amsterdam.

so now, after another obscenely long delay, it is time to talk about amsterdam.

just some young ladies, sitting in a shoe.

 over a month ago, i ventured to the city of aggressive cyclists and space muffins with my dear roommate taylor and our friend elise. took the night train again and became friends with a lovely swedish couple. i had another experience this weekend that confirmed my great appreciation for the swedish. they look very similar to danes, have many of the same habits, but want to get to know you much more aggressively than any other dane i've met. this particular couple chatted us up for a great many hours and shared some swedish easter soda with us. and then showed us pictures of their children and pets on their iphones. then took a video of all of us in the train car. sweet people.

we we we so excited.

once our train rolled into the station, we hit the ground running (errr...rolling. bah. pun.) with a bike tour. our guide took us all over the city, showing us all the major sights. honestly, i think bike tours are the most awesome thing. i can't rave about them enough. they're fun, they're a quick way to see all the major sights, and they give you a good understanding of the lay of the land. i think i'm going to be a lifelong advocate.
i was told amsterdam is a city best enjoyed by wandering the canals, so wander we did. and we had our first taste of dutch cheese. holy canoli. the stuff is unreal. and this coming from a girl who usually wants to implode after eating dairy.
we bought tickets online for the anne frank house (BEST DECISION EVER.) so we got the skip the line. absolutely the best way to go. it requires you to show up at a specific time but saves you one to two hours of miserable line time.

the museum was incredible. so powerful. very well done. the tour takes you through the house as it was when the frank's were hiding there and you're guided by plaques with just the right amount of text and large quotes from anne's diary on the walls.
the tour ends in a room with some general frank family paraphernalia and world war II artifacts. then you're ushered into a room showing a video highlighting modern day forms of discrimination. the whole experience is very sobering and extremely educational. i absolutely loved it. i just read the diary of anne frank this weekend. finally got my hands on it from the DIS library. that girl just reaffirms my opinion that society underestimates the potential of young people far too frequently. sure, she had her whiny, self-centered moments, but she also wrote with a level of introspection and philosophical understanding well beyond her years.

nomnomnom.

i don't like posting pictures i didn't take, but i found this one far too moving not to share it with you. this is otto frank in the secret annexe after the war. i had to buy a postcard of it.
the anne frank house is conveniently located right down the street from the pancake bakery. and we were in need of a pick-me-up after the museum. nutella and cherries on a whole wheat pancake? don't mind if i do.

the next morning we made our way to the van gogh museum but stopped along the way at the i amsterdam sign on museumplads for a photoshoot. insider tip: at 10:30am on a sunday morning, there's virtually no one at the sign. our pictures contained minimal amounts of randos. donecheckdone.
again, we got our tickets ahead of time for the van gogh museum. another wise decision. zipped right in there and began perusing. fabulous museum.

ALL THE FLOWERS.

i heard a lot of mixed reviews in the weeks leading up to the trip. some people think it's great but others are pretty disappointed because it houses very few major works. instead, it includes some of his earliest pieces to give complete coverage to his progression as an artist. i thought it was phenomenal. i left feeling like i had a greater understanding of van gogh's art instead of just having looked at famous stuff.
we found our way to some lunch after the museum, did some more wandering, visited bloemenmarkt (the most famous flower market in holland), and lounged in vondelpark until it was time to make our return to the station. however, we didn't board the train before stocking up on bread, jam, and three wheels of dutch cheese. it made for a lovely dinner.

 a special shout out/shower of thanks to my high school friend monique. this fine lady studied in amsterdam last spring and stayed for the summer so she provided me with a rather extensive list of things to do during my brief time in the city. i feel i can safely say her suggestions made our time what it was. thanks, monique!

now enjoy a few more photos of amsterdam. because we all know how much i love weighing my posts down with pictures.

that's all, folks.

kærlig hilsen,
kati

p.s. before we left for this trip, sweet taylor had a birthday. there was a fine little shindig in celebration and an impromptu photoshoot in our matching outfits. i feel i would do both of us a disservice if i failed to share at least one of the products of said shoot.

we decided this one looks a little like a birth control ad.

ok, now i'm really done.