Ahhhh, so Amsterdam has proven to be a bit of a mixed bag for me. But let me go back in time a little.

Left London on Thurs night and I was struck again by what I'm naming the 'crossing borders curse.' Starting from Melbourne I've been targeted again and again for 'random' checks and intrusive passport control questions. So we were on a night bus which, in theory, was supposed to drive through the night and land us safely in Amsterdam the next morning. Aside from the compulsory stops that we were made to wake up and leave the bus for, we also got pulled aside for a passport check at the French border. THEN the whole bus had to empty out, collect our bags and go through a bag inspection. Seriously guys, at this stage expect to see me on Boarder Security by the time i arrive home.

For those of you who has picked up on the fact that there isn't a road connection between England and mainland Western Europe, I'll let you in on how it's done. Mum - i'd not read this next bit :-)

They basically have a ferry system, but instead of a boat they have a long hollow train, so the whole bus/car drives inside the train for the 45min trip across the channel. It's very squeezie in there so it's basically like being transported under water in a capsule with some gentle rocking motion. Not for the claustrophobic.

Anyway, arrived in Amsterdam at a decent hour but with a broken night's sleep under my belt I found it a little diffcult to navigate the public transport system. Especially when the bus station they dumped us at didn't have that much information and nowhere to buy metro tickets. So I just got a single train ticket to Amsterdam Central station where I could follow the directions to my first hostel.

I must say, other than the location (right in the Red Light district), St Christophers at the Winston was a huge improvement on St Christopher's London which i've just left. This whole concept of hot showers is not lost here and you even have a shower in each dorm room, and with a girl's only room it was pretty clean. We also got our own towels free to use and a fan. And as luck would have it, the room was also full of Aussie and Brazillian girls that are also headin to Berlin on Busabout on Sunday. Always nice to make some friends beforehand, makes the bus trip quicker.

Since Friday was the Netherlands vs Brazil soccer game I decided to join the girls in the bar to watch the game and see what the fuss was about. A combination of lack of sleep, being stuck in the smoking part of the bar and a nice cold cider, I only lasted half the game and didn't get to see the Netherlands win before heading off for a nanna nap. Didn't join some of the girls on a pub crawl when i decided sleep was a better option, which considering one of them got all her stuff stolen TWICE in different clubs, sleep was a wise choice. Did go for a wander round the red light district and along the canals which was quite pleasant. Sat in Dam Square for a bit but it was very dirty and lots of people, whether that was because of the soccer or just how it is generally i have no idea.

Anyways, only one night at the Winston so off to the Flying Pig. And gotta say, I'm certainly warming to Amsterdam now that I've gotten out of the smoke filled Red Light district. Out here it's cleaner, easier to dodge bike traffic and its full of PARKS. Lovely, green parks to just chill out in. And luckly when i checked in i didn't have to wait till 2pm to get to my room, so up 4 FLIGHTS OF NARROW STEPS :-( to my room, at least it's clean and cool. Dumped the bag and off to the markets. Yes, it is my mission in life to visit all markets in existance. Anyways, this was the Albert Cuyp market and is apparent the most famous day market in these parts, and I can see why. There is almost nothing you couldn't buy here. Food, clothes, toileteries, fabric, plants, it's all here. Since I'm on the bus tomorrow and food is hidiously expensive on the road at the bus/truck stops, it's always wise to pack a picnic, so got some beautiful nectarines and strawberries from the market and some sandwich stuff from the supermarket.

Heading off to the Anne Frank museum now, apparently the queue's aren't so bad in the evening, then hopefully back here for a free concert in the Vondelpark. It's described as the Central park of Amsterdam and it's just across the road from here so nice place to finish off my weekend.

Off to Berlin in the morning so next blog will be from there. Assuming i don't break my neck getting my bag down these stairs. Stay tuned.