Don't get coffee in Amsterdam

Amsterdam was one of the prettiest places we have visited. The canals that run through the city have a very Venetian quality, but hold a whole different character as well. The houses are so cute lined in a row along the canals, and they're all different colors and designs.

Funny story: our first night in Amsterdam we wandered around the city for a while to familiarize ourself with it. We came across a waffle store and both decided that we HAD to get a waffle! how could we not get a belgium waffle in belgium! it wasn't until about 5 minutes into our delicious dessert that we realized we were actually not in belgium...we were in the Netherlands! we felt very very silly. (i still dont get the whole, Netherlands, Holland, Dutch distinctions!)

Our hostel was a basic bed and bathroom--nothing fancy but it worked just fine. We took a tour of the city our first day there as to get some background and history on the city. our guide was great--British and very entertaining. He took us through the red light district (briefly), and told us about Holland's history of tolerance and "plausible deniability"policy. They hold that if something is 1) discreet, 2) not hurting anyone, and 3) makes money, than it's acceptable. An example of this is the number of "coffee shops" around the city that dont really sell coffee at all--just marajuana. But it's discreet, not "hurting" anyone, andmakes alot of money. Also on the tour we got to see the Jewish quarter, Anne Franks house, the palace, and a bunch in between.

Amsterdam is a bicycle city. Everyone rides bikes, and they're everywhere. So emily and i rented bikes for a day and navigated our way through the insane bike lanes around town and rally had a stressful time. We then took a ferry over to the other side of the river and rode into the coutnryside of holland. It was so cool. We came across a little field of sheep just chillin in the grass so we stopped and took pictures and talked with them. the babies were so cute! Then we rode through fields of green grass and tall wheat to a little town called durgerdam where we sat and had a drink on a dock overlooking the water. It was so quaint and peaceful...like an oldfashioned painting. I was so happy to get to experience both the city and the countryside of Holland.

Our next morning we rode out east of the city in search of a park but never found it. We got a little lost, ended up riding through a different park, and spent some time admiring the flowergarden in town. So many colors and kinds of flowers...especially tulips. We had planned to go to the Van Gogh museum by our hostel but it had a very pricy entrance fee so we just admired the adversement pictures on the outside. Instead of art-viewing we decided to get sandwiches at a little place called bagels and beans and it was a perfect end to our time in Amsterdam.