Our flights all went good minus any really good sleep but we connected great in Dublin. We got to AMS on time to a partly sunny 50* day.

The first thing we did was find a train ticket station. It cost around $5 each for a train ticket from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal. Then we caught a tram that took us exactly 1 block from our hostel. We are in a little room with 3 bunk beds so there are 3 other people with us in the room but we haven’t had time to visit much. The hostel has 3 stories up very steep “Amsterdam” stairs. Theres a fridge and microwave and a living room for everyone to use. We dropped our stuff off and went for supper to a place called Pizza Heart.

Then we walked. Everywhere. It cooled off a lot so it was chilly. The canals have some ice on them and the bridges over the canals have string lights on them that are beautiful and make the water glow. There is so much architecture just in where we walked tonite. The palace of Amsterdam, cathedrals, government buildings. We stopped at a bakery and bought me stroopwafels which are me best thing ever and jalen a waffle and Morgan an open faced sandwich of some kind. There are lots of cheese shops too so we went in a couple and sampled cheeses. They have big fresh wheels of all kinds of cheese in the windows. The flowermarkt had closed but we went into some shops along the canal that had hundreds of different kinds of tulips for sale. They are so awesome.

There are so many tall houses just bunched together exactly like you see in pictures. The streets are mostly cobblestone and pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way here. Bicycles do. There are thousands of bikes everywhere that people are riding or you can rent. There aren’t very many vehicles and most of the streets are room only for one car. When you hear the bike bell ring you know they mean business because nobody really stops at any intersections unless there happens to be a tram in the way. Its quite funny. The canals have little boats on them you can take tours on or some people have boats tied up in the canal in front if their house.

I’ve noticed that the people here are definitely younger and more hip than some places. Scarves and long coats with boots are what the ladies wear and the men wear darling hats and scarves as well. Its funny to think that we are all here walking and living and working together on the same earth as each of these souls I saw today. And while it is a magnificent earth, it is always clear as we travel that many many people have not reached out to God. I’m very thankful we have such safety.

Well its just past 9 here but we are exhausted. I’m laying in the bottom bunk listening to bikes on the street outside and I’m pretty happy. Goodnight.✌