February Part 2: London and Amsterdam

So after Mon-Thursday of class I hopped on a bus that took me straight to Victoria Station in London! That nice I purchased an Oyster Card (the card you need to ride on the London Public transportation including the Tube) and found my hostel before going out to eat at a local pub near my hostel. The next day (Friday) was museums! I started my day off with a croissant and coffee at the local Pret store then filled my day with the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Imperial War Museum (where I stayed until it closed)! I then went to meet my UW friend Brendan for shopping on Oxford Street, dinner at Gourmet Burger Kitchen and a quick trip to go see Big Ben. The next morning I had to wake up early to go spend my Valentine’s Day at Stonehenge and in Bath, UK. Being Valentines Day, the 3 other single women travellers decided to be-friend each other and we all had fun checking out the Stonehenge and Roman Baths together. All in all it was a great long day surrounded by beautiful scenery, really cool mystery of Stonehenge, and the gorgeous Roman Baths, which are still mostly intact! I swear the Romans did everything better! Walking in and around the Roman Baths it was truly remarkable to think that so many years ago these people whom we see as more primitive and less educated than us, had truly everything they needed and more. On Sunday I kept my touring of London going with the British museum then walking over the London Bridge to Buckingham Palace where I went to see the exhibition of Prince Albert’s trip to Africa so it was another full day of sightseeing in London! Plus I got to visit with another UW friend Claire for lunch before returning on the overnight bus back to Brussels! All in all a very fun trip to London—can’t wait to return with my parents in April!

So now we get to this weekend where I did only a two day stay in Amsterdam! Since I don’t smoke I wasn’t as excited about going as some others but it was really cool actually! I did rain all weekend so I never got to hop on a bike or boat but just walking down the canal streets was really relaxing. One of the best things I did was go and see the Anne Frank House on Friday night. I got express passes online so luckily I skipped the 2-hour wait that was there when I arrived. The house itself was interesting: it was much bigger than I had imagined it would be when I read her diary (back in 6^th grade I think!) but still, it was shocking how a family like hers was so uprooted and moved is such a foreign concept to anyone today!  The biggest part of the experience was the movie that played on the way out. It was reflections from all big time world leaders, actors, survivors, authors etc. and many of these reflections were really meaningful. The one that sticks with me the most, even after leaving was one of John Green who said: “The book was turned to the page with Anne Frank's name, but what got me about it was the fact that right beneath her name there were four Aron Franks. FOUR. Four Aron Franks without museums, without historical markers, without anyone to mourn them. I silently resolved to remember and pray for the four Aron Franks as long as I was around.” I think this is so poignant because Anne Frank herself is only one story of millions who had the same experience. While also in Amsterdam, I met up with my roommates Stephanie and Nick to tour the Red Light District and go to a Bar/Café. The Red Light District was quite depressing as well. Mostly surrounded by older men and other male tourists we walked through the side street where many women were standing or sitting in little “cubbies” with glass doors in the front and stairs behind. While we only saw two men actually leaving, many “cubbies” were empty. We then went to a Bar/Café where I first experienced smoking ever. It was weird I have to say but we didn’t stay long and soon enough I was back in my hotel taking a hot shower, giving life back to my fingers and toes, and laying my socks and shoes out to dry. Yesterday I walked around a lot, as it was warmer and less rainy than Friday. I went to the Naval Museum, which was really interesting! I got to learn about whaling, yachts, slave trade, and the Dutch Empire (and how it has collapsed). I ended my stay in Amsterdam with traditional Dutch pancakes, the non-sweet kind that aren’t served with maple syrup like US people are used to.  

So today I am here, back in Brussels doing laundry at the Laundromat before starting homework for the last week before finals. Tomorrow I’ll go shopping for food and hopefully also for new shoes because my favorite shoes did break this weekend…however after all the walking I have been doing I’m not surprised at all! If you made it all the way through these two blog post I'm impressed at your reading ability and how much you love me. Anyway there was also a trip to Binche last Wednesday for Mardi Gras that I'll talk about in my next blog about staying home next weekend to study! See you then!