I stayed in the SCARIEST hostel last night. If you ever come to Amsterdam whatever you do DO NOT stay in Hotel Linda, avoid it like the plague! When the guy gave me the key to my room I was in for one of THE most horrific experiences in the hisotry of Hostels. First, he told me I had to go to another building (apparently that is where my room was located) this should have been warning enough for me, but I was tired and my backpack was annoying the hell out of me. So, timidly I snatched the key and headed next door. 

when I opened the door I was met with a  flight of stairs shooting straight up and then winding into another staircase shooting straight up and so on and so forth. In amsterdam they have these tiny tiny little staircases that bend and creak when you go up them. and they're not really staircases at all, more like "Carpeted ladders" so, I'm slowly making my way up (for what seems like an eternity of the never-ending stair cases) when suddenly I bump into the attic door that reminds me somewhat of Rumpelstilskin. There is a half way peeled off sticker that says # 3 on it and the words f*** you written next to it in black sharpie. I hesitated for a moment. Looked down at my key (pleading internally "please don't let this be my room, please don't let this be my room")when sure enough room # 3 was on my key. Ah s***! I took a deep breath and unlocked the door. To my astonishment the hostel had somehow managed to cram pack twenty people into a room the size of a toilet stall. I looked around, there was a wad of moldy wet boxers in the bathroom and water dripping from a crusty brown stain over the mirror. 

 By this time two other backpackers entered the room with the same horrific looks on their faces. we all exchanged glances, broke the silence with worried laughs, made introductions, threw down our bags and got outta there! 

 My new friends names were BJ and Reiss and because of our scary living situation we were filled with a certain teenage like adrenaline of not wanting to ever go back home. Needless to say, we painted the town Red going from neighborhood bars filled with friendly Hollanders to crashing a demolition party fighting against the G8 that was on a rooftop overlooking a canal AND to top it off the appartment was inhabited by the oldest group of Squaters in amsterdam. Whew! It was fantastic. the evening swirled and whirled into the new dawn and before bed we decided to go on a Scavenger hunt for the perfect brownies in town. I don't think our attic room missed us much. We sure as hell didn't miss it! Amsterdam was amazing, I hate to leave it...