Hamburg Has A Lot More Than Just Hamburgers

In order to visit a dear friend of mine, my first German friend actually, I traveled to Hamburg for a weekend. I was always told it is the prettiest city in all of Germany. And although it was quite interesting, and nice, the conversation and friendly company trumped it all.

Hamburg is a port city, and was quite vital during the war. Now, the city still uses its port, and the waterways have been deepened for larger ships and cruise ships. The city love its art, and there is an entire theater dedicated to the German version of the Broadway show, Lion King. The city feels young, smaller than the other major cities in the country, and bordering on a quirky urban vibe. I liked it.

The city is not laid out in such a way that one can walk to all the cool, touristy things, so we took the train. Which is elevated for the most part, and you get a great view of the city.

New building for the Hamburg Philharmonic

There are also many parks and such that one can sit, have some ice cream, boat, or fish. 

But the best part of Hamburg, was the friendship I found, a friendship that despite multiple countries and almost 7 years, hasn't deteriorated at all. As we travel and have our unique adventures, we inspire the other to continue to live and grow. Or at least, she inspires me. She is my dear heart, and I firmly believe I would have never traveled to Germany if I hadn't met her (my first trip in the winter of 2008 revolved around visiting her). 

And we had our moments. 

Such as stumbling upon a Scientology church. The first one we have both ever seen. It was closed (thankfully), and kind a creepy. 

And hot chocolate and cake for breakfast, in an, interesting, area of town (if you can, look closely at the pink sign in the background). 

Weekend travels like this, make me realize what my time here is really about. Not to add more and more pins to my world map, but to nurture and grow the relationships I have from the love of travel, my love, and other's love of travel. Crossing off the Van Gogh Museum and Tower of London of my bucket list is all well and good. But what is more rewarding, and more entertaining, is sitting for hours in a cafe gossiping about high school, detailing recent adventures, and laughing. 

A big thank you, to my dearest German friend. 

P.S. And yes, I did have a hamburger in Hamburg. It was one of the best I have had here, but not up to the standard of a Waddells or a Kobe Beef. And I was one of the few in the restaurant to be eating it with my hands, most were using a fork and knife. 

Damn Good Amsterdam

I currently live a two and a half hour drive from the center of Amsterdam. 

Little grey line shows the route. About the distance from Spokane to Moses Lake. 

So I have been. Twice. 

The first was for a big party celebrating the royal family, Kings Day. As it was the first time there has been a King in the Netherlands since the celebration was first, uh, celebrated a few generations ago, it was even a bigger party. With lots of orange. 

Why orange? Well, although the flag of the Netherlands is red, white, and blue, the royal family are a apart of the House of Orange-Nassau. Hence the color orange. 

The second time I went to Amsterdam, I traveled with just one friend, for a quick museum tour weekend. The bus left Friday evening and pulled into Amsterdam right before sundown.  We found our tram, easy peasy, and found the next tram easy as well. We got off at the right stop, crossed the street, and started counting house numbers. When we arrived at the correct one, we were standing in front of an interesting looking souvenir shop. No hostel, no hostel shuttle that we were supposed to catch. We asked a tour bus driver, and after getting a "no", we stood looking around, tired, and confused. My friend spotted an unmarked white van that had pulled up and was perched half on the side walk. She waltzed right up too it, the driver asked her name, and slid open the door. The scarify cat American in me nearly vomited out of fear, but the budding European climbed right in and sat next to a Spanish man with dirty khakis. We wound through the streets of Amsterdam, onto a freeway, and through the old tulip fields to our hostel. The small building of about 20 rooms was situated in a small town, about 500 feet from the beach, squished between 4 star hotels. The air smelled of ocean, and after dropping our stuff we ran to the water. 

Which I found out, is the Nordsee, (North Sea) not the Atlantic. So I still have yet to see the Atlantic. 

The museums we visited were two of the most famous ones in the entire country, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank Haus (House). Both were well worth the trip, time, and money (although the tickets really weren't that pricey). 

 Statue of Anne Frank, in the courtyard before the street that has the house

 The front of Anne Frank's House (her father's office)- Middle building. the building to the right is part of the museum. 

 Church behind Anne Frank's house, where she could hear the bells. 

"IAMSTERDAM" Sign next to the Van Gogh Museum. 

But the best part of Amsterdam is not the museums, or the history, or the food, it is the atmosphere. Amsterdam is completely unique. And I strongly advise anyone traveling to Europe to make a stop. The inner city area is easy to navigate after you study the tram and bus maps, reference them to the street maps, and count how many canals you need to cross. The inner city is laid out like a wagon wheel, with the spokes being roads and streets with trams and such. In between each road is a canal, with water taxis, private boats, tour boats. Sometimes the streets are one way. Other times they are not. 

First rule of Amsterdam, know where the hell you are going. Second rule of Amsterdam, not an issue if you get lost. We discovered ice cream stalls and stationary shops down narrow alleys. Stumble into the red light district and you see scantily clad women standing in full length windows, texting. The smell of weed and fries is ever present down the side alleys, but not so on the main streets. 

Sculpture on the ground near the Red Light District. The girls are mainly down skinny side alleys, with the main streets filled of bars and cafes (yes, with weed, but also with amazing fries and waffles). 

Nearly naked girls? What? The World Cup was on, so everyone (except American accented college aged guys) were watching the game.

Third rule of Amsterdam, do not, ever, walk or stand in the bike lane. 

I firmly believe there are more bikes than people in this small country. And if bikes ever turned into human eating zombies, the Dutch would die off first, and very quickly at that. 

And everyone is friendly. Amsterdam is one of the most touristy cities I have ever traveled too. I heard more American English there then I did in London, Berlin, or anywhere else. We also heard just about every other language from countries with an airport. 

Store keepers ask your name and where you are from, then continue asking "what should I really see in America?" (I always answered with San Francisco and a road trip down the Pacific Coast). 

If you plan to be in Berlin, Belgium, Paris, London even, GO TO AMSTERDAM. It is one of my favorite cities now. Everything is said in Dutch and English, sometimes with German or French. The people are incredibly happy and friendly. The shopping is great, the food better, and the atmosphere cool and chill. And as the city was not destroyed during the war, it oozes history and cool architecture. 

Go, book your ticket, I have a great recommendation for a hostel on the water.