Sorry about the title, I had to. Did I mention I love Amsterdam? If I liked city life enough in general, I could clearly imagine myself riding a bike to work and stopping at a different café every day afterwards. But usually I can't stay in cities for more than a week without feeling a little suffocated. On Monday I very reluctantly went for a run, choking on car fumes and second hand smoke and having to stop at almost every intersection. After that I walked probably over seven miles around the city, popping into every cute vintage shop and specialty store and meandering down every market street I stumbled upon. The clothing, jewelry, and especially food temptations are endless when one spends over six hours roaming. Being alone I think I take for granted how convenient it is to shop at my own pace, making every decision without having to negotiate with anyone but myself :) A little weighed down by some new thrift finds and a little too much street food, I hobbled home in sore feet to say goodbye to a few more articles of clothing I brought with me (I have to shed a few belongings every time I buy something new).
On Tuesday I visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. I loved all the Van Gogh but I'm glad I got into the second museum for free (under 19) because it was too huge to see everything and read every description plaque because of the amount of [uninteresting] Dutch history. I took Gijs and Marianne out to dinner, an African place they suggested. We had an Ethiopian dish that you eat with your hands, ripping off pieces of something resembling a crepe to scoop up the vegetables and meat on top. I didn't expect to be drinking coconut flavored beer out of a coconut shell in Amsterdam, but it topped off a day in my favorite city so far.
On Wednesday I took the train to Marie Anderson's brother's house about 15 miles outside of Paris. I'll elaborate later!
