A Day in Amsterdam

I celebrated my 1 month in Europe by venturing into the city! I can't believe it has taken me this long to get here. Wietse and I were greeted at the train station by Wilem and Jose (the father of Wietse and his girlfriend) with Wilem clapping loudly and chanting, "Yes we Can". He is a fan of Barack Obama. From their apartment, we were able to take 1 tram into the city centrum. As we ventured further into the city, my perma-grin began. I love European cities; there is something about modern day fashionable people walking amongst cobblestone streets and historical buildings that get my engines going.

First stop was the flower market, as I have never witnessed this in all my times to Amsterdam. Boats are lined on the canal with thousands and thousands of bulbs. More flowers than you can imagine and the price is unheard of. 50 bulbs for €10! Mom, I can't wait to take you here. We then walked through a main square, Palais of Justice and the Queen's corridors. Standing in the center of the square, all you see is dozens of small narrow, crooked streets filled with colorful people and stores galore. I knew at this moment, I would not be conquering all of Amsterdam in one day.

Some of the only bums in Holland, you will see in Amsterdam. However, I will say that these bums appear to be more spiritutal than the ones back at home. They are usually equipped with an instrument or some story and appear to be a hippy with dreadlocks. Maybe its the legal soft drugs or just the pure beauty of the city.


Walking down the streets, my sense of sight was working at full force. It was difficult to keep up with the 3 locals as I was attempting to observe each and every store and person. Oh and the Fashion was incredible. First purchase was at Waterstones, an English bookstore. I bought 3 new books. Everyone spoke English; the guy at the register was from Britian. Lovely. Great news for any Esprit fans out there. I know the stores are closed down in the US, but Esprit is still a big hit in Europe. I was shopping here and there and enjoying the wonder of my sights, but it wasnt until I saw Zara in the distance, that I put my shopping game face on. I apologized in advance to my hosts. This is the place where I become the rude European pushing people out of my way without apologizing for every nudge. A true example of survival of the fittest and most fashionable. I dont know if there were too many people in the store and the oxygen level was low or if I was forgetting to breathe, but i was out of breath! Carefully choosing my purchases (knowing that I WILL be coming back), I found a skirt (plaid), silk blouse, and a long chunky sweater. All of these items are a must-have for the fall ladies! To even more of my surprise, all expenses were paid by Wilem.

We ate Belgian chocolate, enjoyed the oldest and best ice cream in Amsterdam, dined al fresco in a square and just enjoyed life. I love al fresco dining (eating outside and people watching) and its great because this lasts further into the winter than in Chicago - as the temperature is more mild in Holland. As well, people will sit outside under heaters and in winter coats no matter the temperature.


As we entered our last leg of the day, we made our way through the Red Light District. To everyone's surprise, about half of the windows were filled with small boutiques or offices, rather than women in their lingerie. To be honest, it was rather sad, as this has been around for many years and well, why stop something that is not a problem. If you take it all away then people will still do it, but just illegally and in more dangerous ways. The women that were left, were not cute at all. Yuck! Or maybe all the hot girls windows were being "occupied''? Where else in the world can you walk down the Red Light District with the father of your boyfriend and it being the most natural pasttime?!?! Last stop was the Sex Museum. It was hilarious. If anyone wants a culture shock, we will go to the Sex Museum. But Hurry, since private investors are slowly chipping away at a piece of Dutch culture!