As if an entire week of planes, trains, and automobiles wasn't enough for the three of us, we booked a weekend hop over to Amsterdam the weekend after our return from Spring Break. We also had tickets to see Macklemore in concert there on Sunday night.
The beauty of living in Europe is that a weekend to a city like Amsterdam is totally doable! We left right from school on Friday and made it to Amsterdam for dinnertime. Our apartment was cute and conveniently located near several restaurants. The best part of our Amsterdam eats though was breakfast!! Rorey found an omelet place on Saturday, which I am not usually a big fan of but these omelets were amazing. Then we went to a yogurt bar another day. A little more my style and incredibly delicious!
I had signed us up for a bike tour because 1. I love bike tours and 2. It's Amsterdam! You have to ride a bike. We found the bike place and then killed some time exploring what was around. We stumbled past a shop displaying oreos, poptarts, and more in their front window and going in to see more was not even up for debate. The place had all kinds of American treats that haven't made their way to Latvia yet. Of course, they were all nearly the double the price you would pay in the states, but can you really put a price on mint oreos? (Apparently, yes. They were 8 euros.) We later discovered there were several of these stores throughout the city and we eventually stocked up on nerds, reeses, warheads, gum, and even oreos.
The bike tour was great! Bekah opted out because bikes in a PACKED city aren't her thing. There were times during the tour when I thought she had the right idea. People, bikes, cars, motorbikes, and tiny sidewalks make for a bit of a kerfuffle at times. But in the end, I loved it. Our guide was a bit new to the touring gig and would sometimes blast off ahead of the group. I think he also missed a stop or too and may have blanked on some info. But he was a cutie and even joined Rorey and I for the mid-tour break where he kindly answered all of our questions about life in Amsterdam.
On Sunday we had pre-booked tickets to the Van Gogh museum. Quick tip: book online ahead of time because that line was ridiculous! Same for the Anne Frank house- we couldn't even pre-book because those were sold out. The museum was nice. Again, packed full of people. I think Amsterdam might win for the most crowded place I've visited. It was really interesting to learn about his life and see so many of his pieces. I think I like the temporary exhibit on the other side of the museum more though. hehe. It was about prostitution in French Art from 1850-1910. It explained who several of the women were and what life in the brothels and in general was like back then. I know it sounds odd, but the exhibit was actually really interesting.
After several photo ops, we had time to check out the Heineken Experience too. It was a quick trip through the brewery, I think Rorey and Bekah cared more about getting the free beers than anything really. Of course, they got mine as well, so that's an added bonus. Then it was back to the apartment for some dinner and then to the concert.
Rorey is a huge Macklemore fan and it was her dream and idea to go to the concert. We decided to go big and got the gold ticket. Little did we know that actually scored us front row spots! We were standing behind a guy during he opening acts and then just before Macklemore came out, he left and we quickly moved forward! Even knowing only a few of his songs, I really enjoyed the concert. He was a great entertainer and has lots of interesting stories to share. Plus, we were front row!
I wish I could say our amazing adventures continued on Monday morning, but after another phenomenal breakfast and some market shopping, I went back to the apartment to do some work. It was reports time and we had just finished a math unit. Not to mention this was the fourth consecutive weekend I'd been out of Riga. So, the last day wasn't as glamourous, but it was a great trip still.
The beauty of living in Europe is that a weekend to a city like Amsterdam is totally doable! We left right from school on Friday and made it to Amsterdam for dinnertime. Our apartment was cute and conveniently located near several restaurants. The best part of our Amsterdam eats though was breakfast!! Rorey found an omelet place on Saturday, which I am not usually a big fan of but these omelets were amazing. Then we went to a yogurt bar another day. A little more my style and incredibly delicious!
I had signed us up for a bike tour because 1. I love bike tours and 2. It's Amsterdam! You have to ride a bike. We found the bike place and then killed some time exploring what was around. We stumbled past a shop displaying oreos, poptarts, and more in their front window and going in to see more was not even up for debate. The place had all kinds of American treats that haven't made their way to Latvia yet. Of course, they were all nearly the double the price you would pay in the states, but can you really put a price on mint oreos? (Apparently, yes. They were 8 euros.) We later discovered there were several of these stores throughout the city and we eventually stocked up on nerds, reeses, warheads, gum, and even oreos.
The bike tour was great! Bekah opted out because bikes in a PACKED city aren't her thing. There were times during the tour when I thought she had the right idea. People, bikes, cars, motorbikes, and tiny sidewalks make for a bit of a kerfuffle at times. But in the end, I loved it. Our guide was a bit new to the touring gig and would sometimes blast off ahead of the group. I think he also missed a stop or too and may have blanked on some info. But he was a cutie and even joined Rorey and I for the mid-tour break where he kindly answered all of our questions about life in Amsterdam.
On Sunday we had pre-booked tickets to the Van Gogh museum. Quick tip: book online ahead of time because that line was ridiculous! Same for the Anne Frank house- we couldn't even pre-book because those were sold out. The museum was nice. Again, packed full of people. I think Amsterdam might win for the most crowded place I've visited. It was really interesting to learn about his life and see so many of his pieces. I think I like the temporary exhibit on the other side of the museum more though. hehe. It was about prostitution in French Art from 1850-1910. It explained who several of the women were and what life in the brothels and in general was like back then. I know it sounds odd, but the exhibit was actually really interesting.
After several photo ops, we had time to check out the Heineken Experience too. It was a quick trip through the brewery, I think Rorey and Bekah cared more about getting the free beers than anything really. Of course, they got mine as well, so that's an added bonus. Then it was back to the apartment for some dinner and then to the concert.
Rorey is a huge Macklemore fan and it was her dream and idea to go to the concert. We decided to go big and got the gold ticket. Little did we know that actually scored us front row spots! We were standing behind a guy during he opening acts and then just before Macklemore came out, he left and we quickly moved forward! Even knowing only a few of his songs, I really enjoyed the concert. He was a great entertainer and has lots of interesting stories to share. Plus, we were front row!
I wish I could say our amazing adventures continued on Monday morning, but after another phenomenal breakfast and some market shopping, I went back to the apartment to do some work. It was reports time and we had just finished a math unit. Not to mention this was the fourth consecutive weekend I'd been out of Riga. So, the last day wasn't as glamourous, but it was a great trip still.
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