PICTURES: 1) The seaside town. 2) One of the canals in Amsterdam. 3) The flat land of Europe. 4) The seaside town.
The DAY TWO entry is not suitable for youngsters, due to the habits of Amsterdam, haha. However, One and Three are fine, Enjoy!
DAY ONE:
I woke up at 5:30 to catch a train. 30 minute train ride, 2 hour bus ride, 2 hour ferry ride (in which i got really seasick, so my aspirations to be a pirate are over), 3 hour bus ride and we made our first real stop in Belgium. There we were able to get dinner. I had a legit Belgium Waffle and their dinner of french fries. It was great, unhealthy but I figured it was okay because it was my first meal since breakfast at 7. Basically I was really excited. I bought some Belgium chocolate to bring home as well. Then I believe it was a 3 hour ride to our final destination. Our hotel was a four star beauty and with my tired exhaustion I took a long shower and fell into bed. That was day one, basically traveling and watching movies. On the bus we watched a lot of movies; Big Daddy, The Hangover and others that I cannot remember any more. We ended up watching 4 movies.
DAY TWO:
I woke up at 8:30 because we were going to a seaside town in Holland. It was called Volendam. It was beautiful. It was early so the mist from the sea was still hovering over the town giving it a haunted feeling. The sun was pushing its way through the misted covering. While we were there the sun came out and open up the sea to a point. In the edges of the cloud sailboats floated by and herons were flocking around the shore. It was full of quaint shops, fishing ships and little Danish homes. I loved it there, it was really nice. We went back to Amsterdam and our tour guide took us on a small tour through Amsterdam. The very first place he took us was the red light district, where the prostitutes. It was a very interesting concept and it became even more so due to the great views of the city. Amsterdam may possible be the most gorgeous city I have ever been too. With its old historical homes, buildings, random mini castles and canals the place was a fairy land. If you walk down the alleyways with red lights in them that is where the prostitutes are. Because it is legal, they are required to have check up ever two months and they have to hold passports from the Netherlands. It is a very strict business, and very bizarre. Not to mention that every corner you walk around the smell of weed is strong in the air, making you dizzy whether or not you partake (which I did not). They have cafes for people to go in and behind the counter all types of pot for the costumers to choose from, it was so weird seeing people being able to drink marijuana tea and knowing that they would never get in trouble for it here. A lot of the locals you could pick out easy, with their long, unwashed hair and vacant expressions. Other than a constant source of income for a country who really needs that support, I am not certain legalized pot is a good thing for the locals. However, it seems like the prostitution is not hurting anyone, they are constantly checking on and making sure their girls are healthy. After our tour, me and my new friends went to the Anne Frank house. I did not know she had lived in Amsterdam until I got there. Her house put such a real note on the Holocaust, it was sobering and inspirational. I truly enjoyed the house. They kept it as it had been, in every way. The pictures that Anne had glued to the walls were still pasted in her room. The lines that marked the progressive height of the children were still drawn on the wall. Otto, the father and only survivor of the family, did not want them to put the furniture back in the house. I found that decision to be very symbolic and very right. I actually loved the bare rooms, it really emphasized the situation in its somber light. After that we just walked around the beautiful city. I got pizza, made some new friends and saw the city at night. It was a lot of fun and I am very happy to add this city to my list of places I have been.
DAY THREE:
We woke up at 8:30 so we could get breakfast before we loaded the bags onto the bus. We were not leaving until 12, so until then, we found a park. We played on the playground like we were five again and it was a lot, lot of fun! They had lots of different slides and bridges and sheep! It then led into a park which was very scenic and it was nice to be in the fresh air before our forever bus ride. Once we started traveling at 12, I did not make it to my home on 11 Queens Road until midnight. It was a lot of traveling. I got seasick again. We also stopped at a chocolate store in Belgium and I bought nearly 20 euros of Chocolate. It's a lot of chocolate. I did buy myself a chocolate moose. It is literally a chocolate in the shape of a moose, and I do not know if I will ever be able to eat it. haha!
TODAY:
I slept in forever, and then I went to work on a school presentation for the second official meeting. We are presenting tomorrow, yippee! So, that should go over nicely. I tried to get organized a bit, but I have a lot more do to. This coming weekend I may go to Wales. Also there is a change of plans and rather than Paris I may go to Ireland instead, which I like a lot better!
<3
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