Gone Dutch

Two weeks ago I went to Amsterdam with my third host family and Sofia. It was amazing! The day before was the hypothermic kayaking trip so I was a little sore. So we get up at the crack of dawn but I was ready to go, its AMSTERDAM!

I was surprised by this trip 1 weeks earlier. Sophia who is from Mexico thought that her host parents said that we were biking to Amsterdam. I was a little freaked out by that I didn't want to bike 50+ miles. Thank god she was wrong! What they said is that we would be biking in Amsterdam.

I have always thought of myself as a experienced cyclist. At least I thought that I knew how to ride a bike. I thought wrong. Oh My Word! So basically the bike lanes are really good in the Netherlands there is space on almost every road but, there are more bicyclists than cars and there is only about 2 ft of bike lane. I am sure you can imagine where this is going. We biked 20 kilometers that day. First stop: shopping district with thousands of people who don't move when you are biking towards them. I almost took out a few pedestrians. Then we went on some back roads. That was great because I was getting a ulcer from all the stress of not killing people.

Might I say gorgeous. The clouds parted and it was sunny out! Like real sun. (its rarely sunny this time of year or ever.) Anyways i was enjoying the sun and checking out the houses across the canal when I hit a car. A mini Cooper to be exact oh yeah and it was parked. Anyways to make matters worse and old lady was sitting on a bench across the street laughing at me she saw the whole thing. Next, we continued to a busy street where Sofia falls for no reason as I watch her I almost hit a biker while almost getting hit by a car. I was in shock after that one. We stopped for lunch at an "American style" restaurant. I had calamari. yum. I really want that right now. Across the streets were the canal boats (you know the glass ones for viewing Amsterdam) called the John F. Kennedy Awesome! We biked to this park and it was great. There were so many people soaking up the sun. So many people were smoking weed! haha. By that time I could barely walk cause I was so sore but, we continued towards the hotel. You thought I was done know yet another accident. So there cross walks have 3 parts the sidewalk, the middle of the road, and the other side walk. The light for pedestrians was yellow so Sofia booked it. I was last and I didn't want them to forget me so I followed a few seconds later but then a train was coming towards me so I had no other choice but to ram my bike into Sofia; knocking her over in the street in traffic in front of a outdoors restaurant where everyone laughed at us. I wish I had a photo!

So when we were almost there my host family said "oh yeah by the way, we are doing a night ride." They were kidding but never told me they were kidding. So yes, I believed them. All day! People do this a lot to me they take advantage of my foreign-ness.

Day 2

I awoke sore but psyched for the new day. First we visited the Anne Frank Museum sans bikes. I was amazing you couldn't take pictures I wish I could have. The museum was the house that they hid in. I honestly didn't know that they lived in the Netherlands I assumed it was Germany. But, OH MY GOD its amazing how they lived for so long indoors, never going outside. I almost cried. They preserved it as it was. There is no furniture because the Nazi's took it. Otto Frank (her father, the sole survivor) wanted it to be kept with out furniture to show the Nazi's cruelty. They had videos in every room, journal entries, interviews. There was a recording of Otto Frank talking about his daughter he said(paraphrased), "Parents think they know their children, but they really don't. I knew a different Anne than the one in her journal. I wasn't aware of the extent and deepness of her thoughts." It was really moving. Those were my favorite parts; the interviews.

After we went to the Van Gogh Museum. they pronounce it "Van Gock" which was weird for me. I loved it. It was very extensive, again no photos allowed. I had an audio tour which I have never done before. I was really difficult at first to figure out how it worked. I was just sitting there hitting the machine hoping it will work. Which never helps. Once i figured it out it was great I got so much extra information about his life. There were some "laggers" who would stand for a long period of time at one photo blocking everyone's view. I became good a nudging them. Sorry its survival of the fittest. We ate something I forgot but, I'm sure it was good.

I started pouring. I was wearing cotton once again. You'd think I'd learn. After all day in that I was ready to sleep. We headed out but I had to buy some postcards then we left.

Last thing I saw mutipule people holding a baby, while on a cell phone, in the rain, on a bike, and in traffic.