One More Chapter
A twenty two year-old's view on life, death,
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
5/21/2015 0 Comments VERY Overdue Update #1: AmsterdamI have been neglecting this blog a bit and while I do feel a tad guilty, I feel like it's justifiable because I'm busy doing some pretty amazing things. For instance, right now I am in Cannes, France where I am interning at the Cannes Film Festival. This experience itself warrants multiple blog posts, but I figured while I'm sitting at the desk at work, with nothing to do (the festival is coming to a close so most clients/buyers are heading home) I could start to play a little catch-up. So, that brings me to the topic of this entry: AMSTERDAM I went to Amsterdam back at the end of March with one of the other students in my program, Eric. It was a short weekend-long trip, but definitely plenty long enough to get to know and experience the city. If I were to describe the city in four words it would be: TULIPS, CHEESE, SEX and MARIJUANA. During the day in Amsterdam you may not notice the way in which it differs from most other cities you might visit in Europe. The only hints towards it's legendary liberalness might be the many Hemp-flavored souvenirs in the small gifts shops on every corner or the occasional scent of marijuana smoke if you walk by a "coffee shop" as the door is being opened. Other than that, walking around in the day you will see bikers, canal boats, lots of flowers being sold at large markets and, of course, tons and tons of amazing cheese shops. If you go for a stroll through the red light district during the day, yes, you will see prostitutes and sex shops, but they seem so mild compared to what you might see at night. The entirety of our time in Amsterdam was spent dodging the rain that was constantly coming and going. Yes, it was annoying, not there is not positive side it to. It sucked. It's hard to really get a feel for how cool of a city it is when you're cold and wet. Many a time we thought about going to the Anne Frank House but then changed our mind because the line was just so long. After a few days we said, "screw it, if we don't do it now when will we get another chance?" So we got in line and prepared to face the elements for about an hour. That one hour in line easily faded into an hour and a half and then two hours. By the time we had inched our way into the tiniest museum I've ever been to, I couldn't feel my fingers and I was shaking from the cold. My hair was wet (the wind kept blowing off my hood) and I was close to insane. But, nevertheless, we went in. It was quite a moving experience, and I'm glad I did it, but I'm not sure that it's worth waiting in like for two hours and almost dying of hypothermia - so keep that in mind people! We checked out some other museums, like the Van Gough Museum, which, while not the cheapest thing out there, is an awesome place to go. It's quite a trip to see so many priceless paintings that we've seen replicated thousands of times on posters, t-shirts and on television. It's a great place to go, but one thing to remember, Amsterdam doesn't cater to students the way that some other European cities, like Paris, do. We had to pay for everything that we did. Which is a bummer since we are poor college students. We spent one of the nights walking around in the Red Light District and I must say it's quite a trip. First of all, do not go here on a cute little family vacation. You will be scarred for life and will never be able to look at your parents the same way. Plus, you wouldn't be able to really appreciate how cool it is. I mean, you walk through the streets and there are doors lit up with girls on display acting way to casual. They are drinking coffee, texting people, and just chatting with each other through the doors. ummm...what?! Yes. There are sex shops, sex shows and sex for sale everywhere. Lights are glowing, people are bustling through the tiny streets and man do you smell the weed. But I think the strangest part of it all is that as you walk in and out of the small streets that are lined with the girls, you walk by every sort of person. I saw elderly woman, small children and everything in between as they too wanted to get a peek at just what the buzz is all about. In the end, though, my favorite part was the hostel that we stayed in: LUCKY LAKE HOSTEL The place was by far the coolest place that I've ever been. I kept saying every time we'd wake up in that beautiful place that I wished I could simply leave everything behind and move there forever. I'd love to spend a few months living and working at that hostel. Perhaps in the future that dream will become a reality. Who knows. Basically, instead of a building with a bunch of rooms, the hostel is completely outdoors. It's like a campground in a way. Instead of a "room" you stay inside small campers (unless you want the slightly less expensive bed in a small cabin, which is what we did, and it was really really nice still). These campers are painted all different bright colors and one was even converted into a small theater! Then, in the mornings you get up and eat the breakfast that they provide in the breakfast bus. It's literally a school bus that has been converted into a kitchen and dining area, with a few picnic tables outside under an overhang that you can sit at as well. The place was a dream and I was, to say the least, obsessed. I recommend that everyone go there. Just do it. And the would shuttle us back and forth to the Metro every day for free. Song of the Day"Scotland" by The Lumineers
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About This Blog:I started this blog as a way to challenge myself to write more over the 2014 year, but it has blossomed into so much more than that. I use it to let people in on what's happening in my life, talk about things I find important and to spread the news about amazing people, places and art. Archives
November 2017
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