Exploring Amsterdam

Hello (bam!) this is (bam!) Eli (bam!) in Europe (bam!)
Sorry for all the noise, I'm writing this post a few hours before new years in Amsterdam, and the fireworks began long ago and are getting louder as midnight approaches. But that's something for my next post, which will be in 2014! (Amsterdam time)

I AMsterdam

Yesterday was our first full day in Amsterdam, so we decided to visit some of its most famous museums. We took a tram to museumplein, Amsterdam's main museum district. When we were there, I took a photo with the famous I AMsterdam sign. Upon arriving, we saw a massive line that snaked around the Van Gogh museum. That was the line for ticket holders, which we were not. We decided to check out another famous museum, the recently reopened Rijksmuseum. We had the same issue there, and realized that we would have to buy advance tickets in order to be admitted into any museum. Except for one.

Me and E

My dad. my brother, and I walked to the Heineken Beer Museum, arguably the least educational "museum" in Amsterdam.  (There is at least one museum for every naughty thing you could do in Amsterdam.) While waiting on line, some people across the street from us lit off fireworks. It was 2 PM. This foreshadowed New Year's eve. When we were finally admitted, my dad and brother were given green wristbands that allowed them two beers. I was given a red wristband that allowed me water, Fanta, or Pepsi.

The Heineken Museum turned out to not be the least informative museum in Amsterdam. I learned about Heineken's yeast,  the beer-making process, and an interesting substance Heineken puts into beer called "wort." The museum had the famous Heineken horses, as well as a corny simulation ride in which one gets turned into beer.

Stroopwaffel, a Dutch specialty

After the Heineken Museum, my dad, my brother, and I met my mom and my sister, who had visited the fashion district of Amsterdam. We met at the famous Albert Cuyp market, we had everything from clothes, to unidentifiable meats, to souvenirs, and more. There are hundreds of stalls and there is something for everyone. We bought some cheese, a stroopwaffel (dutch specialty- two thin pancakes with syrup inside) and some vietnamese food.

At the library. "I geek reizend"

After this, my mom and I visited the Openbare Bibliotheek, which is the number public library in the Netherlands. Spanning six floors, it has books in English, Dutch, French, and many other languages. While in the library, I saw a poster that asked "wat geek jij?" Next to there was another poster that answered "I geek sushi." Next to that was a chalkboard with the words "wat geek jij." From these clues, I deciphered that 'geek' means something like 'enjoy.' I decided to look up how to say "travelling" in Dutch. The result was me writing "I geek reizend" on a chalkboard in a public library in Amsterdam.

Light structures!

Following this, we went on the Water Colors Canal Cruise of Amsterdam. This canal cruise explored all the light structures built for the holidays by international artists. We also explored the canals of Amsterdam, which gave us another perspective of the city.

For dinner we went to a homey Italian restaurant recommended by our hotel. After a filling dinner of lasagne, pizza, and risotto, the family returned to our hotel ready for the new years festivites of the following day. Well, we thought we were ready.