We are in Amsterdam! Day 3 of 4. We arrived on Sunday (August 7th) in the morning and that first day was pretty rough. We didn't get much sleep on the plane and then had to stay awake all day to get into the right time zone. We were much better come Monday! A note about international air travel: It is amazing!! We watched two movies (Fast Five and Water for Elephants), had delicious food, free drinks, and pretty comfy seats. I was in heaven up there!
We're staying at a nice hostel in Vondelpark which is about a 20 minute walk from the center of Amsterdam. The computers here don't allow you access to the USB plug, so I'm sorry to report that I'm not able to upload any pictures yet. I will upload them when I can!
We are sharing a six-bunk dorm with 2 Frenchmen and a couple from Slovenia. We have spent hours talking to them, just learning about each other and our home countries. This is one of our favorite parts of traveling - and staying in hostels. You meet people from all over the world, and learn a lot about yourself in the process.
Yesterday (which was Monday) we took a walking tour of the city in the morning, which has become one of our favorite things to do in any new city. It's a great way to get familiar with what the city has to offer, and you also get caught up on your history. We didn't really know anything about Amsterdam (other than what it's infamously known for) and now I have a much greater appreciation for the culture.
We also took a tour of the "coffee shops" where we learned all about the history of drug prominence in Amsterdam, what the laws actually are, and what the future looks like. Like any place, it's tangled in politics, and the liberal culture of Amsterdam is being put to the test. The government is cracking down on the shops and creating new laws that are making it harder and harder for them to do business. It's impossible to describe the history in a short little blog, so if you're interested, take some time to read up on it.
Some quick highlights of things we have learned: Amsterdam has around 780,000 residents, hailing from 177 different countries. It's fascinating to just listen to the diversity of languages being spoken as we wander the streets. Rembrandt lived and died here. Anne Frank's hide-out house is here, and is now a museum. Amsterdam is kind of a world capital for activism regarding homosexual civil rights. Apparently we missed the Gay Pride parade by 24 hours, which was attended by over a million visitors to the city. And Dutch children think the color of the sky is gray, not blue. (We were so focused on preparing for India, and the heat, that we were a bit surprised to be greeted in Amsterdam by 60 degree temps! It's the kind of weather that changes rapidly. One minute it's cold and rainy, and the next the sun breaks through the clouds and you're sweating.)
There's also the "Red Light District," which is where the sex industry is. Just walking through there, I've seen things I'll never be able to unsee!! ;)
Today we're off to see some museums. Tomorrow will be our last day before we head to India! Pictures and more stories to come!
We're staying at a nice hostel in Vondelpark which is about a 20 minute walk from the center of Amsterdam. The computers here don't allow you access to the USB plug, so I'm sorry to report that I'm not able to upload any pictures yet. I will upload them when I can!
We are sharing a six-bunk dorm with 2 Frenchmen and a couple from Slovenia. We have spent hours talking to them, just learning about each other and our home countries. This is one of our favorite parts of traveling - and staying in hostels. You meet people from all over the world, and learn a lot about yourself in the process.
Yesterday (which was Monday) we took a walking tour of the city in the morning, which has become one of our favorite things to do in any new city. It's a great way to get familiar with what the city has to offer, and you also get caught up on your history. We didn't really know anything about Amsterdam (other than what it's infamously known for) and now I have a much greater appreciation for the culture.
We also took a tour of the "coffee shops" where we learned all about the history of drug prominence in Amsterdam, what the laws actually are, and what the future looks like. Like any place, it's tangled in politics, and the liberal culture of Amsterdam is being put to the test. The government is cracking down on the shops and creating new laws that are making it harder and harder for them to do business. It's impossible to describe the history in a short little blog, so if you're interested, take some time to read up on it.
Some quick highlights of things we have learned: Amsterdam has around 780,000 residents, hailing from 177 different countries. It's fascinating to just listen to the diversity of languages being spoken as we wander the streets. Rembrandt lived and died here. Anne Frank's hide-out house is here, and is now a museum. Amsterdam is kind of a world capital for activism regarding homosexual civil rights. Apparently we missed the Gay Pride parade by 24 hours, which was attended by over a million visitors to the city. And Dutch children think the color of the sky is gray, not blue. (We were so focused on preparing for India, and the heat, that we were a bit surprised to be greeted in Amsterdam by 60 degree temps! It's the kind of weather that changes rapidly. One minute it's cold and rainy, and the next the sun breaks through the clouds and you're sweating.)
There's also the "Red Light District," which is where the sex industry is. Just walking through there, I've seen things I'll never be able to unsee!! ;)
Today we're off to see some museums. Tomorrow will be our last day before we head to India! Pictures and more stories to come!
