En Reconnaissance de Paris: First weekend away-- success!

Bon soir!

We've just returned to Paris after a long weekend in Amsterdam. It's funny that just a week ago, the city that felt so foreign and new to us has become such a comfort to come home to. So let me share a bit about Amsterdam:

We took the Thalys train, which was so comfortable and convenient. It was just a three-and-a-half hour ride, and well worth the price. We arrived on Thursday night, around 9:30, found our hotel, and immediately went out to eat. We decided to try this Mexican place, Los Pilinos, which my friend Lianne recommended to us. It was absolutely delicious. We shared quesadillas and tacos, along with a bunch of other side-dishes and mango margaritas.

We woke up early Friday morning to get breakfast and then visit the Anne Frank House. Unfortunately, the pancake place we wanted to eat at wasn't open until noon, so we ended up wandering around some shops instead. We found this really cute vintage clothing store and had fun trying on some dresses and looking at the jewelry and shoes there. Then we went to the Anne Frank House. We bought our tickets online first, but there really wasn't much of a line. However, I have heard of some bad experiences with ticket lines before, so I'd recommend doing what we did.

The experience of walking through the Anne Frank museum and the annex itself was really special. Physically standing in the room where Anne Frank penned her diary and being reminded of the words she wrote-- how positive and funny they could be in such horror-filled times-- was extraordinarily moving. It was especially jarring to remember that this teenage girl made it through so much, only to be killed in Bergen-Belsen, one month before its liberation. The museum ended in such a way that was actually very uplifting, with a message about raising awareness and enacting positive changes in our world. That said, we didn't feel so guilty going on to have a fun day.

We went to our pancake place next-- it's oddly called The Pancake Bakery. It's super close to the Anne Frank House, and I HIGHLY recommend each of you go there if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam. Abbey and I shared a chicken-and-cheese pancake and an apples-with-cinnamon-ice-cream-and-whipped-cream pancake. And no, they were nothing like what you are imagining... they were SO much better than that. Again, you all really must go there.

We spent the rest of that afternoon generally exploring the area and wandering around the city. We returned to where our hotel was for an Indonesian dinner-- also delicious-- and sat in a sports bar where we watched soccer with the locals for a little while before going to bed.

Saturday we woke up early again and went over to the Van Gogh museum. Neither of us were particularly excited to do this, but we knew it was a must-- and we were pleasantly surprised. It didn't take too long to walk through, and there were some very interesting pieces.

Next, we went on a 70 minute long canal cruise. It was very windy, but the boat was completely enclosed, so we didn't feel it at all. This was a very nice activity because we really got to see so much of the city that we otherwise would not have been exposed to. It was extra convenient for us as well, for the cruise started and ended right outside the Heineken Factory, which was our next activity. We really enjoyed the latter-- there were a ton of young people there, and it was actually a very fun and hands-on place. We learned the appropriate way to drink beer without getting a mouthful of foam, and we learned what shade of gold to expect to see in a Heineken.

What was especially funny was meeting other students who are studying abroad in other European cities-- and realizing that everyone knows everyone. We learned through a chance conversation that my friend Alex was in Amsterdam as well, so I got in touch with her, and we ended up meeting up with her and some of her friends later that night. We took a short walk through the Red Light District after dark. It's really a wild place. No movie that you've seen exaggerates what this area is like. It's especially interesting to note that the streets are absolutely teeming with (creepy) men. That said, a quick walk through was plenty.

So this morning was the last of our stay in Amsterdam. We ate a nice breakfast at a little cafe, and then we got onto the train and made our way home. All-in-all, we agreed that our first weekend excursion was a major success. Next weekend, we'll be staying here in Paris, but after that-- it's London, Prague and Barcelona! Anyways, it's time to do some French homework. Happy Superbowl!