Amsterdam Part 3

On Monday, Chris and I planned to go to Brussells for the day. After missing our first train at 0954, we tried for the 1054 train. We ran all the way through the train station  to the second last platform, up the stairs, along the platform, saw our train! And saw it pull away. Defeated and speechless, we decided to go the next day. It was really disheartening.

Anyway, I took this chance to go see the Van Gogh museum. I wasn’t sure how to approach this blog. Tell the truth, Anna’s real thoughts, (her book after all) or dance around what I actually thought and write what everyone expects to read. Today truth has won out.

I’m not into art. But whenever I mentioned Amsterdam everyone went on about the Van Gogh Museum and how I just MUST go.  I spoke to a guy at the hostel about it my first night and he said that I’ll need a good three hours to get through it all. Well wow, three hours!? That’s a whole day activity, fantastic. 

I did not rush through, I read everything and I looked at every painting. One hour. No more time necessary for me. I spent the most time on the ‘Sunflowers’ which I only know because we have it at our house and Mum really likes it. As with most of the places I have been, you’re not allowed to take pictures. So I took some photos outside to prove I was there, bought Mum the ‘Sunflowers’ postcard and was out of there.

I planned to go to the Anne Frank house but I got lost and spent a couple of hours walking around the city. I love getting lost in new cities because it means you see things you wouldn’t normally see and you find things you weren’t looking for. For me, this was the flower market (a lot of tulips), the fashion district and the Christmas markets again. 

That night when I got in, the boys were going to watch the football (soccer) so I tagged along and watched Liverpool defeat Aston Villa 3-1 or something like that. Of course no where near as good as proper footy, but a fun way to pass the time.

Then at the hostel, I killed at a game of pool and some guy got his nose broken. Good night. No, just kidding, I can’t leave with that kind of cliffhanger. So apparently, some guy punched a guy that worked at the hostel and they got into a scuffle and then two paramedics came and then lots of cops came and the cops came in as partners until there were eight of them! Then they treated the guy with the nose and took the other guy away in handcuffs! Not normal hostel activity but exciting nonetheless.

Icy canal

What snow looks like after it's been pushed from the road and onto the footpath