My vacation has been nothing short of a blast so far. I miraculously made it all the way through Amsterdam on only 60 Euros (aside from train tickets) and now prefer to go by the title "goddess of all tight-wads."
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, we couchsurfed (this is now a verb too, much like "to facebook" or "to google") with Chrissy, an American pre-med student currently working in a science lab in Amsterdam. Much to our surprise, she generously lent us her Amsterdam Museum card for two days, which got one of us into every museum for free. We then split the price of the other ticket. Doing this, we were able to see the Reijks Museum (the largest art museum in Amsterdam), the Van Gogh Museum, and the Versetzmuseum (which talked about the Dutch resistance of the nazis in WWII).
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights however, we stayed with Timo, a 27-year-old graduate who just moved to Amsterdam a few weeks ago to find a job, but has a bit of time on his hands for now. He was extremely kind and made us breakfast or dinner every day. I love Dutch "mustard soup"--it sounds gross, but is delicious! While staying with Timo, we took a canal tour of the city, tried some great Dutch farmer's cheese at an open air market, briefly walked around the red-light district before becoming uncomfortable, and spent a good amount of time hanging out with some of Timo's Dutch friends talking about politics, cultural traditions, and the topic "who are stereotypically more rude: the French or the Germans." Such experiences as these are simply invaluable and one's that you'll never find staying in a hotel.
At this point, however, I am sure you're wondering why I titled this blog in such a strange way. This brings me to my final story: the raw sausage sandwich.
Just in case you're taking a trip to the Netherlands anytime soon, I'll give a word from the wise: always, always ask if the meat in a restaurant has been cooked. Apparently, it often is not. So when Deborah and I proudly found a quaint, non-toursity Dutch pub slightly off the beaten path, I ordered what I thought was going to be a bratwurst-like sandwich. What I got, however, was six, cold, raw sausage patties piled high with raw onion, capers, and mustard. I ate half the sandwich before quitting. Never again.
Still, this story aside, my trip in Amsterdam was simply fantastic. I'll leave you with a few pictures before I go.
Love to all,
Lizzie
The train station in Köln on the way to Amsterdam
Oddly enough, when it's pouring rain outside, you don't have to fight anyone to take a picture in front of the Amsterdam sign.
The raw sandwich.
Views of Amsterdam.
Stunning churches, which often are very run-down on the outside, surprise you around many corners.
Our host, Timo, was new to Amsterdam as well, and wasnt' much of a help in getting us around.
Arrival in Leiden to see Margaret!
No comments:
Post a Comment