Amsterdam update

It seems I have fallen ill. I have been feeling nauseous since I ate a suspicious tuna sandwich yesterday for lunch. I had trouble sleeping last nigh, and now I have a pounding headache and perhaps a fever. Yuck. And I have to leave for Musée d'Orsay in 20 min to do a presentation for my art history class. I wish I were still in bed! Things have been kind of non-stop for the last few days.

Amsterdam was wonderful. The city was beautiful. I loved its atmosphere; it had a perfect balance of being ridiculously picturesque and being a legitimiate big city. There are tons of museums I want to go back and see, since we only got a few in (although we were quite faithful to our itinerary).



The first day we all arrived at different times. I was the last to get there, and after struggling a bit trying to figure out where to buy a tram ticket and which tram to get on, I made it to our hostel. The hostel was better than the one in Dublin and we weren't with any randos since we (JW, Jen, Michael and I) had a 4-person room to ourselves. After settling in, we left to wander a bit. We made it over to Leidseplein (the happening night-life area), and found an Argentinian grill with a 10 euro tourist special for dinner. It was mediocre. Also, they didn't understand "tap water," so we were forced to purchase expensive bottled water. I must say, however, that the Dutch are fabulous with language in general, and could speak to us in English almost better than we could. Anyway, after dinner none of us had much energy to rally and we went back to the hostel to call it a night.

The next day, Michael, Jen and I went running in Vondelpark, which was close to our hostel. It was a gorgeous day lit by a brilliant sun, and the park was full of runners and surrounded by amazing architecture. Breakfast was at Bagels & Beans, a cafe chain near our hostel that was delicious. I had fresh-squeezed orange juice, coffee, and a toasted ham and cheese bagel. Afterwards, we walked over to the Red Light district. It was bizarre and kind of sad. Only in Amsterdam. After getting some cone fries with spicy mayo from a street vendor, we visited the Rembrandt house. It was a bit cheesy, but interesting nonetheless to see what Rembrandt's domestic life was like, and what his home looked like when he lived there. Plus, free audio-guide!



The rest of the afternoon was spent on a canal tour. We got on a boat and learned some basics of Amsterdam's history, and got to see many of the famous sites from the canals. We spent the rest of the evening at the Van Gogh Museum, which had just opened an exhibit called "The Colors of the Night." Yes, we saw The Starry Night and yes, it was incredible. The whole museum in general is well done, and we looked not only at Van Gogh's work and his influences, but also some Danish graphic prints of which there is a grand collection. The special exhibit featured works from Rembrandt, Millet, and Van Gogh (of course), among many others. Well-curated, well-presented.

Oldest house in Amsterdam

We had an 8pm reservation at Tempoe Doeloe, an Indonesian restaurant recommended to us by Mark, who had a fantastic experience with their rijstafl. We did too. You basically get rice and then about 14 small dishes to eat with the rice, ranging from pickled vegetables to chicken in spicy peanut sauce. It was great! And the flavors were so novel and diverse. Desserts didn't disappoint, either. I had a dessert drink of orange juice with coconut ice cream, star fruit and melon. Yum! The others had equally delicious treats, and Jen and I even got red roses since it was Valentine's Day. The service was great; everyone who worked there was incredibly nice. I'd recommend it if you're heading to Amsterdam!

That night was quite low-key. We went to a café in Leidseplein for a bit before retiring, ready for the next day.

We woke up late the next day. Michael and I went running again in Vondelpark and explored a bit more of the residential area surrounding it. When we finally dragged JW out of bed, we had breakfast again at Bagels & Beans. This time I had an omelet bagel with ham, but the service was quite bad. There was a nice cat that jumped on Jen's lap which made things better. After breakfast we went to the Rijksmuseum, the biggest and most famous museum in Amsterdam. We browsed their collection of Dutch art from the Dutch golden age in the 17th century. Highlights include fabulously ornate and detailed dollhouses, unbelievably beautiful cabinetry, and of course Rembrandt works and beautiful still-lifes.

We walked along the Prinsengracht canal in the light rain to the Anne Frank House, which I visited while the others went to relax at a café. Being inside the Secret Annex was moving and I feel motivated to reread her diary. I will admit that I teared up at times, reading excerpts form her diary and quotes from the people who helped them.

I met up with the others when I had finished to get dinner. We had traditional Dutch food- pancakes! We went to the Carousel Pancake House and had generous portions of scrumptious savory and sweet pancakes. That night, we stopped at a bar recommended in the guidebook called Lux. It was very chicly decorated and has a good atmosphere. We then went to see a movie, Revolutionary Road, at the Leidseplein theater. Acting was superb, writing was great, and it hit very close to home, being about a couple who lives in the NYC 'burbs. It was then especially depressing for me.

Our train left early the next morning, so we went to bed. Of note: Thalys had a promotion and we all rode first class, both ways. I never want to ride anything but first class. It is amazing. You get so much food and service, treats, and pampering. My next goal in life is to fly first class. I bet it would be amazing.

Ok, must head off to Musée d'Orsay. Wish me luck!