Amsterdam

Notes from the travel journal, 3.21.08-3.24.08


March 21, 2008 Hey Brownie Lady, I like the jive you speak.

We've left Berlin, and now we make the relatively short and independent journey to Amsterdam and tulips.

My suitcase from the infamous InStore is completely dead--the rolly handle snaped in half, and I've resorted to wheeling it by the handle. The first order of business in Amsterdam tomorrow: buy a new, LEGIT, suitcase. Jesus, I'm ridiculous. I should've just pacled light and brought the little one ("coordinate," as one of the London bitches said), or, better yet, I should've just sucked it up and brought a backpack. Wait, never. NEVER. I can deal with it. Guess I'm just going to get STACKED!

***

Robbie informed me that he's now nervous about the whole adventure since we're on our own--no tour guide, not even an extremely frazzled one; not even the entire group anymore. And that is a bit scary. But I see it just as it is: an adventure, a chance to be adults. I think we'll be able to do it fairly easily.

I hope so, at least.

***

We're in Amsterdam, tired, so tired, but happy to be grounded once more. Hotel Bellington definitely isn't worth the €450 we had to pay for 3 nights, but it has charm, and, if anything, at least it's an adventure.

Hungry when we arrived, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe because it is close to our hotel, and it was midnight, too late to go find a place anywhere other than down the street. Getting pretty delusional, we laughed all through dinner at the fact that we were in Amsterdam to see a freaking tulip festival. Ridiculous, indeed.

I'm really happy to travel with Robbie; we're a good fit. And I don't think we annoy each other too much. So 3 nights in Amsterdam should be entertaining and interesting.

Tulips, here we come.

March 22, 2008 Sex Show? Yes please!

Awoke to sunshine in Amsterdam this morning, and I threw open the curtains, waking Robbie up with a thud, as he thought something was exploding.

After breakfast, attempting to use wireless internet, showering and mapping out our day, we set out to explore and get to know Amsterdam. Plan for the day:

1. Rijksmuseum, the main art museum in Amsterdam

2. Anne Frank House/Museum

3. Photography Museum, and, possibly

4. Van Gogh Museum, as well as new luggage, hash brownies and buying tulip tickets.

Well, of that list, we managed to accomplish #1. Unfortunately, though the weather was pleasant when we first left the hotel, it quickly turned for the worst--it started raining and the rain turned to snow that falls sporadically. I swear, we can't get rid of it.

So it appears our Amsterdam is turning into a relaxing 3-night visit, rather than a cultural experience extraordinaire.

Which is perfectly fine. Robbie and I keep joking about getting stuck in Amsterdam--could've spent more time in Italy!!--but, honestly, the city really is beautiful and interesting. So whatever. Once again, at least it's an experience...(which incindentally seems to becoming a recurring theme)

We wandered into the city centre to find the Rijksmuseum, only to realize, after properly consulting our map, that Hostelworld wasn't lying; our hotel really IS in the middle of the Museum District, and the Rijksmuseum is only one street over. Good to know.

We toured through the museum, which is only filled with Dutch artists--Rembrandt, Vermeer, etc. Vermeer is one of my favorite artists, so seeing his work again (I saw some pieces at the Met last year in NYC) was amazing. Also, all of the Rembrandt pieces were wonderful. The Rijksmuseum houses The Night Watch, which is one of Rembrandt's most famous works. It's an example of group paintins in motion, which Rembrandt was the first artist to really paint. The museum was also really well laid out, but, much to our dismay, there was a lot of renovation going on, so we only got to see a small portion of the museum.

We ate lunch at a nice cafe on the canal and roamed around the city for hours, stopping in stores to search for luggage and other goodies, running into Mike Ressuegue, and trying to stay warm. Robbie and I actually made it all around the cities--museums to Red Light District--and it was fairly simple. Brenna told me a while ago that she got to know Amsterdam in a weekend, and I guess I already have, too!

Luckily, I found an adequate suitcase-replacement, which I'll buy tomorrow. Gosh, Amsterdam is turning out to be an expensive adventure!

***

Kyle texted me whle Robbie and I were eating lunch; I guess he and Maddie Rockstar made it to Amsterdam after all. We made plans to see a sex show in the Red Light District, so after dinner, and in the snow once more, we trekked downtown again.

And sex shows are expensive--€30 per person--but extremely entertaining. I have to admit, I really admire the men and women who work at these shows, in the sense that they are obviously proud of the way the look and are confident enough with themselves to parade around in the nude in front of a couple hundred people. Either that or they really need the money. And I'm sure it's probably the latter.

March 23, 2008 Me, Ophelia.

Well, Robbie and I decided last night that we would forego the tulips; we'll just have to come back here on our real honeymoon (ha) and see them some day. I feel a bit like a failure. I mean, I should've known that it would be too cold to see them right now, particularly since the festival just opened AND it was snowing in both Prague and Berlin. But I actually thought it was going to work out. We made such a big deal about not going to Budapest and seeing the world's largest garden instead. Hmmm, really blew that one, I guess. Maybe there will be time for me to come back before I head back to the States...

In any case, we still had a fairly productive day. We went to the Van Gogh Museum, which houses more than 200 of the artist's paintings. After wandering around the museum for almost 3 hours, I have such a greater appreciation for his work. Van Gogh's continued use of yellow is vibrant and mesmerizing, and the fat that he produced such an extensive body of work in such a short career--only 10 years--is practically unheard of.

An exhibition of John Everett Millais's work was also on display at the Van Gogh Museum. I recognized a few of his paintings, but he too produced a massive body of work, and his pieces are absolutely breathtaking. I don't think I've ever seen a better portraitist--his figures are so life-like and emotional. My favorites were A Huguenot, Mariana and Ophelia, a painting modeled after the tragic heroine of Hamlet. Ophelia is such an emotional, peaceful piece of art--true, Ophelia has just drowned, her innocence wasted because her love, Hamlet, has literally driven her to her death. However, Millais's Ophelia looks exquisite, lying in a pond draped with brightly-colored flowers and surrounded by the beauty of nature. Opheli, when, looks one with nature, at peace with her environment. I think, in some ways, I've been trying to find the same sort of peace and balance, to feel like I belong, even though, inevitably, I probably won't. I think only time will tell if this experience, and all of the others, will give me peace of mind.

***

Once we finished at the art museum, we set out with several initiatives: luggage, postcards, post office, strupwaffle. Luckily, save for finding a post office to ship a few goodies home (Venie, here we come), we were pretty successful. I found an amazing Nike duffel on wheels--different than the suitcase I found yesterday because the luggage store was closed (damn Easter Sunday), but I actually like this one more; it's sleeker, bigger, better all around. I've never been more excited to pack in my life.

***

Our last night in Amsterdam, and we spent it pretty tamely--a couple space cakes, some episodes of The Office and then bed. Sure, probably sounds sufficiently lame, but I really just haven't been in the mood to rage lately. I felt lame in Prague and (somewhat) in Berlin, but I really just can't be motivated to stay out late when it's so cold.

Tomorrow I begin my long journey to Venice, where I'll reunite with Bob and teh adventure that was supposed to be GREEEEEEEEEECE shall commence.

I hope the weather's nice.

March 24, 2008 Southward Bound.

Onward once more, and, this time, south towards Italy, and hopefully better weather, more motivation, and interesting and hilarious experiences.

I'm so excited to see Bob again; she and I have only been apart for 3 days, btut this is completely unaccpetable. And now I see how difficult leaving Leicester and going home will be. I said goodbye to Robbie today for only a week or so, but that seems like a lifetime.

Of my close friends at Leicester, I know Robbie's the person I'm most likely to actually hang out with on a regular basis back at KU. I would love to say I'll see the rest of the fam all of the time, but Spence has his frater business and Bob is one popular little gal. Robbie and I know a lot fo the same people, we have similar interests and we're both Honors kids (so it's surprising we haven't run into each other before). I hope for the best--I really really want to stay as close as I've become with everyone. But I also kow that this experience isn't really reality, and soon we'll have to return to the real lives we were living at home and to try to fit in once again.

But I can't dwell on that right now. I'm going to Italy for almost two weeks with the people I lvoe. That's all that matters.

***

Reasons why I will most likely NEVER take a night train again (but funny occurrences nonetheless)

1. Limited Storage Space. Not conducive for a 25 kilo duffel bag. Luckily, I had some kooky German fellows to help me lift it up to the racks. Ridiculous.

2. Italian-Asian couples who think they're the shit. I swear, the wife of this Italian man was judgmental, annoying, and a strangely unattractive trophy wife. She was watching How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days and squealing with giggly delight the whole night. God, I hope I'm never a trophy wife like that (marriage of convenience--not so convenient anymore!!)

3. Unless you have a sleeper car, you are going to be uncomfortable on the train. Unfortunately, a whole gaggle of European middle schoolers were in Munich for some field trip or something and heading back to Italy, so there were no sleeper cars left on my train, and I was forced to reserve only a seat. This is going to be the longest night ever.