we had our first language barrier issue during our train ride this morning. we were first on a train that was supposed to take us straight through to Amsterdam, but it stopped for what seemed like a longer than normal time in a station in Rotterdam, the announcer said something over the loudspeaker in Dutch and then everyone BOLTED off the train....ummmmm translation please????? so we figured it out that the train had broken but that there was another one straight to amsterdam that we could take, so we got off, jumped on to what we thought was the right train and juuuuust as the doors closed were told that it wasnt. at least it was going in the right direction

we did finally get there after some train hopping and checked evertyhing in to the Flying Pig hostel and then headed back out to get more train tickets (to paris) and then dinner. afterwards we went to the Leidsplein which was a big square lined with bars and dinner places and the middle filled with tables and chairs where everyone sat. we walked into one of the bars and were then immediately pushed back out the door by an older lady that had probably been drinking for a while...and then she pulled us back in again! and then like 10 mins later, made us get up and join a line of people doing the wave from the back end of the building out the front door....we did this SEVERAL times before she made us join her new game, which im pretty sure she had just made up. here are the rules: everyone gets in a small circle and points into the middle with the beat of the music, then one person goes in the middle and dances while being violently poked by everyone around them. play then proceeds to the left.

welcome to amsterdam = )