I amsterdam.

Started while eating a pretzel in the Dusseldorf Airport, continued on the delayed (shocker!) flight to Madrid, and finished on my living room couch.

Wait...it's July 5th already?  That means I have been here for almost 6 weeks now?  And I'm going home...next week?  Hold up, hold up.  While it totally doesn't seem right that time is now winding down way too fast, I do agree that in the last 5 and a half weeks we have done too much to count.  And for me in the last 2 days that is completely true as well.  This weekend I had the opportunity to visit some dear family friends in Holland.  It was something I never thought I would get to do in my life, considering they frequently travel and have lived in 2 different countries (moving to their 3rd this year).  So when the opportunity presented itself to go to Holland for the weekend, it was too hard to pass up and I am sad to already see it over.

I got in to Dusseldorf, Germany on Friday night and was immediately taken to a small town called Arnhem, a small town on the eastern side of the country.  We went out for dinner to a place called The Big Fish, where we got a bunch of different appetizers and drinks: Dutch croquettes, chickenbites, and bread with a bunch of different sauces.  Then after a quick stop at the ice cream shop, I got to meet more of the family who I had only grown to know through the years via my family and social media.  We sat outside in their garden until the sun went down before going to sleep and getting ready for the big Saturday adventure.

Amsterdam.  I can hardly believe that just yesterday I was in Amsterdam.  It is absolutely beautiful-unlike any city I have ever seen before in my life-and 500x better than any pictures that I took there.  We took the early commuter train from Arnhem to Amsterdam, and I was instantly struck by the view walking out of Centraal Station.  The city is known for having several canals and over 200 bridges connecting the city streets.  While some people have cars, the most common mode of transportation is via bicycle or boat-could you think of a better way to see the city?  We got on a tram after arriving and went straight to Anne Frank Huis, a house that has been converted into a museum to preserve the memory of Anne Frank and her family members who perished during the Holocaust.  We waited in line for...wait for it...3 hours before going inside.  And while I am not usually one for long lines or hot sun, I have to say that it was one of the most meaningful experiences that I have had on my entire trip so far.  I read her diary in 7th grade for English class and have always been interested to learn about the Holocaust, so I found the visit worthwhile.  The museum took you through the canal house which contained the warehouse/storeroom, then up the steep stairs to the actual bookcase that was used to hide the annex for 2 years.  The rooms where the family once lived are now empty because the furniture was removed by the Nazis, but throughout the rooms we were able to see actual pages from her notebook and diary, as well as family pictures and old artifacts.

After the museum, it was almost 3pm and we were starving so we headed to the one place that all my friends who visited Amsterdam this year recommended: The Pancake Bakery.  Thanks to my friend Jackie I sort of knew what to expect but what I got was far beyond that.  I learned while I was there that Dutch pancakes are thin, like French crepes, and can be served in savory or sweet form.  I ordered the Dutch Pancake: a think pancake with stroopwafel (traditional Dutch cookie) chunks, cinnamon ice cream, chocolate shavings and whipped cream.  Needless to say it may be one of the most amazing meals I have had in my life.  Yes, in my life.  It was that good.  And because the pancake was very thin, I felt satisfied afterwards and not ill like I did after eating my first (and only) Belgian waffle.  And the view wasn't too bad either.  Instead of sitting inside, we opted to go to an outside table and watch boats on the canal.  Definitely an experience I will never forget.

After lunch we did a boat tour of the different Amsterdam canals.  Or at least a few of them.  What I found most interesting is that Dutch houses on the canals are not straight-in fact, they are mostly crooked and leaning forward.  This is because they used to be packing houses, and poles were once used to carry goods up and down.  Now, the houses look like they were designed in a rather nontraditional way and poles are used to pull furniture up because the staircases are too steep and narrow.  Once the canal tour ended we walked to the Dam area of town because I knew I had to go to the I amsterdam sign.  Typical American tourist, I know.  Being the unlucky soul that I am, only one letter of my monogram is in the sign, so I opted for a cute picture with the letter a.  But, I also liked the tall I and there were less people around the sign so I did a picture with that one too.  Funny how it's not even a real attraction in Amsterdam-just an item on the tourist to-do list-yet it is in an area that has several attractions that get unnoticed, like beautiful buildings and statues.

We went for a drink before walking then through the infamous Red Light District.  For those of you who do not know, prostitution is legal and regulated in Holland.  In fact, there is one area of town (just near the Centraal Station) where all of the ladies sit in windows searching for their next customers.  We walked through closer to dinnertime so there was not much "action," but we did walk by several (and I mean several) typical shops you would expect to see in that area of town...I'll let you figure out those details for yourself.  After walking through the district, we walked back to the train station to buy chocolates for myself and my family...get ready for some tasty treats!  I may or may not have spent all of my money in Amsterdam on chocolates, but we tried some samples in the store and they are simply the best.  So no shame.  We had a quick dinner on the canal afterwards and then headed to Arnhem after a fun day exploring the city.

Today was rather relaxing-we slept in and ate breakfast in the garden before going to the Arnhem shopping area, which was actually bigger than I expected.  We went to the grocery store and bought stroopwafel for myself and my family before walking up and down the stores and going to a Dutch-style fast food restaurant.  Who knew croquettes could be so good on a sandwich!  With a little bit of time left, we went to a local park where there is a market every Sunday.  It actually reminded me of my favorite market at home, with little vendors selling fruits, vegetables, crafts, sweets, etc. and people playing music, walking dogs, and just having picnics in the park.  We bought fresh lemonade and walked around for about a half hour before heading home to pick up my things and drive to the airport.

Now, I am happily back at home and caught up with my roommate.  And yes I have proceeded to avoid unpacking since arriving.  But, it will get done eventually.  While I am sad to see the weekend is over, I am excited because it is our last week of classes and we get to see some more cool museums!  At the same time, though, it means I have to start working on my final papers as well.  I'm hoping they won't be as bad as I expect-after all, we have the questions, we just have to do them now!  I'm also finding some fun activities to do as a way to culminate this amazing study-vacation trip abroad...after all it is summer so you gotta have some fun, right?  There is definitely a lot to look forward to in the coming 10 days, including some blog posts about my favorite parts of the trip and lessons I learned along the way!

Until then, it's off to the inevitable unpacking for me.  Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend and has another fun summer week ahead.

Hasta luego!