Amsterdamage Control

After calling it an early night at the White Tulip Hostel, we checked out the next morning and walked down the street to the pleasing smell of waffles. We were waiting for family friend, Christine Turner, as she caught up on rest from her long flight  from the States. Stationed in the back of the restaurant was a hostel lobby area where we would catch up on our blog, use free Internet, and watch enough MTV Jams to hold us over until returning to Garrett’s basement in Annapolis. It was getting later in the day and we were eager to meet with Christine so we left the free scent of waffles and moved onward to the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

We arrived at the hotel and were instantly greeted by Christine, as she was just walking out of the lobby to come looking for us. After a warm welcome of hugs were exchanged, we made it up to her lovely room where rum and cokes and plenty of snacks silenced our hunger. Endless amounts of cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, and mixed nuts never tasted so great. An toast was made and Christine continued to present essentials to us from our families back home as we exchanged a few gifts for her. A bottle of chardonnay was another exceptional present we received from Christine, working out perfectly for our long train ride to Stockholm. After we traded our goodies, we shared some stories of our adventures and Christine shared one with us. Hours before her flight was projected to land, a man in the back seat of her plane had a seizure. After the plane searched for a medic or anyone capable of helping the man, an undercover security Marshall took charge to manage the situation. The convulsing man had been treated with the necessary fluids and was instantly back on his feet in good standing. Surprisingly, as they reached the gate, the man was able to walk off the plane unattended and journey his way into Amsterdam medic free. We hope this man is ok. 

Regardless, other funny stories from the 4^th of July were swapped and our hunger was satisfied. We then began to plan our night and dinner reservations. Christine kindly relayed several dinner options to us but we could not decide on one in particular because they all sounded delicious and any food was perfectly fine at that point. We left the hotel and knew that walking around the streets would surely bring us to a nice restaurant that Christine had recommended. We made a reservation at an Italian restaurant called Casa di David as we continued onward to a nearby bar where we were again treated with a tasty beer. After joyfully watching the Amsterdam city traffic of enraged bicyclists and car drivers, we headed for dinner.

We were seated at a nice window table that looked over one of the many beautiful canals. Our Italian waiter anxiously approached us and firmly inquired for our drinks as we ordered a couple of beers and a glass of wine. We looked over the unique scroll of a menu and consulted one another over the variety of great options the restaurant had to offer. Our waiter returned for our order but quickly left, as we were hesitant to make a choice. We quickly developed a meal plan and were on our toes and ready to present our order. Moments later, we received a salad, bacon and parmesan pasta dish, and a large ham pizza sided with a bottle of red wine. Lastly, we enjoyed a tasty desert of Tiramisu. Thank you Christine!

After this great meal, we took back to the streets and captured several pictures before heading back towards the Crowne Plaza Hotel. On the way, we ran into two of Christine’s friendly flight attendants that were on her flight and we felt it necessary to grab another beer at an Irish Pub next to the hotel. After sharing stories and explaining our trips mission of spreading democracy, we received a call from Garrett’s friends that were in town. We promised the ladies to bring our friends back before we went out for the evening so we met with Matt, Tyler, and Ari at the Flying Pig Hostel and returned back for a quick hello. Following our cocktail at the Pub, we left with Garrett’s buddies from Dartmouth and headed out on the streets for the Red Light District to see all that Amsterdam had to offer. Our first stop was at a nearby bar called Black Tiger where we toasted drinks “for the boys” and got completely rejected by the attractive bartender to get in one of our pictures. “What will I get from taking a picture with you guys?” she sighed. Her time was up and we were back on the streets in full force. After making a pass through the Red Light District, we decided to hop in a cab and transport to another bar called Paradisio. This small box of a bar was pretty overhyped as we found ourselves with another cheers with the boys before heading back to the Flying Pig Hostel for another round of drinks and a farewell goodbye to the Dartmouth crew. We may or may not have poked our heads into a sex show at some point in the night.

We arrived back at Christine’s Hotel early in the morning without having the chance to lie down on the comfortable beds and said our thanks and goodbyes. Christine’s hospitality and generosity was unbelievably helpful to our trip. Seeing our family friend, receiving dinner and drinks, and chatting about current happenings back home in Annapolis was greatly appreciated. This was the perfect supplement for us prior to leaving for our train to Stockholm.