Amsterdam

Oh man, Amsterdam. We started off our first day in Amsterdam with our pack on our backs and no place to stay. Getting off the train I was instantly overwhelmed by the tourist focused center of the city. We decided to chill out on a bench in front of "Beer and Babes" bar, while we figured out our next plan of action. We figured having internet might be beneficial to figure out where to go. We found this tiny hole in the wall bar/cafe with THE COOLEST bar tender. The internet wasn't working so he just gave us his iphone to look things up, and was so helpful in telling us where to go and what to see. Our main goal at this point was to find a place to lock up our pack and then rent some bikes for the day. After talking to the bar tender we were directed to one of the tourist stores which then agreed to lock up our packs if we rented bikes from them. Double Win. We were able to rent bikes for 24hrs which took care of both our needs.

So we set off on our bike ride. Not having a place to stay that night we figured we could just ride out of town and find a place to camp for the night. So we took off and rode through the city. Amsterdam kind of reminded me of a one night stand. Just a hot mess all around. The architecture of the city was absolutely awesome, but when riding through there was so much trash and beer cans everywhere it was hard to enjoy the city. At one point we literally washed a woman hose cigarette buds across the street. A broom would have taken far less time and been far more effective. It made no sense. However, being able to rent the bikes was awesome and we got to see most, if not all, of the city. As we made our way out of the city we found a great place right by the canal where we laid out our sleeping bags and slept for the night. We woke up the next morning and made our way back to town.

When in Norway our friends had used couch surfing in France and had recommended us to use it. So while there we had sent out message to people and we got a response in Amsterdam. His name was Robert, and for the most part it didn't seem like he was going to kill us in our sleep. After meeting him my affirmation was confirmed as he was super stoked to host us and so helpful in helping us around the city. Plus we got a free shower, couch to sleep on, and a kitchen to make some pasta- which after only eating peanut butter for a whole week was very much appreciated.