Amsterdam and Bruges

So there's nothing like a wonderful trip to another country to make you appreciate history, different laws, and the beauty of chocolate. February 7 - 9, my roommates and I headed to Amsterdam and Bruges for a weekend getaway. We used UK Study tours which has to be the most helpful, and cheap, way to travel while we're here. For the price of our plane tickets to Paris, we received bus fair, hotel, and tours. This left much more room for taking in all the benefits of being in these unique European cities. On Amsterdam I loved Amsterdam and the way the city sits on these beautiful canals. Everyone rides bikes, and apparently Hollanders, on average, the tallest people in the world. When we arrived, it was pouring rain. Like sheets of rain were coming down and the wind was whipping it across my face. Sadly, I didn't have a hat and my umbrella was proving to be the most difficult. So what do we do, we decide to buy hats. :-( Womp womp, I just got my hair braided and hats are a bit difficult to make work with the increased circumference of my head. Courtney gets a cute hat, as does Monique. I, however, am left with a head that is getting rained on and it's cold. Cold. COLD!!!!! We makes the most of it though, and grab lunch as soon as we get there. Then, as if the Gods have heard my prayers the rain begins to slow and we are off to explore what has to be one of the most eclectically-styled cities. The buildings are narrow and about three stories tall. At first, I thought it reminded me of parts of Brooklyn, but, no. Not quite as the style is distinctly different from the classic brownstone. However, I'm in love at once as we march through the streets in this giant group of mostly South American visiting students.

So the second picture above involves a lot of Heineken Beer. We went to the Heineken Experiences, which is a place I would encourage all those who partake in alcoholic beverages to go to if you're ever in Amsterdam. It starts off kinda slow and uninteresting...Hops this and Barley that... but then it becomes a bit more interactive. We all seemed to have fun drinking beer, grinding barley, tasting Hop-water and drinking beer, and laughing and drinking beer. All in all, it was a good day at the Heineken Factory. :-) That night, we did go into the red light district. It wasn't quite as out of control as I envisioned, or perhaps i just have a vivid imagination. And that was Amsterdam. Give or take a few details. After Amsterdam, we went to Bruges. It has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. While walking on cobblestone streets in my boots was not pleasant, I really enjoyed the look and feel of the small city. It was a remarkably beautiful day, though it began as if the sky was going to fall. Walking around, it felt as if time had rewound to a simpler time where people had time to stroll streets, eat long lunches, and just enjoy being alive.

When we finished our day of beauty and tasty food, we headed back to England. Our mission was to stay awake on the return journey so we could experience the "chunnel". I have to say there is nothing quick or fun about the tunnel that runs under the English Channel and connects England to France. It was the longest, most absurd wait just to get on the thing. Once you're on, you're car is in the equivalent of a locker with cars parked back to back. It wasn't something to stay awake for, but I can say I saw it and experiences it. And going through customs on the other side was absolutely miserable. I've never experienced such horrible customs agents who were bitchy for no reason. They asked so many questions that were irrelevant just to try and get you to say something questionable. Then, there were a number of people on our trip, students, who spoke different languages and when they couldn't understand questions, it was as if the British agents were pissed. They treated them like idiots even though the students had all the paperwork from Oxford and Cambridge to say that they were in fact students. Why this was unsatisfactory, I do not know. I was happy when we finally left.