Amsterdam

It was not a pleasant morning as we cruised into the Hook of Holland....not only was it raining but because of the time change we only got 2-3 hours of sleep.....which was mostly our fault. It was raining pretty badly in the morning as we caught our train to Amsterdam. The weather cleared up by the time we arrived and we navigated our way to the Red Light District....which is where our hostel was. Ah....the White Tulip Hostel....located in an old, slightly crooked building...perched right above an Irish Pub....PERFECT! After meeting our roomates, checking in, and changing we headed out to explore the infamous Red Light District and visit some "historical" coffee shops.....eh....when in Rome....right? We wandered the city for hours and ate at the same kebab place pretty much everyday...they loved us there....

We decided that since we were being so unhealthy that we needed to work out and run....so the next morning we worked out and then ran to Vondel Park...which is Amsterdams largest. There we enjoyed a game of soccer with some random Scottish guys and then jogged back. The next night was very interesting, mostly due to the fact that we were sharing an 8 bed dorm room with 5 young French guys who just finished there exams and were there to explore drugs.....needless to say...they were extremely loud, messy, and confused the whole time we were there....but were still great guys and we had a blast hanging out with them.

The next day we got new roomates which included a guy from Dublin and a couple from Finland. We hit it off immediately and explored Amsterdam together. Walking through Dam Square and Rembrandtplein was like taking a step back into time. The buildings are all ancient....the canals and bridges as well. Most of the boats cruising through the canals seemed past there prime and seeing EVERYONE riding a bike was pretty entertaining (as well as pretty dangerous). We managed to squeeze in an amazing game of soccer the next day with a group of English guys.

For our last night in Amsterdam all of us decided we wanted to go dancing. Jared and I experienced an "interesting" cup of coffee by accident (honestly) which lead to a pretty extraordinary night. The two of us, along with the Finnish Couple, Liam the Irish, and our new friends headed out to REmbrantplein to go dancing. We ended up dancing and having a blast until 4 am...It was a perfect send off to a great week in Amsterdam. Next stop....Brussels to visit an old friend.