Ohhh dear hello from Amsterdam... how the head hurts muchly...

So we set off from Berlin bright and early as we have a big drive ahead of us straight across Germany and into the Netherlands... I sleep on the bus literally the whole time we are driving which was about 6-7 hours; I was awake barely for the couple of hours we were stopped for breaks.

We rock up to Amsterdam and the first stop is Cheese and Clogs... Cheese and Clogs is this little farm with about 40 cows that make farmer's cheese and of course clogs... hence the name cheese and clogs... We learn how they make the cheese and then the clogs... one of the guys is a little seedy but we figure he is just preparing us for the red light district... at the end we get to sample the cheeses they make and they are amazing... I bought a roll of cheese... some others did as well but as you can't take it back to Aus most couldn't. I tried on some clogs which I totally think I rocked but didn't think it was really a practical purchase considering I have 5 months left...

After Cheese and Clogs we settle into our hostel which is in a wicked location... we have about half hour to get ready before we head to the main square to grab some dinner before hitting the sex show... Jason and I opted for Argentinian and it was amazing... we all met back up at the square and headed to the sex show... now I don't think any of us on the tour were quite ready for what we were about to see.. The name says it all... it was hilarious as they would drag people from the audience up on stage. Myself included... I got off easily I just had to have a dance off with a stripper... so I pulled out the Beyoncé booty shake... shifty however was not so lucky... he had a stripper rip his shirt off for the whole room to see his lovely white stomach and then she drew on him with permanent maker... all I am going to say is she didn't use her hands to write... I'll let you use your imagination to work that one out... And yes what you are thinking is right... haha. After the sex show a few from the group decided that since we are in Amsterdam we should try out a local cafe... now I have decided to give full disclosure so apologies to the parentals and grandma... I went along with them... We went to a place called Bulldog Cafe which is a chain of "coffee shops" in Amsterdam... We all had the space cakes... now I was pretty nervous as I had never touched marijuana (however its spelt) before... and for good reason... after about an hour it kicked in... I was getting twitches and zoning out and then the paranoia set in... Teagan another girl on our tour had the same thing happen to her although she had also smoked a joint as well... I said I needed to get home and so did she so we figured safety in numbers... not so much... it was literally the blind leading the blind.. We got lost in the red light district and ended up walking down this ally that we thought was skinny ally that would take us back to the square to get a cab... only it wasn't skinny ally it was another ally that took us into this smaller square that had doors with red lights around them... There were men everywhere and working women dragging them into these doors... it was then we realised that we had in fact stumbled very deep into the red light district... we then got the giggles whilst we tried to make our way out of the square.. We finally do and set on our way where we jump in a cab. Now in the cab we then thought we were getting kidnapped... I did say paranoia set in... However I think this one was slightly justified... you see the taxi was like a Mercedes, there was no taxi meter and the driver was wearing a suit... we thought for sure we would wake up in an ice bath... it took us 20 mins to walk to the square from the hostel which you would assume to be about a 5 min cab ride.. Well after 10 minutes in the cab and driving down streets neither of us recognised we were close to doing a stop, drop and roll... I was trying to keep Teagan calm by saying we were going the right way... but secretly was freaking out... so we apparently weren't discreet without panic and the driver then got a little annoyed with us for doubting where he was taking us... He then started to talk us through where he was going and all of a sudden we were on streets we knew... and there was our hostel... he totally ripped us but we figure it was fair as we did accuse him of kidnapping us.. Not to his face but I am sure he heard us... We then found out the next day that the way we walked were all one way streets and pedestrian streets that's why he didn't go the same way... whoops... We were home safe and sound and it is here that I vowed I will never touch the stuff ever again... and I mean this... I really am not a fan but it made a funny story and I can say I did it.

The next day we slept in and missed the bike tour because the weather was horrible again... after the walking tour in berlin I wasn't too keen to bike around in the wet. We got up and Keira elley and I headed to a cafe for a late breakfast... bacon and eggs... hello heaven... just what the doctor ordered. It was amazing. We then headed off for a bit of shopping. I got a jumper as I gave most of my warm clothes to Sarah and I didn't realise I would need them before South America... I then headed back before I bought anything else. On the way back I ran into Sarah and Zak that had been to Heineken World and said it was worth a look... I ran into Beau and Amanda, shifty and Jason as well and they were all keen to have a look so we headed off to learn about beer. It was surprisingly good... we learnt the history behind Heineken, how they make it and then we got to taste it... the best part... at the end of the tour they have a funky far that you sit in and enjoy a couple on the house.. Not a bad arvo out indeed.

We head back to the hostel and get ready for our last night together on the tour. We have dinner on a floating Cantonese restaurant... it was amazing... after dinner we then headed on a canal cruise... which was a glorified booze cruise... this was great fun we had free flow for nearly 2 hours and listened to music whilst winding through the canals in Amsterdam. After singing Bohemian Rhapsody we depart the boat and head to the clubs... we do a pub crawl and hear our 2 bus songs... Amy Winehouse's Valery... (The bus' name) and a missy Elliot song that has a line in it that says all my party people... not quite sure the name of that song but when it comes on the tour goes off... about 1am I have hit my peak and decide to bow out now before I get to messy. Was a perfect last night with the tour? Elley and I left and woke shifty up who did yet another Houdini... and disappeared early in the night... then it was lights out...

We wake up in the morning and it all of a sudden hits me that they are all heading to London and then home and I am staying and soon to be on my own... Keira and I shed a couple of sneaky tears goodbye, I say goodbye to the tour guys and then a big goodbye to Tony who was our tour leader and made the tour as awesome as it was... All of a sudden Amsterdam was done... the first month travelling with elley, Keira and shifty was done, the 16 day eastern express topdeck tour was done... and now starts the next adventure... looking back it has been an amazing start to this adventure of mine... starting with seeing some of the most famous landmarks in the world in Paris, the reuniting with Sarah in Spain, Running with the bulls opening ceremony, cinque terre in Italy.. Annoying shifty without idiotic photos trying to hold up the leaning tower etc., canyoning in Austria, scootering around Croatian islands plus so much more... the first month was perfect and I want to thank Elley, Keira and Shifty for helping make it so Amazing as well as new friends from the tour and Sarah for her sneaky Spain getaway..

After a massive freak-out.... a flood of tears and pep talk from mum and dad on the phone I am on the train heading back over to Germany to visit some old friends Maggie and Alex... The next adventure begins and the first stop Maggies house, Germany!