Amsterdam!!!

Ok, so this post is going to start off with me complaining here and there.  But no worries, it will get better.  It just adds to the story of my weekend.  Get ready, folks, some weird stuff happened.

We left Oxford Thursday after class to take a train to London.  We got on our train just fine, but it was a nasty train.  Not only was there trash all over the floor and gummy bears smeared on the windows... A DOG POOPED EVERYWHERE. Poor dog, it was obviously sick.  Its owner was so embarrassed, but it was just awful.  So that is train story #1.  Then, we got to London, where we were staying for the night, and headed to see The Lion King! I had been looking forward to it for... welllll... years. I cried. Laaaame, I know, but if y'all know me, then you know how much I just love musicals.  Mom, we are going one day, it was so great!  Sorry for the lack of pictures, I didn't want to break the rules (unlike the lady who sat next to me and "discreetly" took pictures throughout the play).  After the musical, we got a late dinner at yet another one of Sidney's BFF Gwyneth's recommendations: J Sheekey. This was one fancy pants place. So fancy, that they didn't allow pictures! Sorry guys. Just trust me that I went to London, because I have no documented proof.  Anyway, I ordered the chopped salad with Atlantic prawns, avocado, and bacon.  Very refreshing.  For my main course, I had the fillet of monkfish (a first for me) with braised coco beans, pork belly, and salsa verde.  Scrum-diddly-umptious!

Well, we slept through our first train due to some time zone confusion.  Ooops. So when we finally got to the train station around 6 am, we had to wait on another train. Oh but before that, I got the full body pat down AND my backpack searched.  And the lady moved at the pace of a tortoise.  Apparently my bracelet and my combination lock were suspicious. Blah, whatever, lady.  This train was headed to Brussels, and then once in Brussels, we could take whichever train we wanted to go to Amsterdam.  Eurostar had not failed us, YET.  Thank goodness w were all exhausted and slept through hellish train story #2.  THE ELECTRICITY WENT OUT.  So we chugged along in the dark and the heat at what seemed to be 40 mph.  Once we got to Brussels, we couldn't get out! The doors are automatic, so someone had to pry them open to let us out.  To make amends, Eurostar offered us each a tiny bottle of water. THANKS, EUROSTAR! :)  On our next train, it was a fiery furnace.  Luckily, I was exhausted and slept through the loud, smelly, obnoxious Italian teenagers that could not sit still.  But whatever, we finally arrived in Amsterdam and we were all very well rested.  So that's that.

Amsterdam:  We dropped our stuff off at our hostel and headed to the Anne Frank House.  Everyone needs to go there if they have the chance.  It was so moving.  The house, besides the museum part, is still pretty much exactly how it was, just no furniture (per Otto Frank's request).  The walls in her room were still in tact... the magazine cutouts she had glue to the wall were still there! It was just so neat, yet heartbreaking. Such a brave family.  No pics were allowed in the house, but here are some of the outside.

Next, we went to eat dinner at a place that came recommended to us from some of our classmates.  It was called Pancake Bakery.  Basically, you can order whatever, and it comes in or on (or both!) a giant pancake.  Too cool.  I got the Mexican pancake.  It was decent, but I should have known better... the Europeans aren't the greatest at Mexican food.  Oh well.

The next day, we headed to the Heinken Experience.  Yummm, definitely in my top 3 favorite beers.  Except the night before, I ordered a Heinken Light, and my waitress looked at me like I was an alien... they don't have it in Europe! Weird. Anyway, the Heineken Experience was hilarious.  It was sort of like our Mini Europe experience in Brussels, except you got to go on a beer simulator ride and feel what it is like to "be the beer."  It was fun, I definitely recommend it.  Plus you get to drink 3 beers with your ticket purchase.. suh-weet!

just drinkin some brewski's with my wifey

they hired me for the day

ceiling made out of heineken bottles

After that, we just grabbed a sandwich and headed to... y'all need to brace yourselves...  (and if you are young or close-minded, you may wanna stop reading here)

THE AMSTERDAM GAY PRIDE PARADE!!!!! Oh. My. Goodness. It was one of the coolest experiences.  Amsterdam legalized gay marriage back in 2001 (come on USA, let's pick up the pace!) and this was the celebration of the 10 year anniversary.  Amsterdam is a city with canals everywhere, so the parade consisted of boats going down the canals.  It was like nothing I have ever seen.  I just perched myself on a parked bike and was mesmerized. Take a look for yourself.  And I put up the best pics, so if you are offended by them, close your eyes :)

my perch during the parade

AMSTERDAM GAY PRIDE

ALL TOGETHER NOW

arghhhh!

i agree!

We then headed to the Van Gogh museum.  Okay, one of my goals for my Europe trip was to learn to appreciate art more.  I'm sorry, I just can't.  Performance art and literature, sure.  Something you stare at that doesn't move?  Nah.  I really, really, really did try, though!  Oh well.  But yeah, sure, the museum was great... moving on...

To the Red Light District! How very interesting.  I don't think my jaw ever shut while I was walking around. That place was crazy! I mean, you would be walking around, all of a sudden turn to your right because you see something in your peripheral vision, and it's a girl in a window, on display.  Mom, they were not holding their tummies in either- you would have been appalled!    So many unattractive, fat geezers were approaching them, "negotiating a deal," I guess? It was fascinating, I will say that.  And we went early evening, which we were told was the best time to go.  You can still see the red lights, but it isn't sketchy yet.  Well, I guess it is always sketchy, but it wasn't a testosterone overload yet.  No pictures are allowed there, for obvious reasons.

Once we found our way back to the main street, we went to a tasty restaurant called Humphrey's.  It hit the spot. I ordered beef carpaccio as an appetizer, which was a first for me.  I will definitely be getting this again. My entree was Chinese noodles with chicken.  I tried to look up a more accurate description on the internet, but the menu is in Dutch.  Dessert was strawberries and 'nilla ice cream mmm mmm mmm!

beef carpaccio with parmesan and pine nuts

chinese noodle dish with onions, tomatoes, and cashews

duhhhh

And that was our weekend! We traveled all Sunday to get home.  It was a short but sweet trip.  Definitely wanna return.

Next stop: Dublin, part II (after exams though... pray for me!)  Oh and in all seriousness, please pray for everyone affected by the riots.  We just found out that they have spread to Oxford so we are all but being barricaded inside our college.  EEK!

barbara