Amsterdam and Dublin and Stuff

Hi family! I'm safe and sound in Dublin! It's been several days and I have lots to write about, so I'll start now. Not sure how far I'll get. Also might be to lazy to do pictures right now. But they're on facebook!

So we got back to my apartment real late Wednesday night and passed out. Then we got up Thursday and did lots of cleaning and packing. Then a guy came to inspect my room and said it was good and took my keys away and I was no longer a resident of Amsterdam. :-( I miss my apartment!

Anywho, then we went and did errand-type activities: breakfast at Bagels & Beans, pumped up my bike tires, mailed some postcards, etc. In the early afternoon we checked into our first Amsterdam hotel. The room was nice except it was tiny. Very, very small! But it had English-language TV, so that's cool.

Umm... I think we just chilled that day. Got some foods. Etc.

Friday we went to Zaanse Schans. It was super fun! There were old-timey windmills and houses and things. The windmills are still operating. And we saw how they make wooden clogs and cheese and bread and all sorts of stuff! We also shopped. And there was a museum.

On the way back from Zaanse Schans, we went to Haarlem for exploring/coffee/walking around/dinner. Haarlem is the town after which Harlem is named... in case you were wondering. But the two areas are not very similar. It was really cool that people didn't just automatically speak English there. And there's a beautiful church! And we had really yummy dinner. We got escargot, and I got steak tartare. Mmmmmmmm! And veal stuff too! It was delicious.

Saturday we decided to go to the National History Museum. We went in and got tickets, but then we got distracted by a free concert in the courtyard. It was the university orchestra from Eindhoven. I had a really long, interesting talk with a pianist from their university who was just being a roadie. We sat and listened to good music in the courtyard for a long time. It was really enjoyable. We also went into the museum a few times. Learned some history stuff.

Then we had coffee bitterballen at the museum cafe. Then I think we gradually went to Cafe Americain and had super fancy bitterballen and drinks. Then we went back to the hostel for a while? I can't really remember. But then we went out to an Irish pub for dinner and I got really good beef stew. Mom had fish and chips.

Sunday Mom went to the Van Gogh museum while I attempted and failed to return my bike for money (the place was closed). Then we met back up, ate lunch, and packed. Then I went and hung out with my friend, Krystal for a bit. Then we met up with Mom and we all hung out for a while. Then mom went to bed.

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This morning we got up super early to go to the airport. I had been up all night hanging out with Krystal, and I did not get enough sleep. We split a cab to the airport with 3 Australians. The lines in the airport sucked a lot. But I finally checked my bag, hugged my mother goodbye, and got through. My mom is the bestest most nicest person in the world because she took one of my heavy bags for me so that I wouldn't have to lug it around Dublin (we were going to have to pay for one extra bag either way). I hope it all worked out with her flight. Haven't heard from her yet.

The airport did something awesome that I had never seen before where they put security at each gate, so the line where everyone's pulling out their laptops and taking off their shoes and stuff was much shorter and more convenient and stuff.

I sat next to an awesome Irish couple on the plane. They seemed about my parents' age (like somewhere in between my mom's age and my dad's age... a bit closer to my dad's), and they were on their way back from Africa. When they told me they were from Dublin (before we took off), I asked if they had any suggestions for places to go. They ended up spending the whole flight telling me about Dublin and circling stuff on my maps until I passed out at some point about an hour in. :-p Really good advice though!

So then I got to Dublin, and I took some bus thing from the airport to the city center. Dublin is so cool looking! There are epic buildings everywhere! And statues! You can learn the history of Ireland just by walking in a straight line and reading all of the statues. I walked down a huge street called O'Connel. There was a gigantic pole outside of the epic post office building. I think it goes to the giant's castle in the sky. I saw some important, pretty buildings. Looked briefly at Trinity's campus, and headed to the hostel.

My hostel's right in Temple Bar... like the best spot ever. It's super close to all sorts of stuff (like the castle, christ church cathedral, viking stuff, the water, a bajillion pubs and things, etc.). The hostel seems really cool. They sell all sorts of stuff at the desk... including Heinz baked beans!!

There is, however, a really annoying, awkward dude playing guitar and singing in the internet room/lounge right now, so if I am not making sense it's cuz i can't hear myself think.

Where was I?

I'll write more later, but so far I've done lots of wandering and seen the castle, Chester Beatty Library, oldest pub in Ireland, and other fun stuff. The Chester Beatty Library was so cool! I put a link so I don't have to write anymore right now.

Later dudes!