I will start off by saying: I want to move to Amsterdam. No, not for the drugs, I have no interest in that business, but for the simple fact that it is THE most beautiful, relaxed, down to earth, friendly city that I have ever been to...and did I say beautiful? It's gorgeous! Look:
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| This picture quite aptly describes Amsterdam: canals, bikes, boats, and old buildings...if only it was Spring or Summer! |
Because Amsterdam is essentially a bunch of tiny islands separated by an intricate layout of canals leading to the major Amstel River, all of my "scenery" pictures are of canals. However different and uniquely beautiful they all are, it is something that can only be admired fully in person, but these 2 pictures are the best I could find. Now you understand why I want to live there? Maybe I can look up an au pair job there for next year....
Our weekend began Friday night at 8:05 pm, as soon as my relief (Nico) walked through that door. Jaimie and I were antsy to get to Ally's and get the night started, because we had the BEST birthday present ever to give to her. This entire trip was a surprise to Ally. I have been emailing Marie, Ally's host mom for a few weeks now, trying to organize some sort of trip and figuring out a way to have Ally get the weekend off of work from BIA. Eventually I just decided to tell Ally that I have a gift in mind for her, but the only way for her to retrieve it is to get Sunday off of work (she already had Saturday off). That she did, so Marie booked our tickets, and paid for Ally's and part of mine and Jaimie's tickets, just to ensure we could afford to take Ally...she is amazing!! Now for the reveal. Ally was anticipating this surprise all week, but I told her she must wait until her actual birthday to find out the surprise. We wanted the reveal to be just as fun, so I decided to wrap up the book that Ally gave me for my birthday, partly as a joke, but also because I want her to read it now. Inside the front cover was a poem I had written, saying:
When I thought about gifts to get my dear friend,
I considered all things, beginning to end.
I looked at books, gift cards, or a new style shoe,
but I soon realized that none of these would do.
I then decided to take on a recruit,
with Jaimie on board, it'd be the best gift to boot!
We wanted something special to make you really flip,
and realized what better than a fun weekend trip!
So, Ally dear, pack a bag, you have nothing to lose,
and search through this book for the hidden clues.
When you unscramble the letters and find our destination,
you'll wonder how we paid for this spectacular vacation.
So here's the real secret, we didn't work alone,
Marie and Sam were crucial with their free-of-debt loan!
You're as special to them as you are to us,
so this weekend's for you, free of all fuss.
We love you dear friend, you're worth more than you know,
Now let's head to the town to commence the shit show!!
Yes, I know, I am quite talented in the rhyming sector....Now of course, inside I had placed letters in a random order that she had to unscramble. With a few hints, she figured it out, and the look on her face and surprise in her voice made it all worth it!
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| Clearly she was excited.... |
So, as I said previously, our train left Saturday morning at 8:30 am. After just 2 hours of sleep, we were not feeling too hot, so we had that short 3 hour train ride to sleep and rejuvenate.
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| Clearly 3 hours was not enough... |
We arrived into Amsterdam at 11:30 am, where our host for the weekend greeted us at the train station. We had decided to couchsurf this weekend in an effort to make it 1. as cheap as possible and 2. as fun as possible. Staying with locals who know their way around and can offer true insight into what their city has to offer is the absolute best way to discover a new city. Our host's name was Gerben (pronounced Herr-ben, with a little phlegm on the H) and he is a 26 year old lawyer who was born and raised in the Netherlands, and now lives alone in a great apartment in the city center. He invited along his friend Chris to join him for the weekend (I think the thought of hosting 3 girls was a bit intimidating for him). These wonderful hosts walked us back to the apartment, where we sat and chatted for a bit, and then decided to head out for lunch. We discovered an awesome street market selling everything you could imagine and settled into a deceivingly awesome Turkish restaurant for lunch. After lunch, they took us on a walking tour of the city which included the Royal Palace, main shopping street, Red Light District, Rembrandt Square, and a peek inside an infamous coffeeshop. We made a pit stop to sample a Dutch specialty, Herring....not bad, but being that it is a huge slab of raw fish in a bun with onions on top, there were just too many things wrong with it to finish, namely the texture.
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| Sampling the Herring...barf. |
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| Common sight in Amsterdam...no we did not go in any! |
After the tour, we went back to their place to have a little nap and shower and prepare for the night's festivities. Gerben took the liberty of buying us tickets to a typical Amsterdam rave party. He insists you can't visit Amsterdam without going to a rave, so we agreed to go, having no idea what was in store for us. We had an all too short nap, a quick shower, and a leisurely time putting on our faces. By 11 pm, we were ready to go see what all the hype was about! Gerben had invited 2 of his friends from college (fraternity brothers actually...they have fraternities in the Netherlands!) so once they arrived and the introductions were made, we were off. *Random side note...reason number 3 why I want to move to Amsterdam: EVERYone is gorgeous. We felt like royalty being escorted to this party with 4 very good looking gentlemen...and gentlemen they definitely were!*
We got to the party, which was in an old warehouse on the outskirts of town, and were blown away by what was inside. A large stage with DJ Michael De Hey (supposedly this would be the techno equivalent of a rock concert in the states), colorful lights everywhere, and a HUGE net of balloons tied to the roof. Our first stop inside was the coat check, followed by the bar. Unfortunately for me, I was not feeling too hot, so I stuck to water this night. The bar was something so foreign to me as well. All drinks came in glass bottles, even the water, and they sold popsicles! Why bars don't do this in the states is a mystery to me, because after a night of dancing and working up a sweat, this is the best treat in the world! The 7 of us stuck together all night, with the boys acting as our "protectors" all night from the other creeper guys who tried to sneak in on us. They were truly amazing, and we couldn't thank them enough for looking out for us!! We had so so so much fun this night that time just seemed to fly, and when they announced the last song at 5 am, we realized we should probably head home. Good thing we got our practice in the night before of staying out late, or we would have never made it!
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| Preparing to head out for the night with Gerben (our host) on top and Chris down below |
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| Me, Chris, Jaimie, and Erik |
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| POPSICLES!! So refreshing :) |
On our way to our taxi, we passed one of the famous signs that Amsterdam is known for, so we took a moment for a photo op. This was a great end to the night!
We ended up staying up and reminiscing about our night until 7 am, before finally heading to bed. We woke up later around 2 pm (WOW!), showered, and us girls ventured out to the Anne Frank house. What a sight to see. It was one of the most well-done museums I have ever visited and is a must-see for anyone visiting the city. After this, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to Gerben's house to relax and hang with them before we left the next day. Early to bed, early to rise on Monday so Gerben could get to work, and we found ourselves at a little restaurant eating delicious Dutch pancakes for breakfast. Unfortunately, my camera was dead by now so I have nothing to document the monstrosity of these pancakes, but they were delicious! We made our way to the train station and at 11:30 am, we were on the train headed back to Paris. This weekend was hands down the best weekend of our lives, and we are all in agreement over that. We couldn't have asked for a better host, or better friends of the host. We have made great friends to last a lifetime and are anticipating their visit to Paris, and our approaching return trip to Amsterdam (hopefully in May when the weather is warm and flowers are in bloom)! Ally thoroughly enjoyed her birthday, and it made us happy that we could do something so special for her. Spending the weekend with these girls has made me realize how much I truly cherish the new friendships I have with them. I don't want to imagine my life in Paris without them, and I know we will all stay friends forever. Just talking about this weekend still makes us bust up laughing and puts huge smiles on our faces. My advice to everyone: GO TO AMSTERDAM.
