AMSTERDAM

Well, we somehow made it to our hostel after a crazy day of travel. We wandered around town for a bit, and Amsterdam has a very different vibe than our first two stops. It was dark out till almost 10:30, which was a pleasant surprise.

This morning we got up early to visit the Anne Frank house, which is just down the street from our hostel. It was really cool to walk through the tiny hidden annex and up the steep stairs...in a humbling sort of way. (It was pouring rain when we left, so it helped to set the mood, I suppose). It's hard to imagine something like that happening right here where we are staying!

Next, we went to the Heineken Experience, which I thought might be another tour just like Coors in Golden or Guinness in Dublin, but I think this one takes the cake. There was a 4D ride that took us through the process of being bottled as a beer and a place to be come a certified Heineken draught master. Impressive, right? International certifications and whatnot...Anyway, it was fun, much more interactive than some of the others.

We spent this afternoon strolling around the city center, souvineer shopping, and then had to pass through the Red Light District, just for the sake of getting the real Amsterdam experience. There wasn't a whole lot happening on a Sunday afternoon, so it was probably a good time to not get TOO much of an eyeful. The city has an interesting mix of extreme conservatism and intense liberalism.

We are just hanging out at the hostel this evening, we have to catch an early bus to the airport tomorrow morning, and we will be off to Scotland!

Side note --> BIKES, BIKES EVERYWHERE!!!

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