A Weekend in Amsterdam

I just realized that two of my posts somehow did not publish; "The Tour de France!" and "Sightseeing!" Oops. Published them so now you can hear all about them.

Thursday night almost everyone from the program went to IceBarcelona, which was fun but obviously super cold. Kris managed to eat his ice cup, to everyone's astonishment.

This weekend I was in Amsterdam. We departed at five in the morning on Friday, arriving in Amsterdam to check into our hotel by 11 or so, which meant that they were not ready for us. We were given one of the three rooms to put our bags in. Rather than a room in the actual hotel, they pointed to an auxiliary building across the parking lot, loomed over by huge green trees.

This building was actually a portable, if you know what I mean. Everything inside of it was shaped and sized as if you were on a ship; an incredibly narrow hallway on the side of the trees had windows open to multitudes of mosquitoes. Spiders had made their homes in the corners in the hallway. We were nervous about what our room would look like.

We got in, and it was incredibly cramped to have six people in the room. It was composed of two twin beds with an aisle way perhaps two feet wide, a "desk" (rather, a fake-wood board the size of a lunch tray nailed to the wall), and the most horrifying toxic-waste bathroom I have ever seen.

Opening the door to the bathroom was an experience in itself. The rank smell of urine wafted out. Mold caressed the corners of the portion of the room which housed the sink and toilet. The mirror was installed at the proper height for a six foot person; any shorter and you could only see your forehead.

The shower deserves its own paragraph. Rather than installing (or bothering to clean) a proper shower, there is a spigot resembling the end of a hose in the wall. There is a divider between the toilet and this "shower area," which perhaps would have prevented water from leaking everywhere had I been brave enough to take a shower. The shower portion was literally carpeted in mold. I almost retched just looking at it. The boys in the group, who had until then been positive about the cramped room, realized we had to move. I vowed to reek rather than end up with tetanus or tuberculosis from the shower.

Luckily Sam, with a little help from her father, gave Travellocity a piece of her mind, thus helping us relocate to the Tulip Hotel. Though the location of this hotel was not ideal, it was absolutely worth staying there. The service was wonderful, the rooms were clean (and spacious), and it felt much safer than an auxiliary hotel ever could.

In between hotels, we went to the Anne Frank House. It was really interesting to see the location and layout of where they lived in hiding for so long, though I read the book almost ten years ago. The museum was set up wonderfully. I really enjoyed it, but it's not something you can describe; you kind of have to visit for yourself.

We went back and got situated in our new hotel and then went out to get dinner. Unfortunately we took the metro too far and ended up in a location we didn't recognize. We managed to wander into the Red Light District, which was interesting to walk through I guess. Culture shock. I'd go into detail but again, it's best if you see it yourself.

The next day we woke up late, exhausted from the previous day's early start. We had a huge, lengthy Dutch breakfast of enormous Dutch pancakes with all kinds of toppings. We then walked to the Van Gogh Museum and explored the city by foot. The Van Gogh museum is great, organizing his works on the second floor chronologically by location with details about his life accompanying almost every painting. The next two floors house a collectors' works, which include those of Cezanne and others of Van Gogh's peers.

Amsterdam is beautiful. They call it 'the Venice of the North' because of its many canals and boats and bridges. I actually prefer it to Venice. It is tranquil, and everyone is friendly. There are fewer tourists, though the architecture in each city is remarkable. The one largest difference, however, is how the people in Amsterdam treat their city. The trash that floats in the canals of Venice, reeking and clogging the views does not exist in Amsterdam.

We retired early and woke early on Sunday to get a head start museum-hopping. We ate at Bagels and Beans, an organic coffee/bagel joint that hit the spot both of the times we went. Next stop was the Rijksmuseum, which houses many Vermeers, Rembrandts, Frans Hals, and Jan Steens. I really liked that.

Okay I'll finish later, I'm tired of typing.

Sightseeing!

Yesterday we were supposed to go to the Palau Musical, but needed reservations further in advance and were not able to go. Instead, Patsy, Caroline and I went to the Cathedral, but sadly you have to be completely covered up, and they were wearing tank tops. Typically I'm the one who isn't dressed correctly, but I was wearing my "maxi-dress" which has flouncy sleeves that cover my shoulders.

So instead I went back and napped. Then we went to the Jason Mraz concert, which was fun, though I only know The Remedy and I'm Yours. He was fantastic live though. After that, we all came back and Manisha and Stephanie turned into grilled-cheese making machines, turning out about 10 sandwiches from two different stoves. It was impressive.

Today Elisa and Ken took us to Mont Juïc, where we went to the Miró Foundation. I loved that. His art is soo cool. We wanted to go to the Museu d'Arte Nacional de Catalunya, but it closed at 7 and we were minutes too late. We went to the Olympic Stadium, where the 1992 Opening and Closing Ceremonies were held, and that was closed off because they are setting up an entire week in advance for the Madonna concert on the 21st. However, we did get to see the cats that live there because a woman was pouring out about a dozen cans of cat food into plastic disposable plates and slipping them under the guard rails for the cats. They were all so frail and tiny! Poor things. One came up to me and rubbed on my leg. They were so sweet. Then we walked down to the amazing plaza that leads up to the grand entrance to the Stadium, just as the sun was setting. It was incredible.

Katie and I walked down and saw the fountain show and then hopped on the metro to come back.

winding down

So, more about Ibiza:

We went to some beautiful beaches with scenic views and all of us (Cecile, Patsy and I) got pretty tan.

In the evening, we went to the most expensive clubs EVER. 50 euro entry f

ees! But we got passes and such to make things significantly cheaper. We went to Eden (brand new), Privilege (biggest club in the world but half of it is roped off and it felt empty haha), and Amnesia (voted 2006's best club in the world). It was intense but the crowd was mostly British and German, which was interesting. Also, people were better behaved in these clubs, as opposed to the few I've been to in Barcelona. So that was nice; Cecile, Patsy and I were able to dance in peace. I guess when people are paying that much to

get in, they don't want to get kicked out.

One night we went to the port area of Ibiza town and had a long

relaxing dinner while people watching. We then had a "froofy drink" (as my dad would call them) and went to Amnesia and Privilege. That was a nice evening. It was funny to see the dancers from the clubs parade the streets.

It was really really really good to get out of the city for a bit.

Monday I worked on a paper and slept a lot to catch up on the sleep I lost over the weekend in our crappy hotel. I also went to a nightime showing of Volver, with Penelope Cruz. It is a Spanish movie and of course they did not use subtitles. It was so confusing; it's the kind of movie that would have confused me in English as well. It was really fun though because it was screened in the moat of the castle at the top of Mont Juïc at night.

Today I had class and napped on the beach. Tomorrow we are going to the Palau

Musica (supposed to be a top sight in all of Barcelona) and the Jason Mraz concert.

With less than two weeks remaining, here is a list of things I still want to do:

1. Eat out at a nice, typical Spanish restaurant (I'm assuming I'll do this when my mom comes)
2. The Sagrada Familia (somehow I still haven't made it over there)
3. All the museums on Mont Juïc; photos from the top by day, now that I've seen it by night, and hopefully see the fountain show
4. Church-hopping (interior of the Cathedral, Santa Maria de la Mar.. others?)
5. The Aquarium
6. The Pre-Colombian Art Museum, which for the record has OLMEC HEADS! (that's a really big deal)

the worst hotel in the world

If you like public restrooms, I'd suggest you check out Apartamentos Sol Bay, which is "conveniently located in San Antonio" on the island of Ibiza. Oops, I mean it's not quite located in San Antonio. Yeah, it actually might be a 20 euro cab ride from San Antonio...or anything else. But really, if you like public restrooms, you will love this place. It's like renting your own stall for a whole night/weekend/week! You can even lock the door and enjoy privacy, and for those nosy ones, you may be able to hear anything your neighbors do!

Your sheets are ridden with the last visitor's black hairs, and the floor is even MORE exciting to look at. There is a myriad of things you can find there-- it's like a treasure hunt. If you love cold showers, this is the place for you. Salt water is delivered straight to your shower and sink from the ocean, unheated! The heater is usually broken and no one will tell you. But don't be deceived! The pictures on the website may show a stark white high rise with an enormous bean shaped pool, but this is actually a rectangular pool and a decaying yellow pueblo. This exclusive resort is yours for the low price of 29 euro per guest per night.

...sounds like we got our money's worth, all right.

The Tour de France!

Yesterday I went all around the Parc de la Ciutadella with Scott and Manisha for our project, which is an essay and presentation detailing the history of the location and its significance to Barcelona today. It's a beautiful park, complete with many fountains, a palm-lined grass field, a rowing pond, a zoo, a dog run, and much much more.

Today the Tour de France came through Barcelona from the north and ended at the top of Mont Juïc. I stood at the corner of the Parc de la Ciutadella, on the corner of Passeig de Picasso and Passeig de Pujades. It was a good view because we could see one short straightaway and another long one. The weather was terrible; it rained all day. It was actually a tempest. The first one while we've been here, too, and it took a lot of riders down. I got soaked walking home from school, but luckily I had a jacket and umbrella to keep my dry while watching the tour.

After the riders passed us, I took the Metro to Mont Juïc in attempt to watch the awards ceremony, but I was too late. However, I was able to get shirts and I met Federico Bahamontes, who won the tour 50 years ago and is a Spanish legend.

Rewind

Last week, like I said, not much happened.

I went for my History of Barcelona class to the Museum of Catalan History, which is in Port Vell right across from where I live. That was interesting. It is very modern and intended to teach children, so we all had a lot of fun with interactive displays and touching everything.

Afterwards, we went to the top of the museum, where there is a cute restaurant with amazing views of the entire city. We took some photos and headed back.

These past two nights Christine and I have gone for easy 20 minute runs to get back into the swing of running / exercising daily. We go in the evening while the sun sets, which is beautiful. Everyone else is out walking dogs and running or biking, so its a good atmosphere. We have yet to pass anyone... :P

This weekend Maggie, Katie, and I went to Sitges. We took the metro to Estación Sants and the train from there to Sitges. That was a packed train ride, with standing room only for us. It was not air conditioned, either. However, it proved worth it when we came out of a tunnel to beautiful views of the beach on our left. In Sitges we bought floatie toys for good prices and blew them up to play with in the crystalline water. It was brilliant.

There were special paddle boats with water slides attached that you can rent. Next time I go, I am throwing down the 12 euro necessary to rent one. So worth it, or so I hope. They looked awesome.

That evening, because it was the Fourth of July, I intended to go to Mont Jüic, but I was too tired and instead stayed in. Sunday was also boring because I had to do laundry and work.

Today we had a bus tour for the History class. We went to the top of Mount Tibidabo, which is the highest peak in the Serra de Collserola mountain range. At the top is a huge church and a small amusement park. We had views of the entire city. Sadly, I forgot my camera, but Patsy and Caroline and Scott all had theirs, which is good. We next visited Parc Güell, and continued on to Mont Jüic. At Mont Jüic we saw the Olympic Football Stadium and drove past the Museum of Catalan Art, which I intend to visit soon.

[]

I've been awful at updating, so I am going to really try and push to post every day or every other day for the next month.

This week I didn't do too much. I was exhausted so I did a lot of beaching, cooking, and little shopping yesterday because the Rebaixes began and everything is at least 40% off. I have my eye on this gorgeous Longchamp bag which is €500... already on sale. Hoping that no one will buy it so that it will get more discounted and then I can.

More in a bit... I'm going to watch a movie and relax for a while.