It’s about 5:45 pm here in Amsterdam, and the weather is really nice! It’s such a quaint little city and I’ve definitely walked a lot! We arrived yesterday morning, and it was rainy and overcast and about 60 degrees. Today it brightened up a lot, and we had a chance to explore after touring the Heineken brewery and the Van Gogh Museum.
A residential area in Amsterdam overlooking a canal
The Dutch are apparently the tallest people, and they’re all really fit. Since the streets are so narrow and parking is at a premium, people ride their bikes everywhere. The bikers have the right of way ALL THE TIME, and they’ll run you over if you get in their way! They don’t have to follow street signs and cars and buses yield to them. It’s been quite the experience trying to cross the street with bicyclists coming at you from both directions!
We explored the city last night, but were exhausted from our overnight flight the night before. Tonight is our last night here, and we’re on our own for dinner and entertainment. We’re going to try to find a bar or cafe around to watch the Olympics since none of us have seen a TV since we left on Sunday! (The Dutch are very “minimalist”, and our hotel is just that. No TV, alarm clock, or phone, though there are phone books…?)
We leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Heidelberg, Germany. It’ll be a long bus ride, but if it’s like any other quiet time I’ve found recently, I’ll be fast asleep almost instantly. I’ve taken lots of pictures but won’t have an opportunity to post them until I get to Madrid in about two weeks. I’ll update more in Germany and France 
J.
P.S. They have chocolate sprinkles as a topping for toast at breakfast, and they’re the best chocolate sprinkles I’ve ever had.
A street performer we saw who fit his whole body through a toilet seat
Castle at the end of the Canal - it was a great landmark to use to get back to the hotel
7 responses so far ↓
e. // August 13, 2008 at 11:39 am
I’ve always wanted to go to Amsterdam but never made it. I hope you enjoy your time there!
Rebekah // August 13, 2008 at 7:43 pm
OMG, I remember the sprinkles on toast in the Netherlands! That was 13 years ago, I can’t believe it’s something they really do, not just the weirdos at our hotel!
Vaya con dios, amiga!
Deva // August 14, 2008 at 9:26 am
I’m glad you made it to Europe in one piece
Enjoy your time exploring before settling in Madrid (a very cool city). By the way, you won’t stop walking… I think either walking or biking is the best way to get around within a city.
MARA! // August 15, 2008 at 12:17 am
Did you eat any space cakes?
marissa // August 16, 2008 at 10:11 pm
did you get high?
Shiva // August 19, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Jenn!!!
I can’t believe you were in Amsterdam? I’ve been living in Amsterdam for the past 7 months now and its the most amazing city ever. I hope you enjoyed it!!! Too bad I didn’t get to run into you while you were here.
Enjoy your semester abroad. I promise you it will be the best time of your life.
and yes….dutch sprinkles are pretty damn good.
updates and plans. « Livin’ the [Spanish] Dream // September 14, 2008 at 9:48 am
[...] the posts I wrote without my laptop, so you can now see pictures to go along with the stories from Amsterdam and Heidelberg. Also, if you click on the picture thumbnail, you can see a much larger version of [...]