Amsterdam Adventures

Whilst leaving the Nordeney train station we were made aware that our train had actually been canceled due to the lack of AC on the train. To say the least this threw a wrench in our plans, although I used this as an opportunity to rethink my decision to even go to Amsterdam for a multitude of reasons. I was afraid it would live up to it's stereotypical reputation, the thing that I (unlike the other 3 million tourists there) was not looking forward to. In the end I had decided to go and found it to be one of the most cultural and enriching places that I have yet been to. I was shocked to discover there was more to this once prosperous great nation than the sale of both drugs and women.

In Amsterdam I had the pleasure to visit what I would consider to be my favorite museum to date, the Rijks museum. The museum was initially founded in 1885, for the past 10 years it has been closed to the public for a major over haul. As luck would have it, the museum opened back up to the public not yet three months ago in time for us to enjoy it. One of my deepest regrets was that I only had 3 and a half hours to devote to the museum when I could have literally spent all day there. It was filled with history, from the most extensive collection of model ships and antique guns, to original Van Gough's and Rembrandt's including the famous "Night Watch" which I found to be particularly astounding. While in Amsterdam we also made a point to visit the Ann Frank house and the Van Gough Museum, both of which were almost equally amazing and in the case of Ann Frank, even more impact. 

This weekend also had to be the gay pride festival bringing in more than 2.8 million people for the event alone. The streets were teaming with people, it was madness, and it was intoxicating. Don't get me wrong, I am as straight as they come, but this was something else. The city was alive as I could never describe in words but rather emotions. The parade on the canals during the day can be compared to nothing else and the parties that ensued at night was rioting. 

Amsterdam treated me well and I look forward to a return trip.... surprisingly.