Oh, Amsterdam

I wish I had more time in Amsterdam. That's my biggest complaint.

Other than far too little time to see and do everything we planned, Livy, Emily and I had a fantastic weekend in Amsterdam. Seeing Livy was great -- Thanksgiving really made me miss being back home, and spending time with a friend from Atlanta was the perfect remedy. We had planned to meet in Amsterdam months prior to our separate study abroad departures; it was surreal for the long-awaited reunion to finally happen.

Although Amsterdam isn't very big, we got hopelessly lost again and again (try navigating your way around canals and streets with names like Zanapaderkstokken). Unfortunately, due to our poor navigational skills and the fact that we had less than two days there, we didn't get to visit many major tourist sites -- missing the Anne Frank house was the biggest let down -- but we did make it to the Van Gogh and Rembrandt museums.

Amsterdam is such a bizarre and interesting city. As Livy noted, the fact that it isn't car-centric adds an entirely different feel to the place. Bikes dominate the streets, canals run alongside roads, and it's really difficult to tell when sidewalks end and bike lanes and tram tracks begin. All of the buildings are meticulously symmetrical although many of them are now leaning from age. Locals are really friendly and helpful. Instead of bars and streets being packed with drunk partiers, places are populated by chilled-out stoners, which creates an entirely different atmosphere. In the red-light district people walk past women clad only in underwear without batting an eye.

It seems like almost everything in Amsterdam is a little off, different for the sake of being different. While walking home last night we passed a garbage truck on the street. A man hopped off the back and, instead of emptying the trash can by dumping it into the back of the truck, he began to suck up the trash with a giant vacuum-like hose. It was the most bizarre, ingenious invention I'd ever seen being used in everyday life. That moment summed up Amsterdam perfectly for me.

It's easy to forget that some people come to Amsterdam for reasons other than drugs or sex, as it's become so associated with those vices. It's an absolutely gorgeous city. The canals are charming and reflect light beautifully. There are amazing museums and stunning buildings. Of course, social norms in Amsterdam are completely different, and it's extremely interesting to witness.

I just wish I had more time. A return trip, perhaps?

No pun intended. Haha.