De Nederlands Part 1

     Our journey from London to Amsterdam went according to plan, thank goodness. After reuniting with our good friend Jara at the train station, we hopped onto a smaller train to Haarlem (about 15 minutes away) where she lives. We were so grateful to be able to stay with a friend and Jara was the most amazing host. We seriously cannot thank her enough. She took off all three days we were there to show us the best parts of Holland and she made amazing home cooked meals for us every night! She also bought a few traditional Dutch snacks for us to try, such as breakfast cake, a kind of gingerbread cookie (so good), and black licorice drops.
     So after we stopped by the market and enjoyed the amazing dinner Jara whipped up for us (fajita flavored chicken on tortillas with tons of veggies), we got cleaned up a bit and headed down to a neighborhood pub to meet up with a few of Jara's good friends and have a few drinks. Everyone was so kind and funny. We had a great night and didn't feel like tourists at all. And we made some new friends which is always a bonus!
     The next morning, we woke up bright and early for a full day in Amsterdam. We started at the Anne Frank House which was incredibly moving. Walking through the building and standing in the rooms in which 8 people lived in hiding for 2 years was a surreal feeling. Anne's actual diary was on display along with many other pages of her writing. We would highly recommend visiting this museum if you ever get a chance. It gives a very strong connection to the book and further insight into what it was like living in constant fear at that time.
      We met up with Jara at a cafe and relaxed with coffee and hot cocoa before setting out in the rain. We are really unlucky with weather so far on our trip. But no matter! We walked down a street lined with flower market stalls and cheese shops and enjoyed the beautiful buildings, bridges over canals, and a crazy amount of bicycles.

Bike Parking...

     We headed over to the Van Gogh Museum to be further awed and amazed by his many masterpieces. We stopped for lunch before walking through Vondelpark and the Red Light District. It felt strange to see the groups of men peering in at the windows with small red lights and even stranger to see the girls sitting there ourselves. The reality of the situation is very sad. While young women can choose to enter into this profession themselves, it seems as though the majority of them are from different countries, especially from eastern European countries, and sex trafficking is a major concern. There are several campaigns fighting to end trafficking and working with the government to lessen the chances of vulnerability and exploitation.

The Greatest Tour Guide

      This part of the city is extremely beautiful, however, and interestingly enough, the safest area in Amsterdam due to the increased presence of police. It also finally stopped raining by this point so we were able to further appreciate the beauty. The leaning and crookedness of some of the buildings due to the water over time was really interesting to see. We loved hanging out in Amsterdam, but we were eager to get back and dry off.
      Jara made us an amazing chicken pesto pasta and we watched some clips from the video she made as an exchange student at our high school. It was so fun to reminisce and watch the hilarious/adorable clips of us from our junior year. So crazy that 5 years have already passed from when we met Jara! It was about time we payed her a visit.