As I predicted, this past week was comprised of continuous homework. I was in class or studying or at the gym for the 16 hours that I was awake for 4 or 5 days. It was actually a very comforting feeling. This is what we are all used to in Boston and when we don't have ridiculous amounts of work and lots of deadlines, we don't really know where to put ourselves.
Part of the reason I was fighting to get so much done was because I just got back from Amsterdam! Was there for the weekend. If this email seems a little convoluted, its probably because my brain doesn't know what to do after losing half of its brain cells. Aside from the obvious, Amsterdam is an incredible city. The architecture there is unlike anything i've seen before. Its almost like the facades (front's of the buildings) are set up like a movie set. Like something out of Universal Studios. As well as that, I have never experienced such a liberal city.
I'll start with Friday night. We didn't arrive until quarter past midnight and were ready for a night on the town. There were three of us from Rome: Dennis, Julian, and I and two from Madrid: Devon and Dobs. We quickly realized that most things close by three am and we were definitely too sober to still be awake. We hit the sack early to be up by 9am the next morning. We all met up at a coffee shop (Dobs and Devon were being romantic and got a hotel together) and then decided to get to the Guinness Factory. Amsterdam is made up of a very confusing maze of roads and canals and we only had a very vague and out of scale map to go by. We got very lost on the way to the Factory but when we eventually found it, it was completely worth the hour's walk. We did the "Heineken Experience" and it was about an hour tour around the factory. However! It wasn't just any tour, it including a free pint of beer, a simulator ride, and a few REALLY cool rooms clearly geared towards the less than sober.
After that, we decided to walk to the Anne Frank Museum on the other side of town. We were halfway there, saw a sign for pancakes and all of a sudden, our curiosity about the living quarters of little Jewish girls during the Holocaust completely dissolved. We had a feast of Dutch pancakes and then fell into a food coma.
A two hour nap later, it felt like we were starting a completely new day. We decided to just walk and see where the city took us. Low and behold! We walked straight into the red light district. Anyone that knows me knows I was dying to see a Sex Show. Just out of curiosity I swear! But no one else wanted to so I was forced to move on. I have to say that the women standing in the windows is a like a catalog for skeezy men. It must be so boring to be one of those women though. And surprisingly, most of them were very attractive. I did see a few that were definitely men, but even they were attractive. We kept walking and came across a Mexican restaurant. We shared nachos and I got a very authentic quesadilla. It definitely made me miss home. After that, we were all beat after a long day and we got to bed at midnight. No dancing or talking, just a pure, adulterated 9 hours of sleep. Glorious.
We woke up the next morning to check out and meet Dobs and Devon for pancakes, again. They were amazing, again. Think really large crepe topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, copious whipped cream, hot fudge, and pears. YUM. Then Dobs and Devon had to leave for they're flight and Julian, Dennis, and I headed to the Children Museum. On the way, we found a really cool library and crossed a really cool footbridge. The museum was on the water and shaped like a ship. I can't remember the architect (slap on the wrists) but I do remember studying it in one of my classes in Boston. We picked up some Dutch fries (thick cut and topped with cheese) on the way to the train station and then headed to catch our plane.
Our flight was really short and I slept the whole time. Not to mention, KLM airlines is amazing. I was going to attempt some work tonight but I need to go to bed instead. My parents and best friends (minus Aurel) come this week and I need to get as much done as I can before they get here. I have also just joined the gym and can't wait to get back into it. It was really expensive but after one workout, I already realize how much I miss the endorphins. And Pilates in Italian turns out to be pretty interesting. My foot's still a little out of it so hopefully I can get in a physical therapist appointment in before everyone gets here.
Hope all is well with everyone.
Ash
Ps. This blog was fairly censored but if you feel that you can deal with the debauchery, I'll fill you in! Email me!
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