After the debacle that was dropping mom off at the airport (involving an entire round trip on the shuttle after missing our stop, and ending up having to take a cab) it was time to continue on my solo journey. The next stop on the list was Antwerp, Belgium, named for the giant who got his hand cut off and thrown in the river for imposing too high of taxes... Or so they say. Spent one full day here wandering around and seeing the classic Dutch style houses and of course enjoying the delicacies... Mainly waffles! Doused in whip cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce which I later found out is the "tourist" way of eating them... True locals eat them plain to get the true taste of the waffle. I quite enjoyed it despite this fact!

After this I headed to Holland to see Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Arriving at the station after a 3+ hour diverted train ride with 4 train changes to 34 degree weather while I was wearing pants wasn't exactly a great start to my stay. Finally I found the hostel with my pool of sweat following me like bread crumbs along the way and took a nice cold shower to relax and plan out my stay. My days in Rotterdam were spent exploring and seeing all the funky architecture that this futuristic city had to offer including the "cube houses" that are built with the point at the bottom.. I'll put a picture in the gallery for a better explanation. I also took a seniors cruise around the harbour (I gave it this name based on the majority of the demographic) to see the city from a new different angle. The second half of my time in this country was spent in Amsterdam, which was an entirely different experience than what I'd seen so far!

The hostel I stayed at in Amsterdam was probably one of the best so far. It had a great atmosphere and the second I walked through the door I had already met some really nice people. This continued throughout my few days there and I ended up having some great people to spend time with (minus one ignorant thorn in my side who had no problem voicing unpopular opinions, but I won't get into that!) One good thing about meeting a big group of people as well is safety in numbers when heading to "questionable" areas of the city! By this I mean the red light district which was a very eye opening experience, although I think I would have rather had them shut at points! Women of all ages, shapes, and sizes were at work waiting for their next customer. I was told the oldest "entrepreneur" is 85 years old and currently has a 2 week wait list.. I guess some things are better with age. OK MOVING ON!

I had 3 great full days in the city, each with something special. The first day was a free walking tour of the city that had an amazing guide who knew so much information and was super funny too which is always a bonus. I visited the Anne Frank House the next day which was quite an emotional but informative day. It was so interesting and saddening to see the quarters that the family lived in for their last years of "freedom", if you could call it that. And finally on the last day I somehow managed to get a private boat tour of the canals due to no other bookings. Who am I to complain though! I lounged and watched all the sights pass by and got to view the beautiful city from a new perspective.

After that it was time to head back to Belgium for the whole reason that I came to Europe in the first place... THE ONE DIRECTION CONCERT!! (I'm only slightly kidding). Brandon came out the day before to join me for a few weeks of vacation so we spent the Friday and most of Saturday exploring Brussels by doing another free walking tour of the city and enjoying their food. Waffles and French fries (fun fact: they actually originate from Belgium!) This time we ate our waffles the way the locals do and they were actually quite delightful! That night I went to the One Direction concert and am very happy to report that I wasn't the oldest person there! I could definitely spot multiple groups in their late 20s rocking out to all the jams! Glad I'm not the only one!

Next stop on our journey is a bright and early flight to Venice to start our Italian and Greek journey of the south!

Arrivederci!

Love,
Sara