Stop 1: Amsterdam

Hallo everyone!

Currently on Day 2 in Amsterdam. Hanging out in the Rembrantplein area as I write this.

I'll start off detailing the flight from Boston. It was really neat - at about 12:30 AM EST, it started to get light outside. This is because Iceland is so far north, that it gets approximately 23 hours of daylight duing June. Also, the announcements were in Icelandic before English, as well as the items in the Menu. I ordered a "Polar Beer", and drank it as I watched a weird Icelandic comedy called Mr Bjarnfreðarson. Quick layover in Iceland due to the plane arriving late, then headed off to Amsterdam.

Arrived at Amsterdam airport, and was excited to hear a passenger announce that the Celtics won. Confusion ensued as the machines were not accepting credit cards to book a train ticket to Amsterdam Centraal. Eventually got the ticket, jumped in a double-decker train, and headed off into downtown. Checked into the hostel and wandered around for a bit. I really liked Dam Square, where everyone is sitting on the steps in the middle of a bunch of beautiful buildings, just down the street from my Hostel.
I got dinner from a place called FEBO, where you can get burgers from a little vending machine-type system in the wall. Wandered some more, then eventually went to bed early to catch up on sleep.

I woke up at 7:30AM the next morning to head out for the day. First went in and got an English Breakfast - 2 perfectly square eggs, toast, bacon, and french fries. Rented a bike to visit some of the attractions further away. Riding a bicycle around the streets of Amsterdam was quite an experience. There are bike lanes most of the time, but they are very busy with bikers and motor scooters flying around, plus traffic lights for bikes. Eventually got the hang of it and explored Vondelpark, a huge park a little ways outside town, Leidlesplein, a busy town square with street performers and cafes, and Rembrantsplein, a small square with a central statue and many cafes and shops around. Locked my bike up at each of these places, and explored the area.

This evening I plan to visit the Anne Frank house, and tomorrow I will take a day trip to The Hague, a nice city less than an hour south of here, near the coast. Once I get a chance to upload my photos, I'll throw them on here. Tomorrow night my overnight train to Prague leaves. I'll update again from there!

Vaarwel,
Colin