Europe: Amsterdam

I finally have time to write a blog post! Man, the past few days have been a whirlwind to say the least. I am currently on a train to Paris to meet my parents and I'm typing this on my iPhone so I hope it's readable! I will organize it later if not. The train ride is about 3hrs from Amsterdam to Paris. I'm sitting next to a nice French lady who speaks very little English. Ok, on to Amsterdam:

January 12/13, 2015
       I left late from the States January 12 and arrived in Amsterdam at 4:30PM January 13. I then took the train to Centraal Station where Elmer (the guy I stayed with who is a friend of a friend) picked me up at 6:30. Elmer WhatsApp messaged me saying to meet him on the ferry platform because he was on the boat. When he said he would pick me up, I just assumed he was driving a car. Wronggg. He rides up next to me on his bike, throws my luggage on the front, and says "hop on!" Now we're talking! This is my kind of guy. I knew we would be great friends from this point on. We biked to his place along the canals and under the city lights. It was magical. Two of his friends came over for dinner (Menno and Luz) and I went with them to the Red Light District. And boy, was this an experience! It was kinda sad and disturbing in my opinion. The women all look like they are animals in a zoo or something. Guys crowding around each window as the girl, in her super skimpy clothing, tries to lure him in. How degrading…. I also learned something very important: if a window has red AND blue neon lights, then the “woman” is actually a man…0_0 Menno said some guys don’t know that and get screwed over. Bahaha. We continued to walk the streets and eventually landed in a Jazz Club which was really neat. Menno and Luz left around midnight and Elmer came and picked me up on his bicycle. Lots of activity in just the first night!

January 14, 2015
       Slept in until 9AM and then biked the city with Elmer. I throw my right leg over the back seat and we’re off! The thing I like best about Amsterdam is how literally everyone uses a bike for transport. Elmer said there are probably more bikes in Amsterdam than there are people. And cyclists always have the right of way, even over pedestrians. It was kinda rainy this day which made it a little miserable but eventually the sun came out and the water in the canals shined in the sunlight. Elmer had work from 1PM-6PM so at this point I explored the city on my own and bought souvenirs. I came across a Flower Market, which if you know me at all you know I was in 7th heaven. Flowers everywhere!! Tulips are the trademark flower of Holland and are exported all over the world, which I didn't know. Neat, right? One guy at the counter asked where I was from and I said America. “Oh yeah I could tell.” “How?” “From your accent.” I have an accent? Huh. Interesting. I returned to the apartment around 5PM and waited for Elmer. We made dinner and then I headed out for salsa dancing!! Elmer is a very hands-off host which I actually really enjoyed. He told me to take his bike and find the place. He gave me a map, the keys to lock the bike, and sent me on my way. Hell yeah, adventure! I was playing it cool but I was actually freaking out inside. I was very worried/nervous I would get lost or hurt from riding the bike. I mean, the Dutch have been riding bikes all their lives up and down these streets. What if I make a wrong turn, or crash, or something? Elmer had to reassure me several times that Amsterdam is super safe. So…off I went. Oh boy. This would be the true test. If I could manage to ride Elmer’s bike AND not get lost, I was going to consider myself the most accomplished person in the world. Well, what happens in the first 5 minutes? ….I almost collide with another biker. Come on, Julie get your head in the game! I gave myself a pep talk, convinced myself I was a local, and acted with confidence. It really worked. The only other time I “messed up” was when I cycled past the main street, had to turn around, got off then on the bike, and my flats flew off. The bike seat was super high! I managed to get back on track and riding a bike is awesome because as I mentioned before, everyone yields to you. It was a scary but extremely thrilling experience! I arrived at the venue around 10:30PM, a little later than anticipated, and as soon as I heard the salsa music blasting, I felt at home. It's crazy that it can make me feel this way - that no matter which country I'm in I can feel at ease. The dancers here were outstanding! So much talent on the dance floor. I walked in, put my stuff down, and immediately a guy came and asked me to dance. Fantastic. Let's get this party started. I had the time of my life. I wanted to end the night with a bachata dance so I went up to a guy and asked him to dance. “Since when does the girl ask the guy to dance?” “…I always ask guys. Especially if no one asks me within 10 seconds. When I wanna dance, I wanna dance.” He laughs and he asks, “Where are you from?” “America.” “I could tell.” “Why?” “Because you are so direct. I love it.” #truth. I returned to the apartment with a feeling of accomplishment and told Elmer that I may as well be a local now. Navigating the city streets of Amsterdam by bike, check!

January 15, 2015
       We slept in until 11AM which felt amazing. It was another cold and rainy day as we biked to the Farmers Market. Lots of great, fresh produce here! We parked the bike and Elmer gave me a little walking tour of this area. He then left me to buy shoes because I wanted to do the Heineken Experience and he wasn't interested. Again, urging me to do my own thing which I appreciated. The tour of the Heineken brewery was really neat and very informative. Two glasses of beer, a souvenir glass, and a boat ride were included in addition to the self-guided walking tour. Well worth the money! After this, I returned to the apartment where Elmer and I cooked dinner. It was lecka! (Dutch word for delicious) We relaxed for a bit and then ventured out for our night kayak ride! This was an incredible experience. There were times when I was so cold and wet that I became miserable, but I kept reminding myself how lucky I was to even be in this situation. I was kayaking the canals of Amsterdam for goodness sake! We sang, we raced swans, we waved to tour boats, and we laughed. The lights of the city were beautiful. I tried to take as many pictures as I could but my camera was getting too wet. Elmer was a rockstar paddler! I barely helped at all and he was booking it around this place. I really enjoyed paddling beneath the bridges. The arches on each bridge were lined with tiny little lights and as we passed through you could see bikers riding across the bridge. Amazing. We arrived back home around 9PM with soaking wet bodies and sore arms (that last portion only applies to me). We relaxed, watched Iron Man, and then went to bed. So exhausted and excited to get a full night’s rest!

January 16, 2015
       Slept in until 10:30 (I'm diggin this trend). Today was gorgeous in comparison to the last two rainy days. A great day for a bike ride despite it being very windy. I hopped on the back of Elmer’s bike and we were off. I’m getting used to this lifestyle and I must say it’s pretty great. We passed through a quaint little town that reminded me of historic Yorktown – brick houses, cobblestone pathways, and quiet. When we biked through “Yorktown” Elmer showed me the water leveling system (similar to Panama) and insisted it began in the Netherlands. He said he once came to this place with his brother and they almost flooded the houses on the lower level. A classic Elmer move if you ask me. We then biked "the countryside" of Amsterdam. This was a quiet area with some marshes nearby. It was very serene and Elmer filled me in on some history along the way. The landscape was beautiful and it was just outside the bustling city. At one point during our journey we had to jump on a platform and pull ourselves across the creek with a wire. That was cool. Then we had to cross a series of ports by waiting for the control tower to operate the pedestrian bridges. I was intrigued by this. Around 3PM we left “the countryside” and rode back toward the city. Elmer made a surprise stop at a brewery which was just what I needed because I was FREEZING. It was warm and cozy inside the brewery and the place was hoppin! And the beer is super cheap in Amsterdam! Only €2.50 for a glass of basically anything. We rode back to the apartment after this and cooked dinner for our final night together. I went salsa dancing again at a different venue and met some very nice guys from England and Holland. Again, amazing salsa dancers at this event. I really liked dancing with a guy who reminded me very much of Dave – tall, skinny, fabulous dancer, good frame, and a great connection. Can I just reiterate that I LOVE SALSA? Thank you Dave Duckett for introducing me to it. I retired for the night ready to head to Paris in the morning!! So long Amsterdam! You were wonderful. And thanks to Elmer for being a great host!