8-23

So, I will do my best to find my way back through the smoke-filled coffeeshops of amsterdam and intimate brugges bars to update my sparce, but very well respected friends. Ahhhhhh, where to begin. Fucking Amsterdam, so unique, so amazing. Will's dad hooked us up with a nice hotel room for our 3 nights in amsterdam. Not only did we live like kings, but we felt like them too. Able to do what we wanted, when we pleased, our day normally started around 11 am or so. We'd head across the canal to this little dutch pastry shop, order a choco roenkoek and espresso and map out our itinerary. Surprisingly, a certain cloudiness lingers in my memories, but we did manage to have an educational experience at the van gogh museum.

What struck me about Amsterdam, is its peaceful and seemingly nonexistent dual nature. We stayed in a part of the city slightly out of the norm. At this location, we were able to see an aspect of life in "normal" amsterdam. Parents walking with their children, elderly people making their routine strolls through town, and the working locals. To these people, I visited on just another monday, in just another week in August. For me however, this was a "wow, I can't believe I'm actually here doing this experience." Anyway, what I love about amsterdam is that there are two sides to it. I spent a lot of my time in the areas where coffeshops flow like the salmon of capistrano, but was happy to get to see the amsterdam that we hear little of.

I have so much more to say about amsterdam, but my time on the computer is limited. Our next stop was in Brugges in Belgium. This city was everything that I expected it to be. A tiny medieval town known for its reknowned chocolate, beer and lace. First night we get there, we eat a nice meal in our hostel (best ribs ive ever had) then proceed to go to one of the greatest bars ever. 300-400 different belgian beers, great ambiance-sick. Everywhere we went, we drank amazing beer and incorporated as much chocolate as possible along the way. A typical day in brugges: waffle with chocolate sauce for breakfast, chocolates from one of the many chocolate stores in town as a snack, beer, a lil dinner (word of advice, don't order the toast cannibal. this guy that came out with us one night did and was presented with canned ground meat on toast, oh yeah, it was raw), then multiple beers. these arent bud lights, no, far from it. I'm talking 9.5 % westmaller trappist, 8% chimay triple, 8.5% bruges tripple. A meal in a beer basically. After a night of drinking, we'd head down to the center square and buy some famous frijtes and mayo to cap of the night and then have some chocolate when we got back to the room. A fairytale town with some of the nicest people, best beer, and best chocolate in the world. I feel as though im a better person after having been here. Maybe I haven't improved who I am as a person, but just being exposed to all Brugges had to offer makes me better than i was before. I dont care if it doesnt make sense.