~ Amsterdam ~

Rijksmuseum
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This adventure began with the much hesitation.

Picture if you will: me - a thin, 5' 4", 114lb lady - traveling alone at night, transfering trains in a desolate station and carrying on to Amsterdam on a night train in a compartment with six strangers. This did not meet my usual safety and comfort levels and was definitely not my ideal travel plans; however, one must take risks in the face of opportunity. The opportunity:  traveling in Europe, within a narrow time frame. Who knows when again I will have such an opportunity? The plan was to meet up with Jenny, Sylvia, and Whitney in Amsterdam and then carry on from there to London. These girls would be arriving in Amsterdam, from Brussels. We had coordinated our train arrival times so that I would arrive just half an hour before them, and then wait for them at the front entrance.

.. day or night, you know why those curtains are closed.

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My train rides to Amsterdam were surprisingly pleasant. Both trains were on time, and I did not get stuck with any 'weirdos' in my compartment; not the gothic drunks who i waited with on the platform, nor anyone like the man from Eurotrip- 'Scuzi, Mi Scuzi'. My compartment mates included: a nice Australian couple, a quiet Danish girl, and a generous and friendly Saudi Arabian man and his son whom we all got to know quite well. The trip went relatively quickly as we (mostly the man and his son) shared stories and slept.

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Upon arrival, thirteen hours after leaving Aarhus, I was happy to stretch my legs and get a bite to eat at the first place I saw: Burger King. I soon discovered, though, that our plans would not go as smoothly as planned: the train from Brussels had never left and my friends would be at least an hour late... which then became two.... and I had no way to contact them (as their Danish phones didn't work in The Netherlands).

Also, Amsterdam Central station had more than one main entrance, which caused us to keep missing eachother after their train did arrive. We finally met a few hours later in our hostel room- everyone exhausted and a little frustrated.

Gorgeous Fall Canal View
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The next day, brought much excitement. We visited Anne Frank's House, the Van Gogh Museum, and enjoyed dinner at a Hard Rock Cafe. The rest of trip included walking along the canals, shopping down narrow streets, visiting the famous red light district, getting lost and exploring churches, and other monuments.

Everything you have heard about the red light district is true- day or night, you know why those curtains are closed.