Last Thursday, Amsterdam came calling and we answered promptly! We flew Alitalia through Rome straight in to Amsterdam. Hilliary and I had to check our bags, so we went to the baggage claim when we got there. Her backpack came right on out...my bag did not, which is hard to fathom since we checked in together. I filed a report and all I could do was wait for some news. So we motored on. After checking in to the hostel, we explored our food options. Amsterdam is such an international city that you could eat anything you wanted whenever you wanted. I started with a bagel and soup. I decided that I should probably invest in some change of clothing since I would be there for 4 days--and who knows if my bag will ever show up. Luckily, Amsterdam also has some great shopping. We went to a second-hand vintage store that sold gas masks. I abstained.
The next day, the rest of the group met us later in the afternoon. We got our bearings just in time to head to the Crystal Castles concert a few metro stops away. It was insane! I had never really listened to their stuff before, but they are quite the entertainment. The lead singer reminded me of Coraline. Kind of freaky. But ridiculous in a way that only Amsterdam could embrace. It truly is a city that has anything and everything anybody could ever want out of life. Seriously.
Saturday, we stumbled upon a carnival that was gearing up for the Queen's Day celebration the following weekend. Orange, the color of Amsterdam, was everywhere. It felt like a European version of the state fair. We rode the tall ferris wheel to get a view of the entire city--beautiful. Afterward, we ate lunch along a canal and went to the Heineken Experience. It was pretty cool! It was a very hands-on type of museum. I helped brew some beer...and then we went on a ride where we got brewed! How creative. The ticket included some beer, so we hung out in the brewery's bar for a little while after the tour. That night, we walked through the Red Light District. It's funny, because none of us felt like that was obscene or inappropriate. I guess I'm embracing that European attitude more each day. And I guess that's how Amsterdam blends it all seamlessly together.
Hilliary and I found ourselves at Anne Frank's house. Such a poignant story. And the house was very cool, too, because Otto Frank, Anne's father, personally guided its development. He is quoted a few times throughout the museum. In the last room, the Freedom2Choose room, Otto clarifies that the house isn't meant for people to dwell on the past, but rather to move forward, forgetting prejudices and bigotry. I think I will try to visit Dachau, a concentration camp outside Munich, this weekend. It could be a nice little parallel.
That afternoon, we had to head to the airport to come back home. I went early to pick up my bag (the airline called me Saturday saying they'd found it. I didn't see any merit in wasting time getting it with only one night left). So I found it. Put my new purchases in and proceeded to check in. Of course, I had to check my bag again. However, due to our 20 minute connection in Rome, none of our bags made it to Florence! All I could do was laugh. I had worn the same clothes for 4 days. No toothpaste. No nothing. But I was home. And that's all that mattered.
Two days later, my bag was delivered. I emailed Alitalia to see what they would do for me. I'm still waiting for a response.
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