Before I begin, I'm going to answer some questions I know a few of you have. No, I did not smoke any weed. Yes, I saw the the whole Red Light District thing. And yes, I was slightly disgusted with humanity afterwards. This trip started out well, hit a shaky part, and then it turned into a truly amazing trip. I quickly realized during my time in Amsterdam that these trips are going to be what I make of them - and I'm ready to make each one awesome! So here goes: my adventures in Amsterdam!
Friday, 5 September 2014
I packed that morning, went to class at 9am-12pm and left for the train station as soon as class ended. It looked like the entire fleet of MUDECers were at the Differdange train station because we almost filled the entire platform. Everyone was excited to go on their first weekend trip: some were going to Brugge, others to Interlocken, but nobody to Amsterdam except Andrew, Micayla and me (which was somewhat surprising because I hear a lot of people are very eager to see some of the beautiful scenery Amsterdam has to offer during their first weekend).
Anyway, it was just us going to Amsterdam. We took the train to Brussels, then had a short transfer time to Rotterdam, then we arrived at Amsterdam at about 8pm. As soon as we got off the train, we were mesmerized with the canals and the Cathedral close by. We wanted to drop off our backpacks before we went for Micayla's birthday dinner, so we followed the directions Micayla printed out and eventually made our way to where we were staying.
We soon realized that our hostel was actually IN the Red Light District - which was a small surprise. We passed some coffee shops (places that legally sell marijuana) and got quite a few whiffs of smoke. We arrived at our hostel - The Bulldog Cafe. For those of you who don't know (I didn't...) the Bulldog Cafe was the first coffee shop of Amsterdam. We walked in the front door and were the receptionist was a woman of about 40 years with a purple and black hair. She checked us in and said, "Here's our rules. You can drink and smoke your weed anywhere accept upstairs. But DON'T smoke tobacco anywhere inside the building, the police with f*** you up 'cause that s*** is illegal. Have fun!" I was shocked the first second, and curious the next. What kind of place did we book a room in?
Andrew, Micayla and I went upstairs and got to our room. We heard people talking inside, so we braced ourselves and walked in. I forgot that we booked a 12-person mixed room, so what I saw next was interesting. Music was blasting, there were guys yelling over the music talking to each other and a shirtless kid was in the middle of the room. There were two other girls doing their hair amongst the seven guys getting ready to go out for the night.
As soon as we got in, everyone swarmed around us. Mostly everyone was excited that we were there saying, "Hey! We're from Manchester! Where are you from? We've all just met tonight - wanna go out with us? Are you going to smoke weed tonight? No? BUT YOU'RE IN AMSTERDAM!" We all smiled and put down our stuff while trying to remember everyone's names. We told them we were from the States and some other kid walked through the door and said, "Oh hey, I'm from LA!" There was so much going on, I wasn't sure how to respond to it all. Instead of being slightly freaked out, I just decided to roll with it and got to know some of the people we were going to share a room with for the next two nights.
We didn't end up going out with them that night because we were more interested in seeing the city and getting dinner. So we left not long after we arrived and hit the town. Since we were staying in the Red Light District, we walked through that first.
There were half naked girls not four feet away from me behind a glass waving guys over. I ended up just looking in the opposite direction to avoid awkward eye contact. Along with the prostitution, there were sex shops at almost every block along with some 'adult' theaters and the iconic Sex Museum. I guess it was interesting to see, but I felt I was going to turn in to a donkey like Pinocchio did on Pleasure Island.
I was glad when we reached the outskirts of the District and found a nice restaurant where we all got our own personal pizzas. We spent the rest of the night walking around and seeing the lights of the city - but I felt that we never really left the Red Light District. Here's some pictures of that night!
Friday, 5 September 2014
I packed that morning, went to class at 9am-12pm and left for the train station as soon as class ended. It looked like the entire fleet of MUDECers were at the Differdange train station because we almost filled the entire platform. Everyone was excited to go on their first weekend trip: some were going to Brugge, others to Interlocken, but nobody to Amsterdam except Andrew, Micayla and me (which was somewhat surprising because I hear a lot of people are very eager to see some of the beautiful scenery Amsterdam has to offer during their first weekend).
Anyway, it was just us going to Amsterdam. We took the train to Brussels, then had a short transfer time to Rotterdam, then we arrived at Amsterdam at about 8pm. As soon as we got off the train, we were mesmerized with the canals and the Cathedral close by. We wanted to drop off our backpacks before we went for Micayla's birthday dinner, so we followed the directions Micayla printed out and eventually made our way to where we were staying.
We soon realized that our hostel was actually IN the Red Light District - which was a small surprise. We passed some coffee shops (places that legally sell marijuana) and got quite a few whiffs of smoke. We arrived at our hostel - The Bulldog Cafe. For those of you who don't know (I didn't...) the Bulldog Cafe was the first coffee shop of Amsterdam. We walked in the front door and were the receptionist was a woman of about 40 years with a purple and black hair. She checked us in and said, "Here's our rules. You can drink and smoke your weed anywhere accept upstairs. But DON'T smoke tobacco anywhere inside the building, the police with f*** you up 'cause that s*** is illegal. Have fun!" I was shocked the first second, and curious the next. What kind of place did we book a room in?
Andrew, Micayla and I went upstairs and got to our room. We heard people talking inside, so we braced ourselves and walked in. I forgot that we booked a 12-person mixed room, so what I saw next was interesting. Music was blasting, there were guys yelling over the music talking to each other and a shirtless kid was in the middle of the room. There were two other girls doing their hair amongst the seven guys getting ready to go out for the night.
As soon as we got in, everyone swarmed around us. Mostly everyone was excited that we were there saying, "Hey! We're from Manchester! Where are you from? We've all just met tonight - wanna go out with us? Are you going to smoke weed tonight? No? BUT YOU'RE IN AMSTERDAM!" We all smiled and put down our stuff while trying to remember everyone's names. We told them we were from the States and some other kid walked through the door and said, "Oh hey, I'm from LA!" There was so much going on, I wasn't sure how to respond to it all. Instead of being slightly freaked out, I just decided to roll with it and got to know some of the people we were going to share a room with for the next two nights.
We didn't end up going out with them that night because we were more interested in seeing the city and getting dinner. So we left not long after we arrived and hit the town. Since we were staying in the Red Light District, we walked through that first.
There were half naked girls not four feet away from me behind a glass waving guys over. I ended up just looking in the opposite direction to avoid awkward eye contact. Along with the prostitution, there were sex shops at almost every block along with some 'adult' theaters and the iconic Sex Museum. I guess it was interesting to see, but I felt I was going to turn in to a donkey like Pinocchio did on Pleasure Island.
I was glad when we reached the outskirts of the District and found a nice restaurant where we all got our own personal pizzas. We spent the rest of the night walking around and seeing the lights of the city - but I felt that we never really left the Red Light District. Here's some pictures of that night!
We went back to the hostel at midnight and got ready for bed. There were only two other people in the room at the time, so I knew that there would a lot more people coming in the early morning. I've been keeping a journal since I left the States, so I was writing about my day of traveling when there was some loud knocking on our door. Nobody got up to answer it, since everyone should have a key card to get in the room. The knocking went on for about 5 minutes and then they must have found the key and came in.
Two Scottish guys came in (intoxicated) and were looking for some of their things before going out again. They saw I was writing in a journal and one of them asked if they could read it. I first said no, but he was already reading over my shoulder. He started reading it outloud (it was just describing our travels, nothing personal) but then he stopped and said, "you have the most perfect cursive I've ever seen!" He was lying because my handwriting really isn't that great, but I suppose it was a nice compliment.
They left and I turned off the light to go to bed - but I didn't sleep more than two hours.
The entire night (from midnight to 4:30) was filled with people banging on the door trying to get in (forgetting their key) and yelling at each other in their drunken states. Some guy was talking to his friend that wasn't there, saying how annoying he was being and that he would drop kick him in the face if he didn't stop. I still have no idea who he was talking to - but he must have been really upset by this imaginary friend. At about 4am, a girl fell trying to get up to her bunk and didn't get up from the ground until her friend helped her to her feet.
I finally fell asleep around 5:30 after the last person came in and we woke up at 7:30 to start our day in Amsterdam.
Saturday, 6 September 2014
We were given free breakfast which was great (free food = happy Jayne). The first thing on our list was to see the Anne Frank House. We knew that it got crowded early, so we thought that showing up 15 minutes before the doors opened would be enough time to beat the crowds. We were so wrong.
We showed up and there was a line out the door and about half way down the first block. There was a sign saying "Welcome to the Anne Frank House! From this point, there will be approximately a 1 hour wait". It was a bit of a bummer, but we were able to sit and chat and experience a small part of Amsterdam for an hour! Here's a painter that we watched for a little bit.
After the wait, we finally made it inside the Anne Frank House. We made our way up stair case after stair case and finally reached the living area of the Franks, van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer. I've read all about Anne Frank since I was a kid, but this was an entirely new experience being able to see the actual 'Secret Annex'. All of the furniture was removed after the Nazis raided the house, and Anne's father wanted it to remain empty. In Anne's room, there were pictures Anne pasted on the wall from celebrity magazines. That was the most striking part of the tour - to actually see that she was a real person instead of a narrator in a book.
At the end of the tour, they displayed Anne's notebooks throughout a large room and there were so many more than I imagined. I thought that there was one diary, but there's actually numerous diaries that she wrote in. A few held stories that she wanted published, and rewritings of her 'Secret Annex'. This was a very moving and eye opening experience - I recommend it to everyone who has opportunity to go to Amsterdam.
After we left the Anne Frank House, we headed towards the Rijksmuseum because we knew the the I am Amsterdam sign was near there as well as the Van Gogh museum. We found the sign first and took our fair share of pictures there. Here's one of me on the 'm'.
Two Scottish guys came in (intoxicated) and were looking for some of their things before going out again. They saw I was writing in a journal and one of them asked if they could read it. I first said no, but he was already reading over my shoulder. He started reading it outloud (it was just describing our travels, nothing personal) but then he stopped and said, "you have the most perfect cursive I've ever seen!" He was lying because my handwriting really isn't that great, but I suppose it was a nice compliment.
They left and I turned off the light to go to bed - but I didn't sleep more than two hours.
The entire night (from midnight to 4:30) was filled with people banging on the door trying to get in (forgetting their key) and yelling at each other in their drunken states. Some guy was talking to his friend that wasn't there, saying how annoying he was being and that he would drop kick him in the face if he didn't stop. I still have no idea who he was talking to - but he must have been really upset by this imaginary friend. At about 4am, a girl fell trying to get up to her bunk and didn't get up from the ground until her friend helped her to her feet.
I finally fell asleep around 5:30 after the last person came in and we woke up at 7:30 to start our day in Amsterdam.
Saturday, 6 September 2014
We were given free breakfast which was great (free food = happy Jayne). The first thing on our list was to see the Anne Frank House. We knew that it got crowded early, so we thought that showing up 15 minutes before the doors opened would be enough time to beat the crowds. We were so wrong.
We showed up and there was a line out the door and about half way down the first block. There was a sign saying "Welcome to the Anne Frank House! From this point, there will be approximately a 1 hour wait". It was a bit of a bummer, but we were able to sit and chat and experience a small part of Amsterdam for an hour! Here's a painter that we watched for a little bit.
After the wait, we finally made it inside the Anne Frank House. We made our way up stair case after stair case and finally reached the living area of the Franks, van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer. I've read all about Anne Frank since I was a kid, but this was an entirely new experience being able to see the actual 'Secret Annex'. All of the furniture was removed after the Nazis raided the house, and Anne's father wanted it to remain empty. In Anne's room, there were pictures Anne pasted on the wall from celebrity magazines. That was the most striking part of the tour - to actually see that she was a real person instead of a narrator in a book.
At the end of the tour, they displayed Anne's notebooks throughout a large room and there were so many more than I imagined. I thought that there was one diary, but there's actually numerous diaries that she wrote in. A few held stories that she wanted published, and rewritings of her 'Secret Annex'. This was a very moving and eye opening experience - I recommend it to everyone who has opportunity to go to Amsterdam.
After we left the Anne Frank House, we headed towards the Rijksmuseum because we knew the the I am Amsterdam sign was near there as well as the Van Gogh museum. We found the sign first and took our fair share of pictures there. Here's one of me on the 'm'.
After we got our fair share of pictures, we got some lunch and headed towards the Van Gogh museum. It took a little bit to get in - but it was fun! It didn't take us too long to see all the paintings, but I didn't realize that he had so many!
Afterwards, we made our way back to the hostel, stopping at the park and enjoying the atmosphere first. When we got there, three guys were already in the room. There names were Tom and James who were from Manchester and then Andy who was from LA. We ended up talking with them for more than an hour about American vs English stereotypes. We asked them to speak in an American accent and both of them said, "Hiii, I'm from Alabama" in a heavy southern accent. All of us burst out laughing at their attempt. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. I really enjoyed learning about new people and having fun with people we just met.
They invited us to go out with them for a drink - but Micayla and I wanted to search for some of the places in The Fault in our Stars. We declined but Andrew went with them.
Micayla and I ventured out on the town and a map of TFOS places to see took us to the more residential areas. There were a few places that looked like local hang-outs which was much nicer than the touristy places we've seen. Micayla and I found the bench first which was so amazing! We were hard core fangirling and took way more pictures than any typical person would of a bench. But here's a few of my favorites :)
Afterwards, we made our way back to the hostel, stopping at the park and enjoying the atmosphere first. When we got there, three guys were already in the room. There names were Tom and James who were from Manchester and then Andy who was from LA. We ended up talking with them for more than an hour about American vs English stereotypes. We asked them to speak in an American accent and both of them said, "Hiii, I'm from Alabama" in a heavy southern accent. All of us burst out laughing at their attempt. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. I really enjoyed learning about new people and having fun with people we just met.
They invited us to go out with them for a drink - but Micayla and I wanted to search for some of the places in The Fault in our Stars. We declined but Andrew went with them.
Micayla and I ventured out on the town and a map of TFOS places to see took us to the more residential areas. There were a few places that looked like local hang-outs which was much nicer than the touristy places we've seen. Micayla and I found the bench first which was so amazing! We were hard core fangirling and took way more pictures than any typical person would of a bench. But here's a few of my favorites :)
Afterwards, Micayla and I just wondered around and enjoyed the part of Amsterdam that seemed to be separated from the sex and drug scene. This was the part that I really felt was the 'true' Amsterdam. We found a bench by a canal to sit by and ended up talking for most of the night. Here's a picture of our view!
We headed back to the hostel and went to bed. I'm happy to say that I actually slept that night.
We headed back to the hostel and went to bed. I'm happy to say that I actually slept that night.
Sunday, 7 September 2014
Micayla and I woke up early feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. Micayla and I went to mass in the Cathedral and found a market where we met up with Andrew. I absolutely loved walking around and sampling different foods and listening to live music. It was such a fun atmosphere I didn't want to leave! Unfortunately, our train was leaving soon so we had to go back to the station.
We were expecting a easy, uneventful trip home but we got the opposite. One of our trains stopped in the middle of nowhere and after a few minutes, the conductor (I'm assuming) said something over the loud speaker in French. When he was finished, we looked around and asked if anyone knew French and thankfully a girl sitting by us did. We learned that there was an accident with the train in front of us and we had to take a bus to the next station which would be about an hour away instead of the 15 minutes we were planning on.
Needless to say we were going to miss all of our transferring trains, but we all decided to roll with the punches and go with it. So we got off the train and boarded a city bus. There must have been 50 people on this bus with no air and packed like sardines. Andrew, Micayla and I were one of the last people on, so we stood for an hour on this bus. It was a nice trip though - we passed farms with chickens, horses, goats, mini horses, cows, corn... you name it, we saw it! Here's a picture of the bus.
We made it to the next station and eventually got back to Luxembourg in one piece.
Overall, I loved this trip despite the craziness at the beginning. One of my biggest reflection is that I felt like the Red Light District took away from the history and beauty of Amsterdam. I find myself sad when people say Amsterdam and everyone automatically thinks 'weed' and 'prostitutes'. It's a truly beautiful city that doesn't get enough credit where it's deserved.
Ok, I'm done with that shpeal - now I would like to say that Amsterdam is awesome and it really made me excited for traveling the rest of Europe. Even though the first night of our hostel was an...interesting experience, I'm glad we had it. It caused me to loosen up and realize that I really am on an adventure. I'm so excited to see what types of new people I'm going to meet and what interesting things I'm going to encounter.
Before I commence this incredibly too long post, here's some more pictures. If you actually read through this entire thing - I'm thankful.
And you're crazy.
Looking back, I realize how mean I am to write this much gibberish. Hope you got something out of it.
Much love <3
Micayla and I woke up early feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. Micayla and I went to mass in the Cathedral and found a market where we met up with Andrew. I absolutely loved walking around and sampling different foods and listening to live music. It was such a fun atmosphere I didn't want to leave! Unfortunately, our train was leaving soon so we had to go back to the station.
We were expecting a easy, uneventful trip home but we got the opposite. One of our trains stopped in the middle of nowhere and after a few minutes, the conductor (I'm assuming) said something over the loud speaker in French. When he was finished, we looked around and asked if anyone knew French and thankfully a girl sitting by us did. We learned that there was an accident with the train in front of us and we had to take a bus to the next station which would be about an hour away instead of the 15 minutes we were planning on.
Needless to say we were going to miss all of our transferring trains, but we all decided to roll with the punches and go with it. So we got off the train and boarded a city bus. There must have been 50 people on this bus with no air and packed like sardines. Andrew, Micayla and I were one of the last people on, so we stood for an hour on this bus. It was a nice trip though - we passed farms with chickens, horses, goats, mini horses, cows, corn... you name it, we saw it! Here's a picture of the bus.
We made it to the next station and eventually got back to Luxembourg in one piece.
Overall, I loved this trip despite the craziness at the beginning. One of my biggest reflection is that I felt like the Red Light District took away from the history and beauty of Amsterdam. I find myself sad when people say Amsterdam and everyone automatically thinks 'weed' and 'prostitutes'. It's a truly beautiful city that doesn't get enough credit where it's deserved.
Ok, I'm done with that shpeal - now I would like to say that Amsterdam is awesome and it really made me excited for traveling the rest of Europe. Even though the first night of our hostel was an...interesting experience, I'm glad we had it. It caused me to loosen up and realize that I really am on an adventure. I'm so excited to see what types of new people I'm going to meet and what interesting things I'm going to encounter.
Before I commence this incredibly too long post, here's some more pictures. If you actually read through this entire thing - I'm thankful.
And you're crazy.
Looking back, I realize how mean I am to write this much gibberish. Hope you got something out of it.
Much love <3