Best trip yet?
What do you title a post about the weekend you spent in your new favorite location? Amsterdam is an absolutely incredible place, the first I've visited outside of Prague that has the same kind of unique soul to it. That rubs onto everything about it; the narrow streets, the canals, the intense value of freedom, the intelligence of the whole place...it's just really great. The first place I've been to outside of Prague where I said "you know what...I could live here."
As per the hostel situation, I must say I kinda lied to you. It's true we were going without a hostel booked, but one of the girls we were traveling with had been too nervous to go without anything booked and had gotten an (expensive) hotel. So when we found out on Thursday morning that the hostel we were banking on wasn't going to have any rooms, we weren't being left out to dry, and we didn't panic. We just dished out some extra cash.
It was a fantastic weekend, full of what seems like millions of stories. I loved hanging out with Josh and Marty, two great guys who always make sure it's a great time. Highlights:
-In the airport, trying to figure out how to get a train ticket to the city center, we encountered one American who was having trouble and asked us a question. When Dan started talking to him, the guy just started saying "yeah, BEEN THERE. BEEN THERE. BEEN THERE." over and over again. It was hilarious, trust me.
-The Van Gogh museum was incredible. I spent what seemed like hours looking at the paintings I recognized, and got a whole new appreciation of them, seeing them in their original forms with their original textures.
-No one hired a prostitute, or even saw a sex show. But we almost had Dan convinced. I mean, who could resist a massive black woman in a bikini? Who???
-On Sunday morning, my phone rang at 9:30am (while we were still asleep). It was Mike Breen (another friend from high school) - apparently a friend of his had lost his backpack in Amsterdam and needed some cash to get him bailed out. Two phone calls later, we were meeting this friend (who, according to Breen, was wearing purple and "answers to the name Paul.") at another hotel, and Dan, Josh, and Marty were not happy about it. Turns out thought, it was all a lie - Paul was Mike!! He had taken an overnight bus just to meet all of us!
-Mike and I found a hostel to stay in for Sunday night, after the other three had left us, and we checked in and headed up to our beds for a quick nap. As we looked out our window at the town, we had wordless conversations about the scary Japanese guy sleeping in the bed next to mine, who had clearly not left the hostel the entire day, and had clearly not showered in several. The only thing that could make that better: Breen noticed something moving in his bed...in between the sheet and the mattress. To make that better...it was a mouse. I screamed like a schoolgirl. And to make it all worthwhile...I got it all on video. (on YT soon)
Ohhhh, there's so much more, but I'm sure it will all come out in stories I tell later.
Rushed home form the airport this morning and managed to eat lunch before meeting my parents in the city. As expected, seeing them has already been a really awesome relief for me. It's serving as a kind of barrier for my time here - how much have I done? How much have I experienced and learned? Am I doing this right? And the answers thus far are all positive. I love showing them around like this is my city.
Now, it's an early bedtime for me I think. I'm starting to finally come down with the spring cold everyone else had before me, and I'd love if it was gone before I went to Budapest this weekend with mom and dad.
