Amsterdam.

            So Amsterdam was interesting to say the least.  We wandered around the city Friday night and met a high Canadian guy who just finished taking a joyride in a stolen paddleboat.  We talked to him for a little while before heading back to the hostel to get a couple hours of sleep before heading to the Anne Frank House.  The city of Amsterdam was busy putting up the final decorations for the gay pride parade while we waited in line to walk through Anne Frank’s house.  We had woken up at 6:30 a.m. so we didn’t have to wait in the long line.  We arrived to the house around 8:15, we were about fifteenth in line, and we waited for the museum to open.  The tour took us through Otto Frank’s office and other various rooms in the building in order to give us background information and prepare us for what was ahead.  Then we walked through the infamous wooden bookcase into the annex where the Franks lived.  I was actually surprised by the size of the annex.  I felt as though the Gestapo should have been able to figure out that there was a whole section of the office building with no apparent way in or out and that there may be someone hiding in it.  It is impressive that they stayed hidden for so long.  After the Franks were found, all of their possessions were stolen.  Otto decided to keep it that way to represent the despair caused by the Nazis.  I could feel that emptiness in the house, and I felt the depression that went along side it.  Leaving the museum, we saw getting up early was a great choice. The line was a whole block long.  We walked by what seemed like the endless line of people toward the hostel, and I had a bacon and cheese pancake for lunch.

            We then went to the Rijksmuseum.  The museum was monstrous so there was no way I was going to see every thing.  I saw an exhibit of old guns and swords followed by a room of old instruments, which I loved, and then I browsed the art rooms.  Wilson and I left the museum early to get a second lunch, but stopped to watch the self-claimed greatest street performers in Amsterdam.  They were a group of charismatic dancers that were actually pretty good.  They performed in front of the I Amsterdam sign. Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch, met up with the rest of the gang, and made our way to the gay pride parade.  Many free spirits lined the canals and took part in the parade.  The music was loud, and I had quite a bit of fun dancing.  After watching the parade, we made our way to Vondell Park, where Rock and I had an intense handstand competition, and I climbed a tree.  We hung out there for a couple of hours before getting some pizza for dinner.  I then went straight to my bed and crashed.  I was so tired after only sleeping for a couple of hours the night before, but the next morning I woke up refreshed and ready to go.  We checked out, wandered the city, and went to the Heineken Factory.  We only went into the gift shop, but we got a Heineken next door.  I wouldn’t call myself a Heineken fan, but it was cold so I liked it. 

            The final thing that surprised me about Amsterdam was the amount of trash that lined the streets.  It was really dirty, but that might have been due to the two million people that came into town for the parade.   Now we’re back to Bonn.  I haven’t seen my host family since leaving for Vienna, and I’m excited to go to my German home.