Well friends, Karma is real. Let me back up the story just a bit and explain why. Last night at 9:15pm, a new roommate arrived. She had a lip ring and had an air about her that just screamed “cool girl.” She wanted to explore the city and find a certain coffee shop that doesn’t just sell coffee (if you know what I mean. It is Amsterdam after all). I was in pajamas and decided I’d go with her. Totally last minute and totally not something I would do in a foreign country. However, in Amsterdam, there is a tolerance of public drinking and other recreational activities. Almost as if they are desensitized from an early age to just tolerate it. As we were walking, she asked me about the other people in the room. I gave an honest review of them (it wasn’t good). The other people in the room were two obnoxious American girls who don’t understand that other people are sharing this space with them and no one wants to hear about how the one girl made out with some dude and now “wants to die.” She was clearly being over dramatic so I don’t feel bad about not taking her seriously. These girls even hooked up with guys from the hostel so that tells you a lot about their self esteem. Anyway, for the 2nd day in a row, the Obnoxious Ones were talking while other people were sleeping. They slept through their alarm and were going to miss a bus back to wherever they came from. Secretly, I was happy they were being punished for being idiots. Rude people will get paid back. Karma is real.
Today I’ve woken up with a pretty small but painful bug bite. I don’t know what creature bit me but my finger has swollen up and is throbbing. My first stop of the day is to the drug store to get some anti-inflammation medication. Afterwards, I head to The Pantry for traditional Dutch food, hutspot. It is mashed potatoes mixed with other vegetables and shredded beef. And it is amazing. Notice the cup of ice in the picture as well? I asked the waiter for some ice to stop the throbbing/swelling of my finger. He was kind and even winked at me when he brought it over. If you don’t know Dutch people, they aren’t overly flirty. Rather dry but refreshingly honest.
With lunch over, I had no real plans except to go shopping. The weather is a chilly <65 degrees and I’m from California so that literally means “death from freezing” to me. Also, I sent clothes home early on the trip that were meant for this kind of weather. I thought with the heat wave all of Europe was on fire. I found 2 shirts and some pairs of socks. And cheese; I found the cheese shops. This is probably one of the best cities to be in. You can walk around and smoke marijuana (for those that partake, of course), there are cheese shops with samples upon samples to try and every where is an adventure. I really like Amsterdam.
And now for the real reason you clicked on this blog: The Red Light District field trip. Just kidding, a few more adventures before I tell you about that. After my day of walking around consuming massive amounts of cheese, I came back to the hostel to relax. I was hungry when I woke up from a nap and decided to go find a post office box to mail a postcard and to find some food. I stumbled upon a Mediterranean restaurant and had some pretty good Greek food. And then, dear readers, the waitress comes by with a shot of Ouzo. Apparently, the really attractive, older gentleman a few seats away at the bar bought me a shot. And as I raised the glass to say “thank you” to him, he exclaimed “oompah” and we took a drink. Don’t worry. I didn’t go home with him. I didn’t even go sit next to him. I was uber self-conscious of the fact that I have a huge pimple on my face, that I’m wearing ugly travel clothes and that I might have spinach in my teeth because of the spanakopita. I decided to write today’s blog post in the hostel bar with a pint of beer and a nice wind down of the day. Until I ran into my Cool Girl roommate (Sneha). She wanted to take a field trip to the Red Light District and she didn’t want to go alone. I totally understood because I’ve been wanting to see it and I didn’t want to go alone either. And in pouring down rain, lightning and thunder, we ventured off to find the Red Light District.
We certainly found it all right. And it is true. There are women, scantily clad, standing in windows beckoning men inside. There were no men in the windows either. And there were a lot of people staring down the merchandise. It was weird to walk by and lock eyes with a woman. I tired not to look but I am curious and I am on a field trip of research. After having seen enough, we walked back home. Tomorrow is supposed to be the coldest day of all so I’m most likely not venturing out too much unless it’s for food. Then I have to. We don’t want to see me hangry.
There She Goes... 