It was our first day in Amsterdam today. Already love it here. It is absolutely gorgeous and the people here are some of the friendliest I have ever met. Everyone is helpful and kind and they all want to know who you are and what you like and all that jazz. We tried to get an early start to the day with a trip to the supermarket. Everything is really expsenive here, so we thought it would be best to pick some things up and cook. After our trip out and back to the apartment, we headed towards the "I Amsterdam" sign for photos and to go to the Van Gogh Museum.On the way we went through the Red Light District which is maybe 2 blocks from out apartment- prime location, am I right? The funny part is the Red Light District is actually the safest area in Amsterdam according to locals and other tourists. Anyway, there wasn't a great selection (for lack of a better word) at that hour, but still a small glimps of that culture here. So like I said, on to the sign and the museum. We get to the sign and all take our photo in front of it with about 400 other tourist and then we stand and watch some street performance break dancers for a while. They really had the crowd going, which I guess is their job but I am always always into entertainment and dancing. I thought it was funny when they were asking for money that they said, "Obama wants CHANGE but we want BILLS." Hardy har har. As that ended we found out the Van Gogh Museum was sold out for the day so we went ahead and bought tickets for the following day. So already a few things on our list are a bust. OH WELL. Now we decide not to rent bikes today since the weather is questionable. Another thing busts. We stop into a diamond "museum" because it is free and nothing else seems to be working out anyway. I did learn something here which I was previously unaware of. Amsterdam has been the world's leading diamond cutter for over 400 years. Interesting, and now not a completely wasted tour. To the Royal Palace it is. Not every impressive. Since it is an active palace, there isn't much to see. I wouldn't recommend it to other travelers honestly. There is some history but nothing truly pertinent to their politics or anything of that nature.
We are pretty exhausted at this point. For some reason the night before, Katelyn and I didn't slumber until around 4 am and that has definitely caught up to us now. We do a canal cruise to wind down and enjoy the scenery. Also a waste of money. If you want to cruise the canal, which I suggest, try to find a small boat tour or like a private boat or something. It was not very informative and the time spent in the canals was limited because the boat was too big to go down most of the inlets. EP Stallworth, all this info is for you, so enjoy and take notes.
We made it back to the apartment for dinner and a nap. Slept until 11 which is when things start get going around here. We reseached a few places to go, learning that DJs were realy great here and we should go to a disco. We had some places picked out and we embarked to find a bar to pop into for a quick drink before. A quick drink turned into the whole evening when a bachelor group from London joined us for some beers. We spent a few hours talking with them and laughing and mocking each other's accents. It was beautiful. They told us that our Southern accents were just as sexy to them as presumably, their accent was to us. They assumed correctly!! Such a good thing to hear after we get ragged on by the damn Yankees all the time. HAHA! We sang country western music together in the alley bar and karaoked to Britney Spears and the like. It was altogether just a convergence of kindred spirits that make your realize how small the world actually is. Hugo, James, Fenbar, Chris, and Glen (the lucky bachelor) were too kind to us and really made our night fantastic. They escorted us through the Red Light District is the most gentlemen-ly fashion and right back to our home block. Meeting strangers is what this trip is all about. FInd out their stories, share yours and take those cherished memories with you. You have to be open to these experiences. And obviously you have to be smart about it, but we were and we all really enjoyed ourselves. Who cares about the seedy disco when you make friends and share laughs?
Oh yeah and we got these fry cones which I guess are like a thing here.
Finally a picture of all 4! New friends, new places.
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