Around the World : Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Wow! I am so sorry I haven't posted on here in weeks. I have been so busy with finals, traveling and my family visiting. I currently only have one more final left on December 18th and one trip left. It is so sad that my time in Italy and being abroad is coming to an end. I have loved every minute of this journey.
    Now who is ready to talk about Amsterdam! I know I am. I never knew the Netherlands were so beautiful. who knew? The reason I chose to go to Amsterdam was because my friends Lucia and Ava were traveling in Europe for a week and decided to spend a couple days seeing Amsterdam. I really wanted to see my friends from Vassar, and two of my other Vassar friends studying abroad, Nicole and Hannah were also traveling to Amsterdam. It was a Vassar reunion in Amsterdam. We all had a great time together.
    I arrived on Thursday night, and as I was walking through the airport I spotted Lucia and Ava. We ran from one side of the airport to other and reunited with a hug. We took the bus to our hostel called "the Flying pig" (funny story about that name) and while walking from the bus stop we ran into Nicole on the street. Everyone screamed and we had another hug fest before we decided to go to an Indonesian restaurant for dinner with some guys from Canada that Nicole befriended. The dinner was delicious and there was so much food. I didn't know this, but supposedly one of the touristy things to do in Amsterdam is eat Indonesian food, check. We checked into the hostel and got ready to go out. We hung out with the Canadian guys and also befriended another Australian guy. These "Aussies" are all over Europe. We ended up going to a huge club called Paridiso for a music fest and had a blast dancing together.
    The next morning we ate breakfast, checked out of our hostel and walked to our apartment we rented for the rest of our stay. On the way to the apartment we walked through Yondel Park and took pictures of the gorgeous scenery. We arrived at our apartment, right next to China town and very close to the red light district. It wasn't the safest location but it was very centrally located. While waiting for Hannah to arrive, we all decided to go to the Heineken brewery for a tour. It was my first brewery tour and it did not disappoint. Let's just say Heineken might be my new favorite beer, especially after that day. We left the factory all smiles and walked back to our apartment to meet up with Hannah. Finally we were all reunited and we all arrived safely in Amsterdam. It was starting to get dark out but before dinner we walked to the Anne Frank house. It was such a dream to see the house Anne Frank hid in during the Holocaust. I was very moved when I read a sign saying "Anne Frank had to duck her head and leap to climb these stairs every time to hide" Then I ducked my head and climbed the stairs, thinking about how scared Anne Frank must of felt doing this.
    After the quick tour of the house we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. It was nice to have a break from Italian food, but by the end of the trip I sure missed it! It was a girls night in the apartment, and after a day of traveling and touring, we decided to stay in and just catch up. Two hours and two wine bottles later it was time to go to bed, even though we got ready with the intention of going out.
    The next morning was full of museums. We went to the Van Gogh museum and Rijksmuseum. I was so impressed with the beautiful works of art. I especially fell in love with Van Goghs painting of sunflowers and tree paintings. He was such a talented artist, and that was the first museum I felt a connection too. To end the long day of touring Amsterdam and taking pictures, we decided to go to a cheese and wine tasting. We tasted delicious Dutch cheese, aged from 3 months to two years old, paired with white, red and dessert wine.
    When we arrived back to the apartment I was in a "cheese como" and I think everyone else was too. We took a long nap, and we all woke up, refreshed and ready to enjoy the night. The night was filled with bar hopping, and taking red and green colored shots. Once it was late enough we found a club to dance, and we all danced the night away. We enjoyed our time together and ended the trip on a high note. The next morning, we had one last meal together and I traveled to the airport with Hannah. We all said goodbye for now, but we knew we would see each other in less than three months. It was time to go back to Bologna, my home!
Con tanto amore,
Samantha