"Who Would Ever Think That So Much Went On in the Soul of a Young Girl? " - Anne Frank

Our trip to Amsterdam was an absolute success! Almost everyone in the European Studies group flew to the Netherlands to spend our first three-day weekend in this wonderful city.

I basically did not go to sleep after High Table on Thursday night since I had to be up at 1:30 AM to catch the 2 AM bus to Heathrow Airport in London. Needless to say, as I stood on the corner of High Street and Queens Lane in the frigid air and dreary rain, sleep-deprived at 2 in the morning, I was hardly in the mood to go to Amsterdam. To make matters worse, our scheduled bus with our reserved seats sped by the bus stop without picking us up. We were forced to split a taxi between a group of six which was hardly cost-friendly.

It was an early Friday morning in the Heathrow Airport...

Once we arrived in Amsterdam, it took us a rather long time to figure out where our hostel was and how to get there using the tram system, but we found it eventually and were settled in in no time. Speaking of trams, I have two complaints about Amsterdam: 1) everything is ridiculously expensive. Between meals and museums, my wallet is suffering. 2) the city is full of inconsiderate bikers that will run you over before you can say "strudel." When you dodge the bikers in the bike lanes, chances are you'll jump right in front of a hurtling tram and then you're forced to duck and lunge your way across a whole street of various kinds of motor vehicles.

I AMSTERDAM in Leidesplein

Anyway, we were constantly busy this weekend, going from one museum to the next. We started at the Rijksmuseum that displays artists like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and de Hooch. It was grand collection of beautiful paintings by northern European painters. We also visited the van Gogh museum that was absolutely gorgeous. The musuem is expertly organized so you can see the progression of his style from dark, somber paintings, to the vibrant and loose masterpieces for which he is best known. The Anne Frank museum was also very striking. The story is so painful to hear and walking through the "Secret Annexe" just made it even more poignant. To be hidden indoors for such an extensive period of time and to be turned in to the gestapo by an anonymous call...such a tragic story for a girl so young and talented-- one of many, to be sure. On a sillier note, we also visited the Heineken Experience museum which was a lot of fun. There was a virtual simulation of how the beer is made, bottled, and transported. It was really neat to learn about the history and marketing of such a huge company. For dinner on Friday night. Carrie, Maggie, and I were very adventurous and tried Indonesian food (evidently it's very good in Amsterdam, compared to other places). It was delicious! Very flavorful and spicy soup, spring rolls, and meat and rice dishes. Yum! Oh! I forgot to mention that we briefly walked through the Red Light District in broad daylight (don't worry, Momma, we were quite safe). I mean briefly. It was quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable situations I've ever experienced and frankly made me feel very sad as I couldn't help but think of Fantine in Les Miserables. I hope I never find myself back there again, but I'm glad I went for the experience.

Outside the van Gogh Museum

While Amsterdam was a blast, I am so ready to curl up in my bed in my little room in Oxford and to wake up to a nice cup of tea tomorrow morning. A cup of tea that does not cost 4€.