iamsterdam

So we arrived in Amsterdam yesterday around 4:00 and it has been quite an amazing and eventul 36 hours.  This city is beautiful and vibrant and we just happened to be here during Gay Pride so that has made it even more interesting. So far, Amsterdam has lived up to the expectations and we are loving it. There was definitely a learning curve for the navigation but Amsterdam has proven to be easier to navigate than London, despite our butchered pronunciation of the names of streets and places. We are constantly looking at a map trying to figure out the best routes. 

I think after today though, we have got it. (Although I'm writing this blog from a tram stop where the tram may actually not be running this late? Idk I guess we will find out.) update: trams stop running at 1:00 am. Lesson learned, cab hailed. 

Here are the highlights of Amsterdam so far: 

Best part of the day(s): Despite some personal reservations, Leah and I bought tickets to the Sky City Music Festival as soon as we found out back in June that Avicii and other DJs were performing. Leah had a wish to go see Avicii or someone like that while we were on our trip and as luck would have it, he was actually playing the day we would be in Amsterdam. She was ecstatic while I was secretly dreading it as I am not a huge fan of electronic music, dancing, or outdoor all-day festivals. It turns out that I was very wrong. We got there at 7:30 right before Afrojack was beginning. Europeans definitely know how to party and this festival was an incredible time. We both had a blast and got to see Afrojack and Avicii.  The shows were full energy, people were dancing/fist pumping in mapris (man capris), jorts, and frat tanks and everyone had a great time. Did I mention the almost constant stream of confetti, smoke, and pyrotechnics? And to top it all off, the last song of the night was a mix of a Coldplay song. I was in heaven. So much fun that it makes me want to find other similar events in Berlin. I will post some videos on Instagram to give a good idea of what it was like. 

Fist pumping!

Pyrotechnics!

Confetti!

Jorts!

Fireworks!

Best thing we ate:   Leah's guidebook recommended a restaurant that sounded pretty cool as it did not have a set menu but featured specials that changed daily. We thought it would be a neat culinary experience so we set off to find it. Unfortunately, the address we were given turned out to be a pot shop and since we didn't have an appetite for weed brownies, we went to the place across the street, Stout.  It ended up being a phenomenal dinner. We sat outside for a couple of hours and leisurely enjoyed their tasting menu which consisted of five small appetizers, five small entrees, and five small desserts. It was a fusion restaurant and we could tell there was an Asian influence. It was very delicious and fun to try so many different dishes like octopus, Peking duck, best risotto, and mackerel croquette.  

Worst part of the day:   On our first venture out, we found ourselves in a very touristy part of the city walking amongst a vast amount of people.  All of a sudden, we saw a man running through the crowd with people chasing after him. A teenager yanked the backpack off his back and the man was continued to be chased by police officers. Apparently he had tried to steal the teen's bookbag. Good news is the kid snatched it back from him. Bad news is we were a little paranoid to walk around that area now but so far so good.

Bonus highlight:  despite a torrential downpour, we stuck it out and stood in line for an hour to visit the Anne Frank house and museum. It was totally worth it and I really enjoyed seeing where they stayed during their two years in hiding. It was an emotional museum but I would highly recommend it for any visitors. The line to get in is long but you won't regret it. 

Torrential downpour. I'm soaked at the moment while waiting in line but actually happy bc the temp had dropped 10 degrees. Leah, not so much. 

Another major bonus is that we are here during Gay Pride week.  Leah and I are both LGBTQ Allies and this has been great to experience the pride events. Participants are everywhere and having a blast and we are having a blast taking it all in. 

Today was the big Pride Parade and we managed to find a really great spot on the canal so we could watch the pride parade. It was fabulous complete with choreographed dancing, bubbles, and Cleopatra. Videos will be posted on Instagram if you're interested in checking them out but here are some photo still highlights: 

Cleopatra in all her glory. Clearly the Egyptian themed float was my fave. 

So much pink:

Reenactment of Blurred Lines video:

Synchronized dancing:

Most awkward moment: Late night last night can be classified as a series of awkward events. Leah and I went down to the Red Light District and witnessed some Amsterdam "entertainment" that basically left us with this expression the entire time and that's all I'm going to say about that...

When trying to leave the RLD,  we attempted to hail a cab. A car stopped that didn't have a taxi sign on top and I told him to just keep on going when he rolled down the window and offered us a ride. I'm pretty sure that would have ended badly. And don't worry mom, we hailed a legitimate cab and got home safe and sound. 

Quote of the day:  "What accents do we trust and which ones do we not?" After seeing Taken a few times, we decided it's good to have a schema of who is "safe" and "not safe" to talk to. Guy in random car = not safe. It's worked well so far.