Amsterdam

This is almost a week late, but here are some of the highlights from Amsterdam:

Oli and I ended up taking the train there (although on the way back we realized this was a mistake because the Dutch Railway system was pretty bad and made us 2 hours late to Hamburg, which made me almost miss my train back to Dresden that night.)  It was nice seeing the countryside though, and I'm working my way through Die Zombiehöhle (The Zombie Hole.)  It's kind of embarrassing that I need to "work through" a 5th grade level book, but it's still a step up from the 1st grade level books I was trying to read when I got here!

I was really excited to see some classic Dutch windmills, but none were to be seen!  I saw plenty of fields and cows at least.  Some Holstein, but also a lot of different breeds that we don't have in Wisconsin.  There were quite a few sheep and horses too.  It looks like they get a lot more grazing space here than in the States.  I'm used to seeing cows crammed together a little tighter.  Maybe it's because they don't have as many fields for crops?

The trip took about 5 hours, and we arrived in Amsterdam in the evening.  We found our hotel (the Westcord Fashion Hotel), and it was very stylish and comfortable.  We even had a king size bed for our room (a nice change after trying to fit together on a dorm bed for a week.)  I felt quite spoiled!  It was kinda rainy and cloudy out, so we went to the 10th floor Skyy Vodka Lounge for dinner and cocktails.  I got the Jakarta plate and Oli got the traditional Amsterdam one.  Mine was good (shrimp and eggrolls with a spicy sauce), and Oli's was pretty much all sausage and cheese (plus these really delicious fried balls called Bitterballs.  We think they were made with potatoes but weren't sure.)  The cheese ended up being delicious, and there was a big bowl full, so I ate quite a bit of it myself.  I'm a true Wisconsin girl at heart!  After that I was determined to go out and buy some Amsterdam cheese for myself.

We wanted to go out for our first night there, so we asked at the front desk where a good Studentclub was and went there (after first checking online to make sure the DJ played techno and/or house.)  It was difficult to find the entrance, but we got to see a good part of "Party Amsterdam" while looking for it.  The place was really hopping for a Thursday night.  When we found Studio 80 it was relatively full, but the music was all heavy electro.  I'd been to these kinds of clubs in the States before, but Oli was kinda surprised that they weren't playing faster music.  It's probably because Amsterdam is so full of stoners.  They like chill music better, even for clubbing.  It was ok, but I agreed with Oli that German clubs are still the best!

Some highlights from Friday were finding the Anne Frank House (and then realizing the line went around the block), so we went to a coffeeshop instead.  We ate some "Space Muffins," but they weren't too strong.  We went to the Vodka Museum, which I suggest for anyone traveling in the area.  For 12 euros you can get a tour of the museum and 4 free shots of whatever you choose.  They explain the history behind vodka, how to make it, and they have every kind of vodka on display (even nasty Gordon's Vodka from Kentucky that I used to make jello shots last summer.)  The Amsterdam Van Gogh Vodka was really good and came in all sorts of flavors, but Oli and I liked the Russian Vodka best (he liked the Goldflake kind best.)  I asked the bartender/tour guide if it was true that the gold flakes irritated your throat and made the alcohol go quicker into your blood stream, but she had no idea what I was talking about.  Must just be an American Urban Legend lol.  We ended up buying two nips of Van Gogh Espresso Vodka (made with real espresso), but I never got a chance to try them!  Some other time...

After the Vodka Museum we went to the Sex Museum next door.  It didn't have too much to see, except for lifesize wax figurines that did inappropriate stuff as you walked by.  We took some fun pictures and videos, but I'm afraid those aren't Facebook-appropriate.

Then we went to another coffeeshop to uh, drink coffee.  It made us pretty hungry so we found the Vapiano's in Amsterdam and ate a pizza each (although these are smaller than the typical American pizza.)  We were really stuffed and tired after that, so we just stayed in watching TV and movies.  Dutch TV has a lot of American channels and they're only subtitled (not dubbed like in Germany).  I'll tell you though, a day of sightseeing and coffeeshops is not conducive for an exciting nightlife!

On a positive note, I found a lot of cheese shops (with delicious samples) and bought a wedge of Dutch Gouda.  It's already half gone!