Amsterdam

The minute we arrived in the city, we felt it... this energy that is Amsterdam... More than any other city I have visited, there is a feeling you get in Amsterdam... it has something to do with the light, the bicycles everywhere, the openness of the people, the embrace of an alternative culture.

I think this is one city that truly is whatever you make it because everything is accepted here... so, of course, they are the most famous for the sex and drugs, but it is more than just that. There is this celebration of people with all of our differeneces and none of the judgement to accompany it.

Annika and I spent one afternoon just walking around our favorite section of town, looking in all of the shops. Every shop was a piece of art, beautifully decorated with the merchandise... clothes, books, journals, food, household appliances, really anything you could image. As we walked down the narrow cobblestone streets lined on either side by water and trees and cafes, we realized that each of the shops must have started out as a dream... they were all beautiful and creative and funky, each with a personality all their own. Sometimes we would smile to each other when the owner matched the shop...

We stopped for lunch at an organic vegetarian restaurant, and, I can't believe that I am saying this or that it is even possible, but the hummus there was better than even The Grit... :) We sat at a table on the sidewalk and watched the people ride by on bicycles... I think we saw every type of person imaginable: men in tuxedos, the tails flapping in the wind; parents with children strapped in the bike as well; students, old people, young people, people with dogs running beside them and people with dogs in a basket on the bike, peole dressed up, people dressed down...

We also toured the Anne Frank house and the Picasso museum... Both very interesting... My favorite part of the Anne Frank house was the end... they showed a clip of a controversial social issue in a cinema, and everybody pushes a button next to their chairs to assert their opinion on the matter... I know that everybody knows that I love to talk about social issues and have strong opinions on almost everything, and after spending the past year in school discussing every topic imaginable, I thought I had a good understanding of my personal political views... But many of the issues, I found myself very divided on... it was a really interesting experience... The whole time I was thinking what a great exercise that would be to do with students, especially teenagers...

The whole weekend was just wonderful... The best part was getting to spend time with Annika... She is one of my favorite people of all time, and I am constantly amazed at how similar we are, despite growing up on opposite sides of the world.

Tomorrow, we are off to Paris for the weekend (Wow... I never thought I would be able to say that :)

Signing out until next time...