So we didn’t sleep great last night. Also the man snoring above jalens bunk didnt help. He’s from Sweden we found out and is very nice. But the day was sort of cloudy and chilly and exciting so we went for a croissant breakfast and then went to rent bikes. Renting bikes was the best thing we ever did. Cost a bit and they give you the smoothest roadie bikes with little bells and a lock and chain because 80,000 bikes a year get stolen here the man said.

So we first rode out to Amsterdam Centraal and took our bikes on the free ferry across to Amsterdam-noord which is the wharf and industrial area where they have lots of art on old warehouses and shipping containers. There was so much graffiti and paintings! The one to the entrance is of a colorful Anne Frank with a caption that reads “let me be myself”. We rode our bikes through and looked at the paintings and then took the ferry back across.

Then we rode across town to the Albert Cuyp Market which is a whole cobblestone street filled with vendors and tents and lots of smells. You can buy raw fish, shoes, food, clothes, toys, fabric (not the good kind ladies) and basically anything. We ate lunch at a place called Bozz where the guys had burgers and I had Dutch beef croquettes that essentially are a beef and mashed potatoes paste with fried crumbs around it. You butter bread and eat it like a hot dog. Whatever you’re imagining it tastes like is probably wrong. It was very unique. Back on the street we tried mini pancakes which are a huge delight here apparently. I find them a delight as well and think they taste way better than our regular pancakes but the guys didn’t seem as enthused. They are about the size of a half dollar and have butter and powdered sugar on them and they are so darling.

After the market we went to this amazing place called the Rijksmuseum. Its in a very classy old huugee building where you drop your coats to ladies in the cloakroom before starting through the museum. There are 3 floors with different eras featured on each floor. I can’t explain everything we saw. Van Gogh paintings, Rembrandts famous “Night Watch”, dragons head canons acquired from the Java War with Asia in 1825, old china dishes, guns, and a priceless pure diamond stolen from the sultan of baghdad in a war. There was so much history there and we spent a couple hours wandering around there.

Then we came back to the hostel for sleep cuz we are still on Cali time. I talked to 2 girls who are in our dorm with us for awhile. They are from Croatia and gave us some good travel tips on berlin. We went to another little pizza place (its cheap & easy people!) for supper and biked through different areas of town. Got coffees and came back to the hostel and repacked cuz tomorrow afternoon is on to the next city. Also now we aren’t tired cuz w slept earlier so it’s 1:20 am and we are all awake. But goede nacht for now. 🌙