Prost (cheers) to Amsterdam and the Netherlands!

Normally I start these off in a quintessentially cliché fashion by saying 'hello' in the local language of wherever it is that I am venturing to but since I don’t understand a word of Dutch, I'll save everyone the trouble. It should probably also be noted that some of the details people are interested will be left out of these post for personal liability reasons haha.

Like usual, my international journey started in London the night before. I was completely delighted to be asked directions, not once, but twice from people trying to get around in London while I was doing some evening exploring of my own. I don't think I look any less American than I did 2 months ago but maybe I give off a more European vibe now? And if that is the case, I'm not entirely sure it is a good thing? In typical fashion I overestimated the amount of time it would take me to take the tube to the airport and get checked in so I had a few hours to kill at Heathrow. I did get the chance to share a nice conversation with an 86 year old guy headed to his home on the outskirts of London after his ballroom dancing class haha...old people are always real fun to chat up. I spent the short flight to Amsterdam sitting next to a guy reading Twilight so I just decided to take a nap since I didn't think we would have a whole lot in common. I think that any male that can legitimately participate in a Jacob/Edward conversation should probably take a look at what he is doing with his life. Coincidently, I found myself sitting next to a few girls from the states on the train from the airport to Central station and there was even one from Madison! I was about to introduce myself until I listened to them talk and came to realize that it was the most stereotypical coastie and psuedo-coastie (the bad half of the north-side Chicagoans) crowd and didn't really want to associate myself with such people. The most coastie of them all from Philly even had a lisp (not to be mean but I just couldn’t help but laugh). One of the funniest conversations I have ever overheard in my life; I just kept my mouth shut and pretended to not understand what they were saying in order to avoid interaction.

After figuring out that sketchy little back alleys are actually main roads, I managed to find my hostel where, as planned, Brandon Cibulka was awaiting my arrival. The concept of meeting up with a friendly face in cities I never thought I'd set foot in makes me smile every time. I must admit that the hostel was not at all like I expected. They had a very cool bar area, an incredible playlist, and a very eccentric lot which made hanging out with a beer and bobbing your head to some tunes incredibly enjoyable. Happy hour and 1 Euro Yager shots also did their part in enhancing the atmosphere. Naturally, Brandon and I immediately did what any pair of Americans visiting Amsterdam would do. Think real hard, I bet you can guess! After dark, we did the next thing anybody visiting Amsterdam would do: go exploring in the infamous 'Red Light District!' The district is actually marked by red lights and has a faint red glow in the evening, it isn't just a name. I really don't know how to properly describe walking around amidst a hub of legal prostitution and having random girls motion for you to come towards their window. The only reactions Brandon and I ever mustered were fits of laughter. The weirdness of walking around is trumped 100x when you actually see someone negotiating with one of the nice young ladies, stepping inside her glass door and closing the curtain. Ridiculous! We learned later in a guided walking tour of Amsterdam that all of the girls are 'entrepreneurs' for lack of a better turn and rent out their windows for 60 Euros a night and then have to 'work' to pay the bills and make a living. Arguably the most famous church in Amsterdam is located in the Red Light District along with a kindergarten - an interesting combination of industries I'd say! It’s even stranger to contemplate the idea that real estate in the area is very valuable and that people actually live there.

The next day we had to change hostels for Friday and Saturday night and meet up with a few kids from Brandon's program in Barcelona. Our hostel for Friday and Saturday was a 20/30 minute walk outside of the city center so it gave us a chance to see what kind of a city Amsterdam really is. It is a very beautiful place with semi-circular canals that run parallel to each other from Central Station. Streets then dissect the canals like rays of sunshine extending outward from the Station. It was immensely confusing at first, but after a few days the organization began to make sense and the system as a whole made it pretty easy to get around. I, like most people, did not really think of Amsterdam as a proper city before I arrived. Instead, one only ponders the experience and ridiculousness. For that reason, I think it is necessary to at least attempt to do the beautiful, quaint and surprisingly peaceful place some justice. Lining every canal and major street, three to four story town house style buildings jut out from the cobble stone streets. Each row of buildings is somewhat symmetric yet every individual building has a distinctive charm reminiscent of the 18th or 19th century when the majority of them were built. On main roads -which themselves are hardly roads the way we consider them- the bottom floors of all of the structures contain a very trendy assortment of designer shops. I was perhaps most amazed by the utter amazingness of the sneakers offered; I venture to say that Amsterdam is the world capital of awesome variations of popular shoes. No doubt that the brick-laden streets of Amsterdam the place where all of the famous American rappers get their 'fresh new kicks.' There are essentially no automobiles on any of the roads, and, as a result, pedestrians, an above ground tram system and a barrage of cyclists dominate. On a side note, the bikers are reckless and incredibly dangerous for travelers! The emphasis on public spaces and parks, a common theme with European cities, persists in Amsterdam making a walk around town all that much more enjoyable. A little farther out from the city center more residential districts shed light on how Dutch people live in a city known around the world for its psychedelics. Just a short walk in a residential district near Amsterdam's equivalent to New York's City Park gave me an altogether different interpretation of the city. The contrast from the Red Light District is no less extreme than black and white.

Brandon and arrived at the Flying Pig Uptown hostel in late morning only to find out that, in a feat of brilliance, Mr. Cibulka booked the hostel rooms for him and his two mates for April 26th and 27th instead of February! They ended up finding a hotel closer to downtown while another group of Madisonians from Barcelona and I checked in at the hostel. The cloud covered sky made the day slip effortlessly into night and to happy hour at the hostel providing another great opportunity to try some new and exciting beers (I highly recommend Hoegarrden and Leffe). Our group then matriculated our way down to Rembrandt Square thanks to a suggestion from a few select locals. We ended up at one of a slew of bars sporting a large, red 'Heineken.' At first we enjoyed our round and the selection of R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and Y.M.C.A. as the first few songs but quickly began to feel out of place. First we saw two girls making on the dance floor - a first for any of us males. It was only after a bit more extensive observation that we realized girls were not the only gender feeling promiscuous. Almost simultaneously, the lot of us realized we had mistakenly wandered into an openly gay-bar and were not much for welcome! We promptly cancelled our next round and left.

Saturday involved more wandering, a guided tour, a trip to the Anne Frank House and another trip to Rembrandt Square in the evening. This time we went to an Irish pub called St. James' Gate to watch the end of the Barcelona football match. Although nothing very exciting happened after the match, my newly found friend from Madison Alex and I struck up a conversation with an Irishman named Charlie currently working in the City (London's Wall St.). I don't know if it is that I just simply don't find the need to talk to random people while in the States because I am always with a group of friends or if Americans just aren't as friendly but I never ceased to be amazed at how friendly European folks are. Alex and I talked to him for well over an hour while he bought us drinks, and, like every conversation I am lucky enough to partake in with other more worldly folk, I learned a great deal of things about life. Thinking the excitement of my night would come to an end when I left the pub, I found myself shocked to discover a random cat lying in my bed when I returned to the hostel. Moreover, said cat had absolutely no desire to sleep anywhere else for the evening. Only in Amsterdam would I ever just say 'what the hell' and sleep with the hostel cat!

On Sunday the Barcelona crowd left and the Londoners arrived in the morning to accompany me on the Heineken experience. After the tour, I still don't really enjoy Heineken but I had a fun time learning about it and getting 4 free beers in the process. After our truly Dutch experience with beer, we headed back to the hostel for a nap, some Euchre, Rummy and beer. We ended up playing 'shithead' (a slightly altered version of Shapoo) with a British guy named Neil who was just completing a 3 year tour of the world. It really seemed as if every bloke I talked to was in the midst of some epic world tour to 'find themselves.' So much so that I subliminally questioned whether or not people were telling the truth. Either way, it really made me realize how cool of an experience studying abroad is and how young I am in the general scheme of things - a reassuring feeling no doubt. While shooting the shit with Neil, he confessed to us that he felt we were much different than most of the people he had met from America. He then went on to describe the majority of his companions as coasties, yes he used that term specifically, and said that we seemed much more down to earth. Although I didn't express much gratitude at the time, in retrospect that may be one of the best comments I have ever received as a Midwest kid. I suppose it is what our region prides itself on and I'm glad that our 'efforts' are understood the world over!

Overall, I had an incredible time in the 'sex and drug capital of the world' but not so much because of the sex and drugs. The people and the city really differentiated Amsterdam for me and it is a place I would absolutely recommend going for whatever reasons. It seems to me like Amsterdam is just one of those places you generally have to go to sometime in your life for a multitude of reasons both legal and illegal back home :) Check that off the proverbial bucket list!

Hope everyone is doing well. Not sure when I'll write next but I think I have to actually write a few essays in the next few weeks so it may be a bit. Regardless, stay in touch and check the pictures on Fbook!

Cheers :)
Patrick