Amsterdam, Netherlands (aka: Antarctica)

What a whirlwind weekend. Okay, well it wasn't really the weekend that I spent there but I liked the alliteration. In complete honesty, this trip really crept up on me! I was so busy trying to get my papers done before we left (which clearly didn't happen if you read some of my earlier entries from today) I didn't realize how fast it was approaching. As a result, I packed about 30 minutes before heading to the airport bus. Hah. Definitely not my usual organized self, but I find I've lost a lot of that since being abroad (and I do nottttt mind whatsoever! no stress!)

Edinburgh Airport really isn't that big (compared to most of the major hubs around the world, TF Green definitely not included) so security and getting to the gate was relatively painless. We didn't have to wait too too long to board and were otherwise mesmerized by "Yo! Sushi"(a very strange conveyor bell restaurant) that we were on the flight and over the North Sea in a flash. Upon arrival although, my lack of organization really bit me in the ass. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FREEZING.

I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW UNBELIEVABLY COLD IT WAS. Okay, so I tried to play it off a little when we landed, thinking, "I deal with Burlington, Vermont Februaries - this is nothing." My pompous ass was SO WRONG. This was more like 3 days of the coldest Vermont nights and Lake Champlain winds! Perhaps it was because I really did not have enough of the right clothes with me, or maybe because I experienced virtually no winter before getting here this season - either way, it was DAMN COLD. After navigating Dutch trains and trams we arrived at our hostel. I don't have any prior experience so I really have no other places to compare it to. We had our own private five person room - and minus the cold, everything was pretty bearable. Although the stairs were also pretty awful. In addition to being the land of weed and prostitutes (half kidding), I found that Amsterdam is also the land of STEEP STAIRS. And not just one flight, more like five or six flights of uneven, skinny, steeeep staircases.

Over the next few days we basically explored the city doing most of the things tourists are supposed to do: ate Dutch pancakes, looked at wooden shoes, walked through the Red Light District (depressing), took pictures in front of the "I amsterdam" letters at the Rijksmuseum...There was a lot of canal skating too! (most were completely frozen...with a lot of boats still in them?) and over the weekend there were hoards of people all over them! Some people even had chairs and tables set up in weird almost pseudo-American barbecues. It was a pretty cool experience, although I definitely need to go back when it is warm and the water is in liquid form.

The Anne Frank House was probably the most serious part of the trip. I had initially forgot that the famous Annex immortalized through her diaries was in Amsterdam. It was definitely a moving experience, comparable to the times I have visited the Holocaust museum in Washington DC. I hadn't read the diary in at least five years or so, leaving a lot of details fuzzy, and virtually making the experience better. The most moving part of it, in my opinion, was this portrait of her father (the only member of the family who survived the Holocaust after they were detained) standing in the attic of the Annex, fifteen or so years after the war had ended. It literally knocked the breath out of me and it was the first image you saw walking into the room that depicted the family's eventual capture and deaths. What an experience.

On a lighter note, we also toured the Heineken Brewery, or as they say there, we had the "Heineken Experience." Clearly, I do not have much experience with brewery tours since I am not yet 21, but I would assume that this one would really knock the rest out of the water. The whole tour (self-guided) lasted over two hours, maybe even three. I can't even go into all of the different aspects because there were SO many. It was extremely interactive, yet really informative at the same time. I actually found myself interested in what each employee had to say - and let's be honest, I really didn't think I would care for more than fifteen minutes of talk about barely. At first I was a little annoyed to be spending 16 euro, but it was worth it all. Seriously, if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, I highly recommend it - and not even for the three free beers!

The Vincent van Gogh Museum is definitely another must-do. Whether or not you're into art - it's a really cool experience. The museum was not only filled with his work, but also the works of his influences (found through letters he wrote to his brother). Because he was only an active artist for about ten years before he killed himself (today, they think he had Epilepsy) the entire museum is ordered chronologically, highlighting the personal and artistic influences that inspired his works during specific years. While many were not so happy to find that Starry Night is not featured (I think it's in New York or Paris somewhere permanently), I was extremely annoyed to find that Almond Blossom, my favorite, was on loan in Philadelphia!!! So disappointing. Here are a few of the more famous works that we did see: