H-i!

I guess Amsterdam is the climax for most travellers,
but there's better beyond the party in the city, which
shouldn't be missed.

First off, I had a 6am flight out of Madrid, which I
purposely chose so I could wouldn't get shafted for
accommodations over the weekend in Amsterdam.  So I
ended up sleeping the night in the airport, still
fighting off luggage thieves making weak attempts as I
dozed off.

I ended accidentally finding some place ironically
named The Last Waterhole in the Red Light District. 
And relative to the places I've been to, it was pretty
ghetto.  12+ person dorms, with showers not cleaned
since it was built.  

Central Amsterdam is pretty nice looking, with many
canals, old architecture, and no high rises.  Only
problem is that it's under construction everywhere
now, and there's piles of sand and construction
material at almost every corner.

The Red Light District is what's expected, and it
looks really business-like, the way everything
operates.  It's pretty seedy at night, with lots of
drunk and rowdy English guys.  I went on a lone
15-minute walk at night, and was approached by 10
people to buy cocaine.

It's a better chill in the coffee houses, or weed
joints, 'cuz the atmosphere is relaxed, and there's a
variety of atmosphere (music, ambience) to choose
from.  And of course, the weed - pure and strong.  I
was actually chilling with 3 stoned Canadians for half
an hour, before we realized we worked at the same
Nortel location last year, and were actually teammates
on a softball team last summer!

The best part was getting out of Amsterdam for day
trips.  I went to Zaanse Schans, 20 minutes away from
downtown to check out windmills and quaint landscape
and houses, and it was really all that.  I also went
through clog factories, and cheese making places.
There's also a further trip to the city Alkmer, which
rolls out tons of cheese every Friday morning.

However, I think Holland is overpriced.  You get
charged for every little thing - washroom (even if
you're eating at that joint), ketchup on your fries,
and bread for your hot dog!  Yeah, I ordered a hot dog
and was pretty surprised to just get a wiener....!

Next stop: Germany's castles.

Jesse