Almost a week away ...

I can't believe that it has been a week already. Time seems to fly by these days but especially when I'm adjusting to different time zones, learning new city streets, and still regulating my sleep schedule. Europe, at least the parts that I've visited so far, is 9 hours ahead of the states. Your whole body has a hard time adjusting to that kind of change, like when you eat, sleep, and I'll go there, even poop. I've not gotten a full nights rest since we've been across the pond and I think that has attributed to my now, very present, cold. I'm walking around Budapest looking like Rudolph, constantly looking for napkins to take or some toilet tissue to soften the blow. 

Being in need of anything immediate, cold medicine in my case, in a foreign country can be difficult but doable. Pharmacies are not always that easy to find and when you do find them, there is usually a language barrier. Today I was searching for a decongestant to stop the endless running of my nose and the pressure in my head. We found one close to our hotel and the young guy behind the counter was beyond helpful. He spoke broken english, which was welcomed, and he was more than willing to let me use hand gestures to explain my need. Decongestant found, or at least that is what I think it was since there was no english on the package. I'm hoping I feel better soon with the popping of these mystery pills and our little break at the room. 

That being said, I'm having a wonderful time and trying to just soak it all in! 

Amsterdam was everything I thought and more; lovely canals, beautiful old buildings, and markets galore. You can visit a church, smoke some doobies, and see legal prostitutes all on the same street, before dinner. The tolerance the city and its people have is admirable and there is no shame in people trying to make a living as they see fit. With on average 4.5 million visitors a year, everyone was pretty nice too with English being widely spoken. Only once in a bar did we encounter unfriendly behavior. A couple; she was nice and gave us directions while he was so unimpressed that we were Americans he couldn't be bothered. He only 'knew' of people from the states and gave us the impression it was beneath him. We thanked them and went on our way. I'm sure the locals get sick of tourists and their indulgent behaviors, I might if I lived there, but it is a tourist town after all and people are there to spend money or make it. 

The boats are abundant and varied. Some you can live on, some you can ride on, some you can park on, some you can work on, while others have seen better days. There are new boats and old boats, house boats and canal boats, tourist boats and work boats. In a city built around canals there is no wonder why boats are a main source of transportation. We took a canal cruise with Friendship Amsterdam boats and got a way different perspective of the city. It was nice to move around the city by boat after so much walking and feel like we were starting to know our way around. 

Bikes are abundant too and the other means of getting around the city. The culture around biking here is marvelous. Everyone bikes everywhere without exception; old and young alike. This almost got me hit a few times, since you not only have to look for cars but also bikes and locals move fast. The bikes are simple, 3 gear cruisers with hand brakes and are cheap to rent. We rented ours and hit Vondelpark, a green oasis in the city where many people and activities take place. Who knew there are just has many rules to biking as there are to driving and once we got the hang of it, we were feeling good but only took to the streets for a little jaunt around the outside gates of the park. 

In a city full of canals, it only makes sense to have bridges. The bridges are either full of parked locked-up bikes or cute little restaurants or in most cases, both. They utilize the space so effectively to maximum effect. Most are permanent structures with a few being drawbridges that are occasionally used for big boats or goods. They are all lit up at night and beautifully romantic to walk across. We even found one filled with love locks!

What makes a city but its buildings. Amsterdam is architecturally beautiful. The buildings are a mixture of old and very old, some from the 1600s, and most are leaning, using each other for support and purposefully slanted forward. Amsterdam is not built on solid ground and you can tell by being in the city and looking around. 

Amsterdam's diversity, wealth of history, and liberal attitudes are why I could see myself living here and think you should pack up, cross the pond, and see this place for yourself!