My body did pretty well last night, considering I flew from Malaysia to DC to Holland in the span of 2.5 days. I went to bed at 5:30pm and woke up at 4:30am.
My Airbnb host, who lives in Bussum, a small town 30min north of Amsterdam, made me a nice breakfast: fresh bread, two types of cheeses, Greek yogurt with granola and raisins, a banana, and a kiwi.
After, I made my way to the train station to rent a bike for 7,50 euros, which I rode to Naarden, a nearby town and fortress from the 1300s. Naarden is a sort of island with two rows of canals that zig-zag around it in the shape of a star. Some hidden fortresses could be found in the sides of grassy knolls. It seemed like something from Hobbiton. I then biked around the cobblestone streets and found my first Christmas market, which had displays of light-up Christmas sweaters, a LOT of cheese, and homemade jams. I purchased some blackberry apple jam.
The second part of my day took place in Amsterdam. I visited the Anne Frank House/Museum after waiting in line outside in the cold for 45 minutes. It was totally worth the wait. The story of her life and the millions of other Jews that perished in the Holocaust is tragic, and seeing all of the pictures she put on her wall to cheer herself up and experiencing the darkness of the 'Secret Annex' made it all but easy to keep from bursting into tears in front of the hordes of other visitors. It made me happy that at least her dream of becoming a world-famous writer came true. She also made me realize how all of the would-haves in her life are real opportunities in our lives, opportunities that cannot go wasted.
After the Anne Frank House I ventured back toward Amsterdam Central Station, marveling at the Christmas lights, watching the tour boats float down the canals, and eventually stopping at an Italian deli shop for some late lunch. The Italian owner there told me that Chinque Terre, where Harry and I are planning to travel to next week, is beautiful. Then he kissed his fingers in true Italian fashion.
Tomorrow I will be staying on a lady's SHIP in a canal in downtown Amsterdam! I found it through Airbnb.
TTFN,
Emi
My Airbnb host, who lives in Bussum, a small town 30min north of Amsterdam, made me a nice breakfast: fresh bread, two types of cheeses, Greek yogurt with granola and raisins, a banana, and a kiwi.
After, I made my way to the train station to rent a bike for 7,50 euros, which I rode to Naarden, a nearby town and fortress from the 1300s. Naarden is a sort of island with two rows of canals that zig-zag around it in the shape of a star. Some hidden fortresses could be found in the sides of grassy knolls. It seemed like something from Hobbiton. I then biked around the cobblestone streets and found my first Christmas market, which had displays of light-up Christmas sweaters, a LOT of cheese, and homemade jams. I purchased some blackberry apple jam.
The second part of my day took place in Amsterdam. I visited the Anne Frank House/Museum after waiting in line outside in the cold for 45 minutes. It was totally worth the wait. The story of her life and the millions of other Jews that perished in the Holocaust is tragic, and seeing all of the pictures she put on her wall to cheer herself up and experiencing the darkness of the 'Secret Annex' made it all but easy to keep from bursting into tears in front of the hordes of other visitors. It made me happy that at least her dream of becoming a world-famous writer came true. She also made me realize how all of the would-haves in her life are real opportunities in our lives, opportunities that cannot go wasted.
After the Anne Frank House I ventured back toward Amsterdam Central Station, marveling at the Christmas lights, watching the tour boats float down the canals, and eventually stopping at an Italian deli shop for some late lunch. The Italian owner there told me that Chinque Terre, where Harry and I are planning to travel to next week, is beautiful. Then he kissed his fingers in true Italian fashion.
Tomorrow I will be staying on a lady's SHIP in a canal in downtown Amsterdam! I found it through Airbnb.
TTFN,
Emi