If anyone know someone in Europe that would be willing to take me in for Christmas please let me know! I have not found anything to do for Christmas yet and want to figure something out soon. :)
This week was one of my favorite weeks so far in Germany. Bob's mom sent me a care package last week and it arrived on Monday however I needed to go to Bonn to pick it up from customs. They pick random packages to search and they make you open it in front of them and they look through it. Depending on what is in there you are either free to take it or have to pay taxes on the items in the package. I was lucky and didn't have to pay any taxes! It was a great first care package! She sent snacks, halloween/fall decorations, and a Nicholas Sparks book! I was so excited! :)
Wednesday morning Sam and Claire met me at my apartment and off we went on our adventure to Amsterdam. We had to take the regional train to Köln before getting on the ICE train to Amsterdam. Total travel time was about 4 hours. The train station in Amsterdam is absolutely beautiful. Once we left there we headed out in search of our hostel. We ended up going the wrong way but figured it out quickly.
Once we checked in at the hostel and let everyone know that we had arrived safely we headed out to see the city. First thing we went to see was Vondelpark which was this beautiful park in the city. Great place to just walk around and relax. After the park we went to find the I AMSTERDAM letters. There was a large group of Americans taking pictures there and we had to wait for awhile because they took a picture on every letter. We each took pictures on a few letters before heading back towards our hostel. We decided to go to the Anne Frank house. I don't know how to describe walking through the house and reading all about what happened there. It was an incredible experience that I will not forget. The emotions I felt were so intense.
After the Anne Frank House we went to dinner at this cute restaurant around the corner from our hostel. When we finished we went for a walk through the Red Light District. It was only 8 o'clock so there wasn't a lot going on. We headed back to our hostel after that. The hostel had a great cafe that you could hang out in. That night none of us slept very well.
Yesterday we went on a New Europe tour or Amsterdam. It was the same tour company that we used in Berlin. Our tour guide Julian was fantastic. He took us all around the city and told us about the rich history and gave us some great tips. After the tour we went to the flower market and the flea market. Claire wanted to get some fresh stroopwafels. Stroopwafels are 2 very thin and small waffles/biscuits with a caramel syrup between them. They are really good.
After we found stroopwafels we headed back to the hostel to relax before dinner. We went to a Thai restaurant for dinner. I had never tried Thai and as many of you may know I do not like trying new foods. I did enjoy the Thai food though. I ordered shrimp and white rice because I was nervous I wouldn't like anything else. I did try Claire and Sam's food though and it was really tasty! Now I can be a bit more adventurous when I go to a Thai restaurant.
While we were at dinner I remembered that we were going to check out the English bookstore earlier but had forgotten. We decided to walk over and see if it was still open. It was and I was able to get some books for really good prices!
This morning we got up and had breakfast at the hostel. That was one of the great things about our hostel , it provided breakfast everyday! Yesterday was eggs with ham on bread and today was pancakes. They also had cereal and fruit you could get.
If I had to pick a city in Europe to live in I would pick Amsterdam. It was so beautiful and the people were so nice. Everyone spoke english which made life so much easier! I am so happy I went there.
After breakfast we walked to the train station to catch our 10:34 train. Once we were back in Köln we waited about 20 minutes for our train to Bad Honnef. It was 8:40 a.m. back in the states when I got back so I had just enough time to vote from my laptop and a few school computers before the 97 Rock Funniest Halloween Costume contest was over. My dad won it! In case you missed me emailing everyone I could about it, my dad entered the contest on 97rock.com and won a trip for 2 to see the Bills play in Toronto this weekend. He also has an overnight stay at the Delta Chelsea. My parents both work extremely hard and long hours so they really deserve it! CONGRATS Dad! I love you!
Well that is my post all about Amsterdam! Today was beautiful and 64 degrees out. Tomorrow is supposed to be the same so I think we might go hiking tomorrow. I have a lot of work to do for school because projects are going to be due in a few weeks. Nothing exciting is happening this coming week.
I just want to wish a Happy Birthday to my wonderful boyfriend Bob! He turns 26 on Monday. I love you & miss you!
Hope everyone has a great Halloween! :)
-Brit
No comments:
Post a Comment