Because of the lousy weather, we were stuck indoors for the first few days. We ventured outside only to find food and get acquainted with the town. Luckily, my cellphone had reception up there so I was able to tether my iPad to my phone: we avoided cabin fever by streaming shows and movies via Netflix. (This was when we discovered Party Down, a funny show you’ve probably never heard of. It’s a shame it was canceled as early as it was.)

By the third day, the weather cleared up enough for us to seek outdoor adventure. We asked some locals for an easy hiking trail and were recommended Hadley Mountain with its historic fire tower. So to the mountain we headed! The trail was very lush with foliage and sounds of running water always somewhere nearby. Some parts were very steep and I was glad to have found a good walking stick early on. It also helped to have something to lean on when I needed to catch my breath: we tired easily and the muggy weather made breathing difficult.

We persevered, though, and finally reached the top. The weather was significantly different: it was foggy, windy, and cold by the fire tower. It looked like a scene out of a movie. It was very spooky and very surreal… yet very beautiful and striking. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see farther than a few feet ahead of us. Later, at dinner, we compared our view with that of a view on a fog-free day… and, to be perfectly honest, we were jealous. However, we quickly realized that, among the hundreds of photos taken from the summit of the mountain, very few show the tower the way we saw it that day. We decided we were actually some of the lucky ones.

The way down was easier, since we already knew the way and because gravity was helping us. We needed to be extra careful, though, because it was slippery and going down too quickly could have resulted in a fall. Of course, I managed to do just that: as we were nearing the bottom, I fell and slid on a muddy rock. Luckily, I only walked away with a bruised ego and a dirty backside. Just added to the experience!

The following day, the weather finally cleared and we saw the sun for the first time in days. So we hopped on our bikes and pedaled away. I worked out a route that would take us in a loop around town. It was about 30 miles roundtrip. The first part of the ride was gorgeous and a pleasure to experience. As we approached our cabin, though, the ride got worse and we had difficulty staying interested: we were going down US-9 with cars, trucks, and buses. The view was awful and the noise was unnerving. It took me and Alex everything we had to keep going and not hail a passing pickup truck. By the time we made it back (some 5-6 hours later!), we were delirious with exhaustion. It was a challenging ride but a fantastic experience.

We went home the following day, our muscles aching but our spirits soaring. It was an unforgettable vacation and I’m eager to go on another adventure.

We arrived at NEMO around 12:30 PM. It’s a science and technology museum that’s really interactive and hands-on. It was a lot of fun. I’m glad we got to go but sad that I forgot to charge my camera and, therefore, couldn’t take photos.

After the museum, we pedaled south to Pompadour and got some coffee/tea and cakes. Oh, my god… The pastries were so good! Alex and I decided to be civil and not pig out… but we really wanted more. They were really delicious treats.

After the sweets, we headed down the street to De Kaaskamer (The Cheese Room) and Alex bought two hunks of cheese. We tried one of the cheeses later in our room and it’s an interesting flavor.

We didn’t want to bike with cheese on board so we headed back to the hotel and unloaded. Afterwards, we biked to the huge public library (Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam). It’s 6 stories tall (with a basement, so 7 floors in all) plus a rooftop cafe. Again, we didn’t have a camera with us so no photographic evidence of the greatness of the library and its scenic cafe… But trust me when I say it was awesome.

It started raining lightly so we just pedaled back to the hotel. After a short break, we just went walking around. We walked through the Jordaan neighborhood, which is mainly residential. It was very quiet. We were able to see into people’s homes — everyone seems to have such nice homes! In this neighborhood, at least.

We returned to our hotel around 11 PM and soon fell asleep.  We woke up early the next (this) morning to pack and return our bikes.  We had breakfast at a nearby cafe, ‘t Nieuwe Kafé, where Alex had a pancake with cheese and I had the apple & bacon pancake.  We then took our last walk around Dam Square before we headed back to the hotel to check out.

We’re on the plane now, waiting for take-off… so we’ll be home shortly. Amsterdam was beautiful and we’ll sorely miss it.

First on our list was the Royal Palace, which is right across the street from our hotel and which we didn’t visit until yesterday. It is currently under construction (just as the Reijksmuseum was) so we’re not sure if we saw all there was to see, especially since we don’t know what’s public and what is not. The Palace was a lot like other palaces: lots of marble and lots of room. The coolest part was probably the judge/jury room, where prosecutions once took place.

After the Royal Palace, we walked to Begijnhof, the city’s oldest courtyard. It was originally used as early as the 14th century by Roman Catholic beguines (unwed women who prayed and worked with the sick but were not nuns as they took no vows and were free to leave at any time) who set up communities and worked together. There is also a little church there and one (of two) of the city’s last remaining wood houses. It was very quiet and peaceful, very serene.

Afterwards, Alex and I went to get lunch at the nearby cafe Dante. We split an order of bitterballen and each ordered a cheese sandwich with a beer. Yum. For dessert, we walked to Puccini, a place that makes and sells chocolates. We bought 4 pieces of chocolate and ate some of them on the boat.

Oh, yeah! After Puccini, we walked to Boathouse, a place on Prinsengracht (Prince’s Canal) that offers canal cruises for €12 per person. We were just in time for the 4 PM boat so we bought our tickets, walked to the boat, settled in, and indulged in some chocolates as we were taken through the city. We learned that boathouses are expensive (about €350,000 each) and have water + gas + electricity but no sewage system… so all their waste is flushed into the canal. However, the city cleans the water periodically so it’s all good ;)

After the tour, at 5 PM, we walked around and bought some souveniers. Then we went back to the hotel to shower and then left again for dinner. We went to Indrapura, an Indonesian restaurant in bustling Rembrantplein. Since it was a nice restaurant, Alex and I decided to splurge a little bit. We bought a bottle of red Argentinian wine, an appetizer, 2 soups, and 2 entrees. The total came to €103 — our most expensive meal yet. But it was totally worth it, everything was really, really good.

We finished dinner around 10 PM and decided to call it a night so we headed back toward the hotel. We only have one more day here :(

Around 1:40, we were in Delft, a city south of Amsterdam. (We passed by a lot of farms on our way. We saw lots of cows, horses, and sheep, as well as flowers.) It’s been described as a mini-Amsterdam with its tiny canals and churches. Yehuda and Kate went one way, Alex and I another. We agreed to meet back at the railway station at 3:30.

Having a limited amount of time in this city, Alex and I tried to do the quintessentially Delft things: see the churches (Nieuwe Kerk and Oude Kerk), the city hall (Stadhuis), and the town square (Markt). We first passed by the Oude Kerk but didn’t stop by because we wanted to see the other church and the city hall on the square. We were amazed by the huge market square (Markt) and all the people. On the nearby canal streets, there were also a lot of booths and tables set up with people selling all kinds of things. After gawking and browsing for a few minutes, we went to the Nieuwe Kerk and took photos, inside and out. We found the tomb of the Prince of Orange to be especially fascinating. The city hall (Stadhuis) is directly in front of the Nieuwe Kerk across the square, so we took exterior photos and started walking back toward the railway station.

The four of us got on the 3:47 train to Den Haag and arrived in the city at 4:02. Again, Kate & Yehuda and Alex & I split into 2 teams and agreed to meet back at the station at 6:30.

Since everything closes at 5 PM in Europe, we weren’t able to go to any museums or really see anything of worth. This was very disappointing as there are quite a few interesting museums we wanted to see. Instead, we wandered around the busy city center. Some of the narrow streets are just chock full of shops/stores on both sides. We even stumbled across something called “The Passage” (French pronunciation), which is pretty much exactly like “The Passage” in St. Petersburg. (Both are covered outdoor shopping malls that specialize in expensive boutique-y stores.) We also saw some parks (and evidence of a street market that occurred earlier in the day) and had beers on the terrace of a cafe, Bodega de Posthoorn.

Overall, The Hague was disappointing. There was nothing to see or do. Many of its citizens are older and wealthier, which probably explains why, at 9:30, we were so glad to be back in Amsterdam. (We were delayed in The Hague because we decided to have dinner there, at Cafe Brasserie Dudok, while Kate and Yehuda headed back to Amsterdam.)

On our way back to the hotel from the railway station, Alex and I stopped by the Grasshopper, another coffeeshop that lets its customers hang out on the terrace without buying marijuana — as long as they buy something. So Alex ordered a cappuccino and I just got a bottle of water. (Water is expensive, usually costing €2 for a 0.5L bottle.)

At the conclusion of day 5, Alex and I realize that there are a few things in Amsterdam that remain unseen or un-experienced:

• bakeries (Pompadour, Puccini, Winkel)
• Begijnhof (nun convent from the 14th century)
• seeing the city by bike
• canal boat tour
• Heineken brewery
• raw herring from a street vendor
• Amsterdam public library
• NEMO musem
• Bimhuis (jazz club) — closed in August, apparently

…We still have a lot to do & see.

We headed south toward the Museum District and passed by the Westerkerk again. We attempted to go inside but it was closed to the public for choir practice. So we took some exterior photos and kept walking.

We arrived at the Rijksmuseum first because it closes earlier than the Van Gogh Museum. (The two are near each other.) We spent about 1-1.5 hours at the museum of Dutch history and art, looking at their small publicly available collection. The building is currently under construction (to be completed in 2013) and a large portion of their collection was closed to the public.

We then went to Vondelpark (similar to Central Park) to get hot dogs and just rest for a little bit. Then we went to the Van Gogh Museum, which is where we stopped by a video kiosk and made a very brief video to send to our parents. The museum itself was strange, featuring a small collection of Van Gogh pieces and a lot more works by his friends Bernard and Roden.

After the museum (around 9 PM), the four of us sat down and tried to pick a restaurant. We decided on Walem. We arrived around 10 PM and the kitchen closed soon after we arrived. (The place then turned into a bar/club.) The menu was limited but very good. We ordered calamares (fried shrimp, not squid … much to our surprise) and bitterballen (small round croquettes filled with pureed potatoes and meat) to share, Alex got a salmon & potato soup and a goat cheese salad, and I got beef tenderloin w/French fries & salad. Everything was very good. I’m drooling thinking about it all now :P

We arrived back at the hotel around 12:15 AM.

We got up early yesterday to make sure we got a head start on the day. We were out of our hotel by 10:30. (Yes, this is early for us. Shush.) We headed towards the Pancake Bakery for breakfast, planning on stopping by the Huis met de Hoofden first. The former is a premier stop for pancakes in Amsterdam, offering a huge selection of toppings. The latter translates to “House with Heads” and is a building (now closed to the public) that is adorned with the busts of the Greek gods Apollo, Ceres, Mars, Minerva, Bacchus, and Diana. We got to see (and photograph) the Greek deities but we didn’t get to taste the famous pancakes — the “bakery” didn’t open until 12 PM. So we went to search for another place to eat and ended up in the Nine Streets, a shopping area known for its boutiques and galleries. (Apparently, the locals shop here rather than in the more commercial malls.)

We ended up having breakfast at a place called Cafe de Oude Wester. Alex ordered the English breakfast and I got the apple honey pancake. As usual, Alex polished off his plate of eggs and meat. I wasn’t able to finish my [gigantic] pancake because it was dripping with honey. If it wasn’t excessively sweet, it would have been perfect.

We then walked around the Nine Streets, stopping into some shops but not buying anything. We found a cafe/restaurant, Panorama, in a busy area (not in the Nine Streets) and ordered 2 pints of beer. We sipped on our cold drinks as we people-watched. We then went towards the Westerkerk, a large and beautiful church. We did not, however, go in. Instead, we went to the Anne Frank House across the street.

The line for the Anne Frank Huis was long. Alex almost didn’t want to wait but decided to stick it out. It took about 30-40 minutes to get in. It cost €8.50 per person for admission. Cameras were not allowed inside so we don’t have any photos of this museum. However, photos would not have conveyed the message that the House did. It was incredibly moving to see where the Frank family (along with 4 other people) hid during the Holocaust. Some of Anne’s words adorned the walls, bringing life to the barren rooms. (The Nazis confiscated everything inside the house when they took the people in hiding to the concentration camps. Anne’s father, Otto, was the only survivor and he requested that the rooms stay empty.) More than anything, I think it was Otto Frank who made this museum so sad — photos and videos of him were displayed throughout, his eyes filled with an unspeakable sadness as he looked at his empty home or talked about his deceased family.

Outside the Anne Frank Huis and Westernerk is something called the Homomonument. It’s exactly what you think it would be: a monument dedicated to all the gays and lesbians who have faced criticism or persecution because of their sexual orientations. We took some photos but not of the complete monument. We would have needed a birds-eye view for that to work. (The monument consists of a very large triangle painted on the ground, with each corner being another designed triangle. One such triangle spans into the nearby canal and has steps down into the water, another triangle is a huge slab of marble with words on it, and the final triangle is raised a foot or so off the ground. People were sitting and eating/reading on the raised triangle, so we don’t know if there’s more to it than that.)

Since it was already nearing 2 PM, we decided to head to the cafe atop the Metz & Co. building. This restaurant is located on the 6th floor and offers great aerial views of the city. Photo taking was not allowed so we really had to commit the views to memory. (In a city without skyscrapers, views from the 6th floor are spectacular. You see all of the commotion but the people don’t look like ants!) You pay for such a view, however. For 2 glasses of orange juice, 1 glass of white wine, 1 salad, and 1 tuna sandwich, Alex and I paid €41. But everything was delicious and fresh so we don’t have any regrets. Besides, we’re spending only half of our daily allowance so far — we planned it so that we could spend a maximum of €200 per day but we’ve only managed to spend up to €100/day.

After lunch, Alex and I walked to the Tuschinski Theater, a majestic old-timey movie theater. We took photos of the exterior but did not go inside (where, supposedly, you can watch movies from plush balconies and order champagne). The movies they were playing were American — Alex did not think we should pay to see a movie we wouldn’t watch in NY just to hear it in Dutch and say we watched it in Amsterdam. He’d rather see a Dutch-made movie in Amsterdam. So, uh, we’ll see what happens with that.

After a quick trip back to the hotel for — you guessed it — a shower, Alex and I headed to Leidseplein (another square in the city, with a lot of restaurants and cafes nearby) to meet with Kate and Yehuda. We went to Pancake Corner (a bar) for dinner and were surprised to find so many people in there. Apparently, there was some kind of game on (soccer, I’m assuming). After spending about 1-1.5 hours there, we headed towards the Red Light District once again. This time, though, because Yehuda (for whom this is the 3rd trip to Amsterdam) was there, we were able to see more of it. There are a lot more alleyways with red-lit windows and girls than Alex and I first thought.

After we’ve had enough of the half-clad girls, we walked to the nearby coffeeshop Greenhouse Effect and ordered hot chocolates, which were delicious. (Have I mentioned yet that it rained yesterday and the temperature dropped suddenly? Because, yeah, it rained and got cold at night. Hot cocoa helped warm our bones.)

We then returned to the hotel and slept a deep, long sleep.

We went to bed around 2 AM last night. We spent an hour or so planning for the next day (today) because our time here so far has been incredibly unorganized. We’re finding it difficult to navigate 4 people through the city without a daily agenda.

Yesterday, for example, we left the hotel at around 11:30 AM. Hoping the staff would be able to make a recommendation for a breakfast place, we headed to the reception desk. The girl was flustered and said that every place is good. That wasn’t very useful to us so we just headed out the door and walked north, where we once saw a sign for crepes.

As it turned out, that place was no longer in business. We decided to keep walking and finally settled for a place called Cafe de Jonghe Dominus. They had outdoor seating and a breakfast menu. Our waitor appeared within minutes and we placed our order. Alex bought the “full English breakfast” (fried eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, French fries, toast, and coffee) and I ordered the pancakes w/jam and coffee. Funny how the menu said pancakeS (plural) but only one was brought out. Alex’s breakfast cost €8 or something and mine was €5 + €1.50 for jam (which was a tiny portion in a tiny disposable container, like in an American diner or on the plane) + €2 for coffee. Needless to say, I felt a little ripped off. However, that one pancake (which is a lot like the Russian blin but thicker and more buttery) filled me up, surprisingly.

After we ate and paid (around 1:30 PM), we started walking towards the zoo, Artis, in the Plantage neighborhood (east Amsterdam). On our way there, we passed Waterloopleinmarkt, a huge flea market type of venue. We didn’t buy anything but it was interesting to see all the tables/booths and people.

The admission into Artis was €18.50 per person. However, it was huge so we didn’t feel too bad. Alex took a lot of photos, especially of the reptiles… so expect a lot of photos of animals when we return ;)

After the zoo (around 6 PM), we didn’t know where to go. No one could make a decision so we just headed back the exact same way that we came. Once we were near enough the hotel that we recognized the neighborhood, Alex and I stopped at a restaurant, Orff, while Kate and Yehuda kept going. Again, we sat outside because it was so nice (mid-80s and not humid). Alex ordered fish & chips and I got a double burger. (Both dishes came with French fries and small side salads.) We also ordered beer (which was really good but we forgot to ask our waitress for its name). Our total came to €36.50, which is kind of expensive for just 2 entrees + beer.

Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel to shower. (We walked around a lot that day and we were getting gross.) Then we went searching for the Red Light District. All we had to do was follow the hordes of teenage boys and old men. We saw a lot of stores and bars and, of course, girls in windows. Alex found it interesting (obviously) but I didn’t see the big deal. It was just very crowded.

We were back in our hotel room by midnight.

We took the train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal. From there, we walked to the hotel. On the way, we saw HUNDREDS of bikes! I’ve never seen anything like it. There are a LOT of parked bikes and a lot that were in use. The streets are kind of dangerous because of all the traffic: pedestrians, bicycles, trams, cars, buses.

We checked into the hotel but we were slightly early so our rooms weren’t ready yet. We sat in the lobby, desperately wanting a shower and a nap. (We didn’t sleep on the plane. It was far too uncomfortable.)  We finally got to our room at 3 PM, where we proceeded to shower.  Then we headed out the door. We walked around some of the canals and just watched Dutch people live their lives. It’s amazing how carefree they all seem to be!

We decided that we should probably get something to eat so we headed to an area called Koningsplein and looked for a restaurant. We settled for Kantjil, an Indonesian-inspired place. The waiters were laid back and really nice.  Actually, everyone we’ve interacted with so far has been extremely nice. That’s something that we were warned about before we left for Amsterdam: people told us they were envious of our trip and that “the Dutch are some of the nicest people in the world.” And it’s true! Everyone is so accommodating, it’s unusual.

After we ate, Alex and I headed back to the hotel… and took an impromptu 3-hour nap. Oops. When we woke up at 10 PM, we were very disoriented. To wake ourselves up, we went for a walk. It surprised us how quiet Amsterdam is at night! Right outside our hotel is Dam Square, an area similar to Manhattan’s Union Square: lots of people and vendors and street performers. However, at night, it was empty. As we walked north, though, towards the train station, we found all of the nocturnal Dutchies (and lots of tourists) on the streets near the canals. Coffeeshops were swarming with customers who ordered coffee with their marijuana. Alex wanted a cappuccino and we were forced to visit three coffeeshops because they wouldn’t sell coffee without purchase of hash. We didn’t do business at places that had such requirements.

We headed back to our hotel room at around 1 AM. However, we couldn’t fall asleep until 3-ish. We watched TV until we did. There’s a lot of English/American TV here. Channels like the Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel were pretty much just the English/American channels with Dutch subtitles and local commercials. Other channels, like Comedy Central, were Dutch but played lots of American shows (with Dutch subtitles). I can’t say anything about the Dutch channels because we didn’t understand them ;)

Unrelated: Neither Alex (AT&T) nor I (T-Mobile) get cellular service here. That means no phone calls and no text messages. So email is the only means of communication that we have.  (The hotel offers free Wi-Fi.)  Because of this, we also can’t keep track of our friends Kate and Yehuda. We need, like, walkie-talkies or something ;)

Alex decided that it would be wiser to save up for a “real” vacation, one that takes place outside the U.S.  If I can be guaranteed this vacation, I will gladly take Amsterdam over Washington, DC.  However, this trip would be considerably more expensive.  Alex and I only have about $800 saved up at the moment.  We would need another $2,200 before we can afford flight + hotel… and some food.  I’d want to have at least $4,000 put away toward this trip, just to cover all of our bases and make sure we’re never left without money.

Recently, I’ve been very conscious of the charges I make on my credit card.  If I don’t have to use plastic, I try not to.  (Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that my credit card company raised my APR.)  It’s so easy to lose track of what I’m buying if the cash in my wallet is not dwindling down to nothingness.  Especially when travelling, I try to bring cash so that I can refrain from becoming too extravagant.  Being in a different country — especially for the first time — is incredibly romantic, which is wont to make people do stupid things.

Bringing cash on this trip (which is still very hypothetical at the moment) will hopefully prevent some of those stupid things.

Now… back to planning this bad boy.  I need to buy a travel guide, talk to friends who have been to Amsterdam, and start making an itinerary.  (Hi.  Have I mentioned that I’m slightly OCD when it comes to planning trips?  I like to plan everything, down to the tiniest detail.  I leave almost nothing to chance — inclement weather notwithstanding.  I can’t control the weather just yet.)

It’s been so long since I’ve been able to go away somewhere and relax.  I guess that’s what happens when one works 20+ hours per week and goes to grad school (taking 12 credits at a time).  The last vacation I took was to Montreal with Alex… and that was 2 years ago.  I haven’t been able to travel anywhere because of:

1. Lack of money
2. School responsibilities
3. Work responsibilities

However, I think I’m going to start planning a trip for mid- to late-August… in which Alex and I go to Washington, DC.  I’m looking at hotels, restaurants, museums, stores, bars, galleries, and libraries (oh hai LC) in the area.  I’m not willing to spend too much money on this trip… but I still want it to be nice.  The hotel that I am currently considering is $104/night (which is actually rather pricey by my standards) but it’s near the metro in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, so there are  a lot attractions nearby and I can easily get everywhere else.

Right now I’m trying to decide which mode of transportation to take to get to DC: car, bus, or train.  Taking a car would probably be cheapest but I’ll probably end up paying through the nose for parking.  (DC is not necessarily a car-friendly area.)  Hopping on a Greyhound bus is second cheapest but… ugh, it’s a bus.  Riding an Amtrak train to Union Station seems the most preferable because it’s quick (3.5 hrs) and it allows for passengers to walk around and stretch their legs.  (Buses are always cramped and loud… and prone to getting stuck in traffic.)  I’ll have to discuss this with Alex, I guess.

Coincidentally, I just ordered a digital camera and a mini-tripod on Amazon… so I’ll have a means of documenting this trip.  (I haven’t had a proper camera in about 1-2 years, since the lens motor on my Sony DSC-W7 crapped out on me.)  This trip is also special because this August is the 4th anniversary of my relationship with Alex.  Two years ago, we ran off to Montreal to celebrate… This year, we’re considering Washington, D.C.  We’ll be taking lots of photos, whatever we end up doing this summer.