AMSTERDAM! (Of course.)
You see, Amsterdam was named because the city originated by the dam on the river Amstel. Stick with me, kids, and the fun facts will abound. Speaking of Amsterdam, that's where Week 11 took us. I know we say this a lot, but this trip has to be one of the best. It was the weekend of Easter, so we had a four day weekend (Good Friday and Easter Monday are both holidays in Europe). If there's one thing Amsterdam in spring is known for, it's their tulips. I'd heard of these gardens from my mother and of course wanted to go, so I convinced Kanci, Maggie, and Rachel at the beginning of the semester and so we bought our tickets to the Keukenhof flower gardens in February and looked forward to the trip ever since! And let me tell you, the gardens did not disappoint! But that was Saturday, and we arrived on Friday, so I'm getting ahead of myself.
Friday we checked into our hostel and then headed for a canal tour of the city. Neither the boat tour nor the canals nor the city disappointed. In fact, after the tour, we decided to explore the city a bit on our own. We found a cat museum for Kanci (they had a nice piano and a few cats), did a little shopping (souvenirs, you know), went to a Body Worlds (quite interesting), and ended up at a little carnival/fair area, where we just had to go on a few rides. So now I can say I've seen Amsterdam from 50 feet up and upside down!
Saturday was tulips! We got up early to get to the park a little after 8, when it opened. This turned out to be a great decision, because the park got steadily more crowded throughout the day. The flowers themselves were 110% beautiful, magnificent, wonderful, magical, pick your synonymous word - it probably applied. The gardens were terrifically arranged, with different colors of flowers, different patterns, with a few fountains, windmills, bunnies, and more thrown in. After the gardens we took a brief nap and then headed to the Heineken Experience to learn some more about how they do what they do. That culminated with a rooftop bar and a sunset. Then it was off to allegedly the largest floating Chinese restaurant in the world. Who knows for sure, but it was good! We saw the Red Light District after dinner, which was...interesting.
Sunday was Easter, complete with Easter Mass celebrated by a good ole Irish priest. This was followed by pancakes (the American kind) and then the Anne Frank house. Pro tip: Reserve your Anne Frank house tickets in advance because the line gets absolutely ridiculous. The house itself was an important experience, and I'm glad we were able to go because it completes the story you read about in her diary. I forgot to mention we found the Fault in Our Stars bench between brunch and the Anne Frank house, and also got caught in some hail.
Monday was spent in museums, including the Van Gogh Museum (WOAH!) and the Rijksmuseum (also super cool)! I'd recommend both museums, obviously especially if you like Van Gogh. Another fun fact: In the last two years of his life, Van Gogh was turning out about a painting per day!! Told ya to stick with me. We also squeezed in the social media famous The Avocado Show, a restaurant known for their menu items that all incorporate avacados. Let me tell you, taste is not compromised at all - everyone's meal was delicious! And thus concluded a fantastic weekend and, sadly, our last large trip of the semester.
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