Amsterdam...a different kind of trip

Just got back from Amsterdam and am blogging right away so I don't procrastinate! Plus I don't want to write my Roman paper right now, so I guess technically i'm still procrastinating one way or another. Anyways, last week was Thanksgiving, and it was definitely a different experience here. Italy obviously doesn't celebrate, but we still got a feel for the holidays since our school had a pumpkin pie contest and all of us roomates did a fancy dinner. The pie contest was small- only 4 girls entered it, me and Corey included as one pair. We trekked around all day trying to find what seemed-like simple ingredients but are actually impossible to find (pumpkin in a can, pie crust, whipped cream)...still, it was fun and holiday-ish. We ended up making a reallly good pumpkin-cheesecake pie for school, and a lemon-cheesecake for us at home. We thought hands-down we'd win the school contest- and turns out we came in last place! We were so mad! But it has to be said that the faculty talked to us and told us how the "voting" system wasn't really fair and that we had one of the best pies (apparently girls had their entire classes voting for their specific pies...we didnt do that) so we still feel okay about it.

as for thanksgiving dinner, it was hectic all day until we all finally sat down and ate. we were so proud of ourselves for a) finding all the ingredients and b) making everything WITHOUT AN OVEN. that's right- we have no oven in our apartment. we had to steal other ppl's kitchens for hours at a time to cook the casserole and other treats. in the end it all worked out- we had italian appetizers, including my new favorite thing in the world (crostini toscana, or basically pate- chicken livers. delicious. do we have this at home?) then turkey breasts with gravy, cranberry sauce (took a while to find) corn, broccoli casserole, mash potatoes, and cheesecake for desert. we all got a little teary cuz we were homesick but luckily we were all together so it wasn't that bad. Plus we couldn't soak it in too much cuz we had to wake up at 3:00 am the next morning to leave for AMSTERDAM!

and it began. the next morning we left at 3:15 am to catch our 3:30 bus to Pisa. it was an experience i don't want to remember or ever do again. we slept on the bus, the plane, and the next bus we had to take...so it ended up working out. The second bus we took was from the Eindhoven station to the Amsterdam Central Station..we flew into Eindhoven from Pisa because Ryan Air flights were 30Euro roundtrip! (love ryanair. i'll miss it.)

anyways, the entire weekend from start to finish was incredible. amsterdam is like nothing i've ever seen...sex and drugs surround you, wide canals separate the streets, crooked tall houses line up each windy road, and bicycles whiz by you at every corner. and it was FREEZING. and raining. but that didn't stop it from being a hilarious weekend for several reasons:
a) we were all together, the 6 of us roomates. it was a PERFECT last weekend for all of us to travel- we started together in Capri, and ended together in Amsterdam.
b) the coffeeshops. since cannabis is illegal in Amsterdam but decriminalized, that means you technically can't smoke but if you get caught, they can't do anything to you. which translates into everyone smokes pot. and the "coffeeshops" are weed shops (you can still get coffee and tea though). funny thing though- tobacco was highly frowned upon everywhere we went, and alcohol was a rare thing seen in the stores. Anyway, without being too obvious, we visited some coffeeshops throughout the weekend and had a laugh. it felt so weird being allowed to just...sit and "hang out." even in our own hostel! We stayed in the Bulldog Hostel, a place i HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting. we walked in and everyone was just...smoking! it was crazy! none of us could believe how open it really was there. so that was fun...
c) the sex. prostitution is legal in Amsterdam, and our hostel was right near the Red Light District- which was insane. I couldn't take pictures because it's not allowed, but I can try to describe it- imagine tiny New-york like alleys with 6-ft tall windows- like shop displays, with a neon-red light above them. you walk down the alley and inside each window display is a prostitute, 2 feet away from you, wearing practically nothing. bandages, bikinis, anything. some looked like they were 18, some were over 50, some were anorexic looking, others 500 pounds, you name it. it was CRAZY!! we couldn't get over this either...and we saw GUYS come out of the windows! our tour guide from the free tour we did on Friday said that the standard is 15 minutes (of sex) for 50 Euros- anything extra the guy wants, he has to barter for. a blow job is 40 euros more. A whip and chain is 100 Euro. stuff like that...so weird. we saw one guy come out who looked like Santa Claus. i've never seen anything like it!

for all of the vulgarity and sex and drugs, Amsterdam was still reallly beautiful. It was clean, I felt safe, and there was lots of history everywhere. We did a free walking tour and saw a famous old church plopped right in the middle of the Red Light District (he said it's because when sailors used to stop in for a night, they wanted to confess their sins (their 15 minutes in the window) right away, and so this church was convient!), where Rembrandt used to live, etc.

back to the list.

d) the Anne Frank House. On Saturday morning we went to this museum and luckily had almost the whole thing to ourselves. it was so well done. we couldn't take pictures again, but we got to see where her entire family hid for 2 years during World War 2, and I saw her actual diary. she had such deep thoughts at such a young age! it was really incredible...i got a little teary when i stepped into her actual room- it was just shocking. they even left all her posters up on all the wall (she had tried to decorate it since it was so bland and they couldn't open the windows ever). i'm really glad we got to see it.

the rest of the weekend was consumed with us meandering the streets of Amsterdam, taking lots of pictures of the canals and the famous "I AMsterdam" sign, going to a 3euro Sex Museum (which ended up being just lots of pictures of old porn and a big penis statue..but amusing) eating every possible ethnic food (chinese for dinner, burgers, fries, falafel sandwich, and stroopwaffels, the only Dutch thing we tried..like a cookie graham cracker with a honey-filling. yum.) On Sunday we had a good flight back home and returned to florence around 4:30. Now we only have 2 weeks left- 12 days really- and then i'm back home. I am getting really emotional thinking about it...it's hard to describe, but bittersweet is really the only word for it. on one hand I will be SO sad to leave here- its like my home now, and I see my friends everyday, and I love school and florence and travelling- but on the other hand, i am SOO EXCITED to come home and see my family. I miss kim greg and matt like crazy, and I miss my home friends just as much. it will be a great Christmas holidy this year. 12 days and counting....can't wait.

so overall, if you can't tell, Amsterdam was one of my favorite places. I think top three trips of the year would have to be Amsterdam, Dublin, and Paris. just all great weekends where we saw everything and had an amazing experience. i am loving every minute of this fall study abroad- I think I want to be a peer advisor when I get back. it's just that amazing.

see you all soon. i have a list of American-things I want when i get back....peanut butter, dad's macaroni and cheese, a trip to Trader Joes and Iron Hill...ahh cant wait!!