the way). So this first blog is an amalgamation of my trips to Florence and Munich, since I did those at the same time. I'll try my best to make this brief.

Florence: City of Colour

Florence is situated in Tuscany, in the northern part of Italy. Let me tell you, it looks just like it does in the movies, if not more beautiful. Nothing really prepared me for how wonderful it would be. So to start, I flew Ryanair from Edinburgh to Pisa, then had to make my way by train to Florence once I made it to Pisa. I have 3 friends who are studying abroad in Florence this semester (they're actually all done now so none of them are left in Florence), so I was going to visit them. Sadly, they all had other people staying in their flats, so I had to find my own accommodation. But let me first stun you with pictures of the countryside before I tell you any more.

These are all from the train, so the window gives it a weird blue tint

 

Upon arriving in Florence, I wandered up and down the streets, which are SUPER windy and confusing, to find my hostel. I found the address after a long and stressful adventure, only to see no sign of an actual hostel. There was a sign on the buzzer outside that said "Backpackers Florence," but no matter how many times I buzzed, I would never receive an answer. I started to, understandably, freak out a lot. I had no way of getting a hold of my friends- my British phone had no money on it, so I couldn't use it. Even if it had worked, I had no one's phone number. At the time I realised this, I was f**king scared and on the verge of crying in front of a crowd of strangers. The only thing that stopped me is the fact that I was looking right at Ponte Vecchio.

It was just so beautiful that I told myself to calm down and figure my stuff out. I eventually found an internet cafe and found my friend, Katherine, on Facebook chat. That night, I had to sleep on Lauren's couch, but I found a little guesthouse, called Mary's House (I would suggest it to anyone going to Florence) to stay at for the other 3 nights I was in Florence. It ended up being better because a) I saved the 30 Euro I would have paid for 4 nights by only staying 3 and b) it was way closer to the train station, which I had to catch to get back to Pisa.
Once I got everything situated and destressed times a million, I could actually appreciate the city. Mariel happened to be there for a little bit of the time that I was, so we walked all around the city while our friends were in class and studying. I'll just put up some pictures so you can get an idea.

Most of these pictures are in Boboli Gardens, which are the palace gardens. We could get in for free because it was culture week

This was a remake of a vineyard/courtyard in Pompeii

 

Pitti Palace

Neptune statue

Necessary pizza. It had sausage, radicchio, and onions. Yummm

The city, and most importantly the Duomo, from Piazzale Michelangelo

 

Cool little grotto thing

Florence is known for a few things- leather, the Duomo, and the statue, David. I saw all of these things quite a bit. There were leather markets ALL over the place, as well as stores and factories. I bought myself a nice leather bag for 25 Euros and a couple leather bracelets which were 1 Euro each.

I spent most of my time in Florence just walking around the city by myself. My friends were all super busy because it was their last week of classes and they were studying for exams. I didn't really mind because I think that's the best way to get to know a city. I also ended up going to a Piccaso/Dali exhibit at one of the art museums in the city. It was really cool and focused on their early works, even though they were decades apart, and how they were similar, but very different at the same time. I also found some great little shops and cafes, but I really just enjoyed seeing the Italian people and how they talked and interacted with each other. I also loved the buildings there. They were all different, both in architecture and colour. I am still in awe of how beautiful that city was.

My favourite picture from Florence by far

 

Overall, I thought Florence was gorgeous and, while a bit touristy, I've heard it's not nearly as bad as either Venice or Rome. I would highly suggest it to anyone who wanted to really experience Italy. On my last day, I caught the train which ran to Pisa Centrale, and then connected to the airport. Let's just say that it took a bit longer than it was supposed to on the train, and I ended up getting to the airport just an hour before the plane was due to leave for Munich. Thank God Pisa is a tiny airport. But so begins the next leg of the journey...

Munich: City of Beer
I sadly was only in Munich for a day and a half, as opposed to the 4 days I was in Florence. My friend Sophie is studying abroad in Munich for the whole year, so I got to stay with her. Munich was far less stressful than Florence for two reasons: 1) I knew I had somewhere to stay and 2) I speak the language. It was incredibly frustrating in Italy not being able to speak Italian. However, in Munich, the only problem is that I don't speak Bayerisch, the Bavarian dialect. But it didn't hinder me too much. Munich felt so different than Florence. It's really a modern city, and doesn't have the same old vibe that Florence had. On my first night in Munich, I went with Sophie and some other Americans to a beer garden. Let me tell you, there's nothing like a Maß of beer.
On the second day, I was able to walk around while Sophie was at work. I discovered the English Gardens and found the old Rathaus (City Hall basically). I was so tired from walking in Florence, though, that I didn't really do a lot of stuff in Munich.

The Chinese Tower in the English Gardens

 

Mmmm Weißwurst und Breze

 

The Glockenspiel/Rathaus

I definitely wished that I could have had more time in Munich. I loved being able to use my German and just understanding what signs said too. But I think that 6 days of traveling and walking all over the place was really stressful and tiring. I was completely exhausted when I came back to Edinburgh. Of course, me being the bad planner that I sometimes am, I left for Amsterdam a day and a half after I got home. But that's for another blog. I'll write that one soon too, so don't worry- more stories soon.