We traveled by train to Amsterdam this morning direct from Brussels Nord. The train ride was fairly uneventful. We went through lots of country side and had several stops along the way picking up a variety of interesting people. One of them was a girl named Ashmael from Morocco who we struck up a conversation with along the way. She was incredibly easy on the eyes and spoke bits of broken english. We found out that she had been living in Amsterdam for the last four years. Not real sure what she did for a living but, we were able to make very small talk with her.
When we first got on the train I was a bit concerned because there were so many American’s it was ridiculous. But after arriving and getting setup at our place, I realized those concerns were unfounded. Since we’ve been here we haven’t seen a many American’s at all. We’ve actually met more Canadian’s than anything. On the other hand, it might have something to do with where we are staying. We’re staying in a hostel called St. Christopher’s at the Winston in the heart of the red light district. I know you are all probably getting incredibly seedy images in your head right now, but honestly, the area isn’t any where close to as bad as I thought it would be. It’s actually a pretty cool place where lots of young backpackers hang out. It has about a billion bars in the few square miles that encompass the area which mostly stay open extremely late. Sure there is the occasional sex shop and “coffeehouse” every few store fronts, but since we’ve been here I really haven’t felt even remotely unsafe.
The hostel is clean and friendly. It resides above a great little bar called Belushi’s that has two for one specials on various drinks most of the day. The reception area is actually in the bar. The rooms are pretty much dorm style and my travel companion and I have two twin beds with a bathroom that is about 3 x 3. With all that said, it still seems like it’s going to be a great place to stay. It’s also incredibly cheap when you compare it to some of the hotels in the area.
After we got situated at the hostel we took off and headed to the Anne Frank House. We were able to get our bearings pretty quickly (for a change) and find the museum without getting too lost. The whole exhibit was incredibly moving. I read the Diary of Anne Frank several years back and I remember thinking that her words were so profound for a little 13 year old girl. The story is heartbreaking and just being in the location where it all happened really left me speechless. In a way, I feel like the exhibit showcases the best and worst of humanity.
First, you have these people suffering extreme anguish in many forms because of oppression based on who they are and what they believe. A whole lot of people, not only in Germany but in other countries as well, thought that the Jewish people should actually be wiped off the face of the earth. In one breath it makes you think there is no hope for us living in a free and tolerant world. But then you read and hear the words of Anne Frank. Somehow she was able to keep this intensely optimistic perspective on the whole situation. Throughout the whole diary her words show you that she was able to hold on to this hope of a better world and she was able to forgive her oppressors. Even after everything she went through, somehow she hung on to compassion over hatred no matter how cruel her oppressors may have been to her friends and family.
It amazed me that she was able articulate all of this so clearly even at such a young age. The exhibit was definitely all that I hoped for and my travel companion and I had some great discussions about the whole thing.
After that was over we walked around Amsterdam for quite some time just exploring the various neighborhoods. Once again, we got lucky with the Euro Cup and had the unique privlege of watching Holland play against Italia while we were in Holland. The bars were packed with people and the excitement in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. We actually ended up talking with this interesting guy named Adam from Canada at the bar next to our hostel in the Red Light District. He had been traveling for five weeks and was helping to build houses in Egypt and Jordan. He was in Amsterdam on his own for a bit of a layover and definitely shared some great stories with us. For those of you that know me, I’m definitely a sucker for great travel stories so we got along great. After the game was over we wandered around for a bit longer and then headed back to the hostel. It was actually an early night for us and we were in bed by 2:00 A.M.
