J u s t C l o u d s

“And time is on your side, It’s on your side now. Not pushing you down and all around, no it’s no cause for concern“-Coldplay Amsterdam Lyrics

Oh beautiful Amsterdam! On my way to Copenhagen I had an 8hr layover in Amsterdam and decided to venture out into the city with my two friends Ryan and Jenny. So first of all, we get to the airport and wait for like thirty minutes at baggage claim. People got their bags and then we were the only ones there. Confused and worried, we asked one of the employees and we were told that our bags were taken care of and there was no need to pick them at baggage claim. “You guys aren’t used to this service in America,” he said with a smile. No, we are not used to this. It is nice that they do that but it would be nice-er if we had known to avoid the unnecessary wait. Regardless, we were glad our flight arrived 30 minutes early so in essence we were on schedule.

As we departed the airport to take a train into Amsterdam I realized I left my map in the airport locker. Not the best thing to do. So three foreigners+No Map=Adventurous! Looking out the window of the train made me feel at home because the residential areas are pretty similar in architecture…well at least that is how it looked like en route to the city. We also saw about 3 wind turbines within 5 minutes of the train ride. That was awesome! I know I may be over exaggerating with enthusiasm when I mention wind turbines but I have to stress that am so AMAZED!!! Perhaps the reason why I am so darn obsessed with wind turbines is because I do not have one in my community, instead I have 2 ugly almost “haunted-esque” coal power plants that emit huge grey clouds aka CO2, SOx, NOx, mercury, lead etc etc etc. YUCK EWW! Those are just some of the ingredients for respiratory illnesses. Why can’t we have one? If Amsterdam has one then why can’t we?

Anyways, we arrived to the city and luckily came across a big tourist info map, which helped us out figure out which way was North, South, East and West. That was all we needed. Amsterdam’s streets were planned just perfect! They kind of go in a circle and there are small ally streets with all kinds of shops. Whoever planned Amsterdam is a genius…especially for having an exclusive bike lane! Amsterdam is very sexually liberal with many sex shops and rainbow flags decorating the streets. Additionally, there are coffeeshops were smoking marijuana is legal. I came across a t-shirt at a souvenir shop that read “Don’t drink and drive. Smoke and Fly in Amsterdam”. What a clever way to advertise for tourism!

The weather in Amsterdam was very cloudy and rainy, but quite honestly that is what made it so enjoyable. We found a beautiful cafe with big windows so we had our lunch and watched people walk and bike on the street. The rain did not stop people from biking. We even saw a guy biking with one hand and umbrella in the other…rain does not alarm anyone in Amsterdam. The street cars were my favorite! I’m sure there is another name for them but I do not recall…maybe it was called the tram but do not quote me on this. Basically, they are like busses similar to CTA busses but they run on a cable and they have their own tracks. There are so many of these street cars in the city! We didn’t see any kind of car traffic jams. Instead, we saw some bike traffic but not the kind that will give you a headache.

One thing I disliked seeing in Amsterdam was McDonald’s. Seriously…why is there a McDonald’s in every country? Why does anyone even eat McDonald’s? I absolutely dislike eating McDonald’s. There is nothing better than eating fresh fruit and veggies over a big mac. That’s just my opinion. Anyways, there is just so much globalization and it seems to be unstoppable.

I wish I could have stayed longer in Amsterdam to explore it completely such as the tulip gardens, Anne Frank’s House, etc. I definitely have to go back! I’m just so glad we decided to go explore the city and not stay in the airport. Plus, we didn’t get lost! No need to carry a map in Amsterdam…just figure out where North, South, East, and West is on the maps outside the Metro and you’ll be just fine.