Holland

After a few more wonderful days in France, I needed to go somewhere else. In every hostel I went, it seemed like either everyone was just coming from Amsterdam or was heading there next, so I decided to head to Amsterdam to see what the place was all about. I must say that when I got there, I was impressed by how easy to find things were. This is important for someone like me who is challenged when it comes to directions. lol! The VVV tourist office was very helpful in finding accomodations, maps, and transportation tickets. Oh and in Amsterdam, everyone speaks english too which is nice. :)

Amsterdam is a very liberal city. It's legal for people to buy marijuana and space cakes (brownies with pot in them) in coffee shops. There's also the popular Red light district where anything (and I mean anything) goes. It's known as a very tolerant city, so much so that the first annual gay games were held there. I had never heard of it, but apparently everyone in the Gay community had, since they came from all over the world to witness it. Hostels were fully booked and had special brochures informing them of gay-related activities. It was something to see.

I stayed at the City Hostel Vondelpark. That's the best hostel I've ever been to. They even have the bathroom in the rooms! Usually, in hostels, they are down the hall. Other than that, the breakfast was great, and the hostel is located right in the heart of Amsterdam close to the Leidseplein. It's also within walking distance of major museums (e.g. Van Gogh museum).

During the day, I mainly went to museums and other places where taking photos was prohibited. Furthermore, at night I checked out the scene in Amsterdam. Moreover, it rained quite a bit during the period I was there. As a result, I have fewer pictures from Amsterdam than anywhere I went to on this trip. This does not, however, mean that I did not enjoy myself there..hehe!

Planet Hollywood--Ah, American capitalism displays itself again :)

This was Anne Frank's home. We got to go into the house, behind the book case, and into the rooms in which Anne and her family hid from the Nazis.

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