AMSTERDAM!

Amsterdam was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

On my way over to Germany I had a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam and I just HAD to get out of the airport and check it out! I took the train into the city center which ended up being a huge pain in the butt. Trains were late and kept getting canceled and I felt like I was running all over the station! It wasted a lot of time. I finally made it to Central Station in Amsterdam and set out to explore! The city is absolutely amazing! There were huge, ornate buildings everywhere... and the BIKES!! Oh, there must not be a single person in Amsterdam who doesn't ride a bike! They had parking garages for bikes and separate roads with signal lights and everything! I found out the hard way that pedestrians do NOT have the right of way... Twice I found myself in the way of a biker and I'm fairly sure the phrases coming out of their mouths were not apologies for almost running me over! I had planned on touring the Anne Frank house, but by the time I arrived there was an enormous line and with all the time wasted at the train station I was worried I would be pushing the limit getting back to the airport for my connecting flight. That was a HUGE disappointment. I ended up taking a picture of the outside and the Anne Frank Huis sign. On the positive side, I had more time to wander along the canals of Amsterdam. I came across a bustling street market and explored that for a while. It seemed like so many people at the market were eating Vietnamese lumpia and I figured I would eat what the locals eat! I found the lumpia stand and it was packed with people waiving their money in the air, calling out their orders. I shoved myself right in the middle of the crowd and ordered a "mix" which from what I could hear, was the most common order. I had no idea what I ordered and I was so relieved when I was given a little basket of assorted lumpia. It was really nice to wander around Amsterdam with my street food and just soaking up the atmosphere! The city was almost surreal to me... canals, boats, musicians performing on every other bridge... It's a place I definitely must come back to visit again!