We got up this morning and got ready to return for another day in Amsterdam. We were running a little behind schedule so we grabbed breakfast and headed to the train station. I was planning to make a nice breakfast, but that didn’t happen. Joel and Kyler decided to come with us. As we got closer to the train station, we realized that a train was leaving in a couple minutes. If we didn’t make it on that train, we would have to wait for quite awhile. So we took off running so that we could catch the train. We made it with little time to spare. The train took a different route than I am used to. We were able to see a little bit of the Dutch countryside. Rick and I first went to the museum Our Lord in the Attic. I had been here on my first trip to Amsterdam and thought it was worth showing Rick. With my museum card, I can get into a number of Netherlands museums for free. Also students get a discount.
After the museum, Kyler and Joel met back up with us. We took Rick’s belongings to the hostel where he would stay Saturday night. We then walked through Vondelpark. This is a very popular park in Amsterdam. Since it was winter, there was not a lot to see. But there were many walking and biking paths. In the other seasons, I am sure the park is very beautiful. We then grabbed a quick lunch before our canal tour. This particular tour is owned and operated by the St. Nicolaas Boat Club. This non-profit group restores Dutch tuindersvletten or garden flats. These boats used to carry vegetables and between markets and farms. Volunteers operate the boats and navigate the canals. It is an unguided tour but if you ask questions, the volunteers are happy to answer.
After our canal tour, we originally planned to go to the Anne Frank House. However, when we passed by it on our canal boat ride, the line was extremely long. Our guide also said that in his opinion, it really wasn’t worth the wait or the money. So, we decided against going. We started walking and found the flower market. We walked through what was about a block of vendors selling bulbs, fresh flowers, and souvenirs. We then were going to try to find a general market. Kyler and Joel had found this once on their previous trip. We walked for quite awhile, but they were not finding it. Finally, Rick and I gave up and we decided to part ways. I later found out that Kyler and Joel found the market minutes after we left. Rick and I found a place that makes fresh juice. We tried a mix of pineapple, mango, orange, and passion fruit. It was amazing. The juice was blended in front of us with chunks of fresh fruit and freshly squeezed orange juice. We sat on a bench that overlooked a peaceful canal and drank our juice as the sun was setting.
For dinner we decided to eat at an Italian place. They had pasta, pizza, and more expensive dishes. Since we make a lot of pasta for our meals, we both ordered pizza. It was good. After dinner, it was quite cool outside. We decided to stop at souvenir shops and look around mainly because we wanted to stay warm. We eventually got tired of these shops and were very tired from walking around for two days. We decided to go to his hostel so we could sit down and talk for awhile before I had to return to Leiden. When it was time for me to leave, Rick walked me to the train station. Kyler and Joel left Amsterdam quite early, so I had to take the train myself. I was very surprised with the number of people on the train and how loud they were. But at least it kept me awake. When I got back to my residence, I was a little surprised to see Joel and Kyler still up. We shared stories about our afternoons and then I went to bed.
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