Amsterdam, Day 1

Street View from Front Door

 So far, so good. I left my water bottle in the empty seat next to me on the airplane. Jason left his suitcase full of gear on the tram(he found out the tram drivers loop and return ever hour, so he waited an hour and lucky for him, his suitcase was still there). Sean thought he was pick-pocketed.

 Street View from Front Door

We found a great bar/restaurant on our corner and had delicious lunch there. We made friends with the bartender and he marked on the map all of the places we should go, and all of the touristy places we should avoid. After that we tried to find some thrift store he recommended, but ended up walking in the opposite direction and found ourselves at an outdoor market. From there we ended up at another bar, one the bartender had recommended and made friends with that bartender. He gave us more places to visit.

 View from Apartment Window

The Dutch so far have been very kind to us. The houses all tilt or lean in crazy directions. And they all have incredibly narrow staircases, which are very difficult to navigate. The houses all have hooks attached to a rod that hangs over the roof. The hook is so people can set up a rig for moving furniture in and out of the apartments, because they'd never be able to fit it in the staircase.

 View from Apartment Window

The houses here all have large windows and no one closes their blinds. You can see inside while people are eating dinner, or hanging out in their living room. Everyone here is so blunt. Or maybe we Americans just aren't used to such levels of openness.

 View from Apartment Window

We ate dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant on our block. After that we went for a walk around the neighborhood. So far we have all proclaimed our love for Amsterdam numerous times and said that we are never coming back to Baltimore. On our walk I found a bar that carries my beer. We're going to try going there another night. Or we're going to find another bar that carries it.

View of Bedroom

Tomorrow I am planning on seeing some of the sites in town on my list. And taking plenty of pictures.