Auf wiedersehen Berlin....and hallo to the cozy, unexpected, and beautiful city that everyone wants to smoke in visit "AMSTERDAM".. This is a city of canals and bridges, LOTS of bikes (it's known as bicycle town) and trams, parks and people, public street bathrooms... And of course, as we all know this city is extremely liberal, which allows for the Red Lights and the Coffee Shops (wink wink...weed shops). As you walk the streets, you can't help but feel scared and excited.. It is a whole different world... and I think I'm liking this strange world awfully too much!
Well on the way to Amsterdam I met a friend at the bus station... I decided to take a night-bus that left Berlin at 11pm and arrived in DAM at 5am, because it was way cheaper than a train ride. Plus I guess I would save money on a hostel because I'll sleep on the bus. Well my new friends name is Joel...Joel Berlin.. which is funny because we are in Berlin, and his last name is Berlin.. which kinda had me confused for a second. He is from Australia, only 19 years old (4 years younger than me, is a lot at our age) black hair, tall, fair skin. He seemed quiet, he was wearing a black leather jacket and carried with him a bag which I called it his man-purse. He sat behind me on the bus, and decided to introduce himself to me after overhearing a conversation I was having with the bus driver, and clearly was happy I spoke his language. He asked me questions about traveling (No, he was not hitting on me). He seemed young, and an amateur at this traveling alone thing, for he has never traveled outside his country before. He was making a stop in Amsterdam before heading to London next week to meet with a tour group.
He confided in me that he had no hostel booked in Amsterdam, and figured he would just find one along the way downtown (Oh thats a big no no, especially in Amsterdam; prices will be way up high if you are lucky enough to even find vacancy) So I suggested that he came with me to my hostel which was called "The Flying Pig in Uptown".. where I read reviews online that it was THE place to be.... (def WASN'T THOUGH)
We arrived at the train station early morning in Amsterdam, and took a tram making our way, downtown, then uptown... which took us about 25 minutes, counting all the little stops we made. We finally found our hostel moments later , nicely located on Leidse Plein (square), a very vivid surrounding with an excellent night life.. Right in front of Vondel Park, and just 200 metres away from the three famous Dutch museums; The Van Gogh Museum, Museum of Modern Art , The Rijks Museum (Really worth a visit is Heineken Brewery because you get free beer).... The Flying Pig Hostel did have place for Joel to stay, and prices ranged there from € 14.00 -€ 32.00 per night. I paid € 14.00 and he as a "walk-in" paid € 32. But he seemed to be very happy about this hostel, while I was terrified, and felt guilty for bringing him to such a hole in the wall. 
I noticed the stairs in Amsterdam are all so narrow, and going up the stairs with a suitcase like mine seemed nearly impossible... I even began to question if large people has to turn sideways to go up stairs because it extremely narrow walls. But the width of the stairs was the least of my worries..... This hostel seemed scary... I'm scared, there is a mixture of Marilyn Mansons and Bob Marleys here... and every body is either smoking pot, sleeping around the place, or eating with the munchies.... It's so quiet, everyone is just spaced out while a LOUD hard metal rock music plays in the background! I'm frighten about my next few days here... and I think Im high from second-hand smoking, maybe its where my paranoia is coming from! I can't help but wonder: "How am I gonna sleep tonight with these craziness around?" You don't even want to know what the room looks like.... even worst.. you don't want to know what the room SMELLS like..... Gross.. So to calm my nerves, I asked Joel to take the top bunk, used all of our covers and made a tent for me on the bottom bunk, to keep me isolated. At this point in time, I miss Brasil so much, the more I travel the more I realize how Brazil is perfectly imperfect and great! We might not have all the technology and money as the other countries but it really is the best one out of all of them! |
| World Famous Coffee Shop |
Anyways my new hostel pet Joel is so sweet! I went to take a nap, and he followed me watched me sleep because he knew I wasn't comfortable being in the room where 8 other people are staying in! He fell asleep too tho, we were exhausted from that bus ride, and it was still 11 am...I woke up hungry and went to wake him up, he apologized for sleeping for so long, he was all tired and didn't want to get up and than I said " it's okay,I'll go alone to get food"... Awww he jumped out of his bunk so fast, he didn't even use the bed-stairs! Lol! He didn't even eat while we were cruising the streets of Amsterdam, he watched me eat, and I ate alot!(Don't get me wrong, I have NO feelings what's so ever for him, we both just felt really lucky and glad to have each other there.)
So wake up Friday morning, and there is this humongous, way more than 500 lbs guy sleeping next to me, he barely fits in the bed, he looks so uncomfortable! I didn't see him enter the room last night, maybe it is because my tent walls made out of bed-sheet blocks my view of our small crowded room! Anyways, I was walking back from the bathroom and that is when I first noticed the free willy guy looked stuck to his bed! He is sloppy big, like one of those guys you would see on Oprah Show fighting for his life! His sleeping faced down and his butt is almost touching thetop bunk mattress! In a way it's good to have a big guy staying in your room, on the bed next to the window, that was he can block all the sunlight that comes from outside in the morning. I can't help but wonder how he got up stairs.. If I rememeber correctly, I was pretty amazed on how narrow the stairs here are.. So I'm not trying to sound mean, just curious, I'll have to stalk him on his way to breakfast downstairs! And oh shame on me for speaking about fatness! I now have rolls in places I shouldn't have rolls in! It's sad! I thank god hostels don't have full length mirrors! I avoid touching my fat or seeing it! And I keep eating!
 |
| Sandeman's NEW EUROPE TOURS |
Anyways the weather here is pretty crappy,,, very cloudy with chances of rain. I will have to buy an umbrella before Joel and I head out for our city tour group.... Yes! I got him to go on the NEW EUROPE TOUR with me. I told him to be prepared because we will do 4 full hours of walking tour, which will be very tiring but yet educational and fun.... He isn't jumping for joy, but he is going because I am going, and the crazies at the hostel all assume at this point that he is my boyfriend, and I plan on keeping it that way, so there is less red-blood shot eyes on me. Well, okay, gotta go now my fingers are freeezing.... I will write once I get to Belgium! 'Doei' my friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment