I'm Alive!

I have been so busy here that I haven't posted. Haha. I did make it to Dubai 4 days ago, but first I'll talk about Amsterdam.



On my 10 hour layover, I took the trains into downtown Amsterdam. After arriving in the Central Station, I first saw the canal tour boats at the end of Damrak (the main street). For €11, I went on a 1 hour tour of the canals which Amsterdam is famous for. Canals seperate tons of the streets and there are over 1200 bridges. I saw the several "coffeehouses" and the Anne Frank house on this tour. After that was finished I went to the Sex Museum. It only cost €3, and it was a great experience with some funny displays! I recommend it for anybody going to Amsterdam. Then, on my way to the shopping district, I stopped at a cafe and got a ham and cheese omelet and a beer. Weird mix, but I had to buy some alcohol while I could. The LONG street of shopping, Kalverstraat, was quite an adventure. Every store you would see about 3 or 4 times on the strip. 3 H&M's, 4 McDonalds, 2 Levi's, 2 Deisels, etc., etc. It was nice looking in the shops but everything was quite expensive since the dollar/US economy is doing horrible. After shopping, I went over to the red light district and was winked at by tons of 95% naked sexy women. Then it was time to go back to Schipol Airport so I made my way back to the train station, where I was so lucky to be able to pay €0.50 to use the bathroom! What I can take from this visit, is the understanding why I walk quite faster than most Americans. The Dutch people move, and they move fast.



Amsterdam Central Station (inside)



Amsterdam Central Station (front)



Canal Boat I Toured On



Canal Boat Tour



Amsterdam Architecture (Tall Skinny Buildings on Canals)



Amsterdam Architecture From Above



Anne Frank House



Damrak



Kalverstraat

What a beautiful, unique city!