Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hey cool people,
Lydia and I have been having the time of our lives over the past few days and after last night's wild events, I am taking the afternoon to recharge and catch you all up on what has been happening. So, here is what we did the few nights we spent in Amsterdam:
Our flight from London to Amsterdam was delayed by an hour because of rain
Day 35 Monday, June 22nd - Today, Lydia were flying from London to Amsterdam. It was a bit rainy in London that morning, so our flight was delayed about 20 minutes. When we arrived in Amsterdam, Lydia and I had to go through passport control again since we were the Schengen Region. The passport control agents were a lot less harrassing than in London; they only asked me when I was leaving Europe and if I knew I was only allowed in the Schengen Region 90 days. I told them yup I was well aware of the rules and Lydia and I would be leaving on day 89. Since Lydia was right behind me in line, they never questioned her at all, just stamped her passport and let her in.
Bathroom door at our Hostel. The flying pig
After grabbing our things, we quickly figured out how to take the bus from the airport to our hostel, The Flying Pig. The hostel was a bit a bit crazy, with loads of people everywhere. Being Amsterdam, the hostel even had a smoke room to cater to the experimental and excited tourists. Overall, the hostel was very nice and clean. The only trouble we had was when we first got to our room, someone else had been sleeping in the bed Lydia and I would be sharing (Lydia and I booked a double bed for the few days we were in Amsterdam because it was cheaper than two single beds). No worries, reception sorted it out for us before we turned in later that day.
After Lydia and I got settled into our hostel, we walked down to the bar for a beer while we waited for our friend Alex to arrive later that day. The night before, Alex, Lydia and I were having dinner in London to catch-up after our UK adventures. Well, Lydia and I were talking about flying to Amsterdam the next day and Alex decided on a whim to book a flight and meet us in Amsterdam for the few days we were there. Alex had been to Amsterdam before, so it was nice to have a familiar face to hang out with and show us around the city a little.
My friend Alex and I
Lydia and I met Alex at her hostel, located a few blocks away, when she messaged us that she had finally arrived. We walked around to get oriented with the city, stopping at a few classic attractions like the sex museum and the red light district. Later that night, after it got dark, we made our way back to The Flying Pig hostel to relax for a little bit before saying goodnight to Alex and going to bed.
Day 36 Tuesday June 23rd - Lydia and I started this morning off with breakfast at the hostel. We were both really excited that breakfast was more than just toast and jam. The fact that it also included bagels and hard boiled eggs was a real treat for us. After breakfast, we met up with Alex at her hostel before making our way downtown to check out some of the different shops and sites around. We got some lunch together and had a few drinks before going to see a live sex show later that night.
The sex show was interesting to say the least. When I say live sex show, I do mean there were people on stage having sex right in front of you, however it was completely different than watching a porno. Don't ask me to explain the difference because I don't know how to effectively explain, the only thing I can say is the sex show was more about entertainment. Lydia, Alex and I even got on stage during the last act. All I am going to say about that is it involved a stripper, a banana, and us. It was all good fun!
After the show, we walked around downtown a little more. It cool to see the red light district at night as compared to the day. We eventually made our way to one of the many coffee shops that night because ... when in Amsterdam. We tried a space cake that night, walked around a little more and eventually made our way back to the hostel for bed.
A couple street performers
Day 37 Wednesday June 24th - Today was our last day in Amsterdam and our last day with Alex until Oktoberfest in late September. We began the day with some shopping. We grabbed a couple postcards, had some lunch, and stopped at a coffee shop before making our way back to the hostel early that afternoon. We hung out in our room, writing postcards and enjoying some wine for a little bit. Lydia eventually laid down for a nap, but Alex and I were a bit hungry from enjoying some herbal substances from the coffee shop, so we decided to wander and grab a waffle or two.
Later that night, Lydia and Alex decided to go to the Anne Frank Museum. It would have been a really cool experience, and Lydia really enjoyed it, but I wanted the evening to relax by myself for a bit. I decided to take a stroll through the park and get some dinner before reuniting to Lydia that evening to pack for our early bus ride to Berlin the next morning. We were excited because one of the girls in our room, Kate, was also going to be hopping on the bus with us.
