Dag from Amsterdam

As you have read on this very blog, Edinburgh is a marvelous place here once can have a new experience each and every day and not get bored once. So, naturally, the first thing I did when finishing exams was fly to another country, the Netherlands (or Holland, if you prefer) This is my first stop on my 2 week mini tour before I rest and then return home on January 5th. Soon, I will be heading to Paris and then spending Christmas in a small English town before returning to Edinburgh, possibly doing some day trips, then staying in America. That will be the first time in more then half a year I will be in America for longer then a month.

But you aren’t here to read a list, I presume. No, you’re here to ‘hear’ witty commentary from a student traveling abroad! Or look at pretty pictures. Whichever comes first. So Amsterdam… I came there for the architecture, and stayed there for the friendliness…. Honestly! If Edinburgh is full of wonderfully kind people who would gladly help a tourist from one part of the Royal mile to the next, Amsterdam is full of people who would save a you from drowning in one of the many rivers. Re-reading that sentence, I can safely say I didn’t get into college for my metaphors.

I’d say Amsterdam is a mix of Dubrovnik and New York, with a dash of Las Vegas as well, if that helps you picture it. There is plenty of modern architecture, but plenty of wonderfully and perhaps painfully picturesque apartments and churches that seem to have been ripped right out of a postcard. If that doesn’t fulfill your need to see pretty things, museums dot the landscape; form the Van Gogh museum to the Anne Frank museum. Well, that last one is not art, but it is definitely something you cannot miss if you visit. You can explore the bunker the young Jewish girl and her family shared for a few horrifying years, and learn a great deal about the life of Jews during the holocaust. It is nearly impossible to get through with a dry tear, especially at the end, when you realize that Otto, nearly completely alone in the world, helped put the museum together so ‘young people can analyze the horrors of hatred’.

Because this blog is supposed to be family friendly, the next few paragraphs will be presented as subtly as possible (bearing in mind that I’m not at all good at that, according to the poor souls once subjected to my high-school poetry.) Yes, there red light district is very active in Amsterdam, and yes, one can find many interesting substances in certain areas as easily as one could find a fashion magazine. I was caught off guard during an awkward moment while on a public street, passing a shop that showcased young women in the windows striking poses next to a toy shop. Other colorful shops that would often have blinds covering their wares were fully displayed on the main streets. No one seems to be badly effected by this openness, and as I’ve mentioned, these areas are relatively crime-free, but it still may be a shock for new travelers, and especially for people traveling with their children (oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation).

However, Amsterdam is also a very family-friendly city. The nearby parks were full of families with rickety sleds sliding through the fresh snows (which I perhaps would have enjoyed if it had not delayed my flight an hour, or maybe I’m just bitter because I didn’t bring a sled). The dogs control the parks here much like in New York, to the point where it seems they were built for the dogs over people, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

It is frighteningly easy to get lost, as the streets may change their names erratically, there are plenty of side streets, and bridges crossing the many streams look similar. Thankfully, if you get very lost, the tram and metro are easy to use, but even then, why worry? The city is very safe, and each time I got lost, which I assure you, was most of my time, I simply wandered around the streets and found many new things to occupy my time with, be it a trendy shop or museum, or simply watching the people walking by, like the slightly creepy woman I am. The city is incredibly beautiful at night, as there are lights on many of the higher buildings and bridges, and now there are holiday decorations on every street. If I were younger, I’d perhaps be a little disturbed by the plentiful plastic life-sized Santas that greet each passerby with an eerie smile.

Pictures, as usual, will be posted eventually.

Happy Holidays, and thank you for putting up with my incredible smugness.

Sincerely,
The weird traveler with a thick American accent.

London Photos (Too many, perhaps)

A quick rant.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to be just a wee bit serious for the beginning of the post, followed by a mood whiplash. I've been very luck studying in Scotland, it's a very safe place, and the worst thing that can happen to you is slipping in the rain or being attacked by a drunk man in a kilt... which is rarer then you think. A lot of people study abroad in fascinating areas, with Europe and Australia being the most popular for some people. However, two wonderful people I know are studying in Istanbul.

Usually, I stanbul is a very safe place, as many of my Semester at Sea friends will know. IU recent;ly went to Lodnon for awhile, another popular area for study, for good reason. like Istanbul and Edinburgh, it is an area where young people flourish with their education. If you've been paying attention in the news, you know where I'm headed. If not, I'll shorten this nonsense rant.

On July 7th, 2005, 52 people were killed in a rash of suicide bombs in the London underground. This past Monday, 32 people were inured by a suicide bomber in Taksim. thankfully only two people are in critical condition. From what I understand, my friends are okay. But for everyone studying abroad, or even those back home, please wish the victims well. I hope soon suicide bombs can be a thing of the past.

Harry Potter, and The Cafe's Bathroom

Want some updates from Scotland?

Alright. They won’t actually be normal updates, but then again, I’ve proven beyond a doubt I’m not normal.

Ghost tours. I love them. And there are plenty here in Auld Reekie. Not only do they make you miss out a few more hours of sleep, but they tend to delve into the history a bit is well, even explaining what Auld Reekiemeans(not a polite dinner conversation, mind you. On many, there’s a screamer at the end, however, one tour I went on had no screamer. Not a fake one, anyway. While passing through a public street mid-way through the tour, a member of the group spotted a young, thin college-age woman climbing out of the window of her two story flat onto the very thin window sill below.

Inside, one could here incomprehensible screaming from what I presumed to be her female flatmate. The girl tried to climb down, but a mix of our own screamed warning and the fact there was nothing below her feet made her stop. She turned around, and said hi, before climbing back inside the window, though not before the tour guide called the police.

We also have had the pleasure of a quirky fire alarm in our flat. Now, my flat is pretty good, considering how close it is to the designated freshmen buildings. I have nice roommates, a nice view, and a darn decent room. The neighbors haven’t tried to kill me yet, which I always consider a good thing, and it keeps the property rates up too.

But one minor thing about it did get bit annoying yesterday. It seems we have a very sensitive fire alarm. So sensitive, in fact, all one needs to do is glare at it, and it sends the whole flat into chaos because it’s scared you may do something wrong with your grill. So, we had a small on at 5pm, then another at 7. Tings got bad when we had one, at, let’s say, 2AM. Thankfully, the people handling the situation were there in 5 minutes (good work, guys!). My flat mates were a bit worried when one person in our flat didn’t come out of her room during the whole 20 minutes, and began contemplating if she died due to shock. Thankfully, it turned out she was out buying ice cream.

Anyway, all seem fine and dandy after that. I was fast asleep, dreaming of gumdrops and lollipops and whatever else girls my age probably dream about. When a mysterious ringing started in my dream. Perhaps the chocolate palace was on fire, I thought? As it continued, I realize that none of my chocolate dream companions were on fire, yet the sound kept growing louder and louder.

I awoke with a start, muttered a few choice words to tell the world what I thought of it, grabbed a sweater, and ran outside, where the rest of the block was waiting. We were all used to it now, and far too tired to actually care, so there was no chaos, and very little discussion. All the jokes we could think of had been worn out the previous 3 times. Then someone said one of the RAs was stuck in the building. We considered making a rescue team to go back into the noisy building, but deiced we were too tired to. Turns out, he was asleep in another flat.

Long story short, the building was never on fire, and I hate our fire alarm.

Also, have some pictures. The usual gamut or Arthur’s seat and Edinburgh in general. “But Alice,” you say in annoyance, Why are there blurred-out pictures of Graffiti about some weird person named J.K Rowling?” Well dear reader, don’t fret – I haven’t ended up in an insane asylum where I need to scrawl out words of warning to the warden James Kevin Rowling… et. The Elephant house is a popular café in Edinburgh. The tea is good, but the posterity is even better. Yes, this is the same café where Mrs. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book in relative peace when she was a nobody and tourists wouldn’t stop her on the street all the time. The photos are blurry, sorry, but I hope you can see some of the great quotes fans have adorned the bathroom with. Perhaps the bathroom is a portkey, or a portal to Diagon Alley? Hmm….

Good Yontiff, Pontiff

This will be a short post, just an introductory one to Edi.

So it seems the pope will be visiting Edinburgh tomorrow, bringing crowds of fans, and blockages throughout the city.

So, Pope. We meet again. some of you may recall my last fateful meeting with the Pope at Rome a month or so ago. Well, it seems, the Pope has come back, and now only one will come back alive.

So, in real news, Edinburgh is great. Cold, but great. The Scots are nice, and the 75% of the city who aren't Scottish aren't too shabby either. The University, you ask? Well, it's about a week in, and I haven't had classes. Fresher's week and all that. But I am excited for the classes. I'll miss sleeping late and wandering aimlessly around Edinburgh though (then again....)

Pictures? Yes, I'll get pictures. I live almost literally right next to Arthur's seat. Haven't gone up there(logically, being the closest thing, I think it'll be the hardest thing to visit).


Can you tell I wrote this post a wee bit late at night? Well, I'll finish by sending a nice song from Scotland.

R.I.P Charlie

10 months ago 36

A boy once said,' People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''

The Six-year-old continued,' Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

I love you Charlie. I will miss you very dearly.