6-24
We are sitting in front of Amsterdam's World Trade Center just outside of Zuid Station. We have about an hour before our train leaves for Berlin so we are just killing some time. Zach is playing his trumpet and I am typing this post.
Today is a little bittersweet; we are excited about moving forward to Berlin, but a little disappointed that we are leaving Amsterdam already. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here - we briefly considered staying an extra day. Amsterdam is a city I could explore for another week and still not grow bored. There are a few things we left out of this trip: the Anne Frank House, a canal cruise, the Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam's other orchestra) , Rembrandt's House, etc. We will definitely come back another time - maybe with a little more Dutch vocabulary. Most people speak English, but it would be beneficial to know a little more Dutch than we do. The people are very friendly and helpful, especially when compared to the village we came from where no one made an effort to speak English.
We were lucky with our hostel too. Simone, at Bois le Comte, had lived in Amsterdam for 9 years and suggested we stay at this particular hostel. It was in a great location - on the edge of the Vondelpark - and in walking distance of the Museumplein, Albert Heijn, and the Concertgebouw. We were in a 6 person bunk, but the first night we had the entire room to ourselves! Then two more couples arrived the following day - one from Mexico, the other New Mexico. Zach called us "border buddies." We didn't see them too often, but they were all very nice and tidy. Our hostel supplied quite the breakfast for us each morning as well - a buffet with meats and cheeses, bread, jam, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, cereal, and orange juice. We owe Simone a big "thank you!"
So now we are on our way to explore another city; one dubbed the "Capital of cool" for Western Europe. It will take us a little over 6 hours to get to Berlin by high-speed train. We are staying with Tri, a girl Zach hosted in Austin a few years ago. On to our next adventure!
