Heineken, Van Gogh, Diamonds, Anne Frank... Oh My!

So we wake up at four thirty to make our flight in time and finally arrive in Amsterdam by 11:00am!  There was a minor delay, which was a little annoying but it ended up being okay.  We were planning on meeting Mica's friend Katie and her friend Meaghan at the airport but we couldn't find them anywhere.  It turns out that their flight was delayed as well and we happened to run into them on the tram into the city!!!!  It started off as a good trip because we were at the front of the tram and the conductor/driver? was sooo funny and gave us a little tour of the city.  Then we found our hostel, which actually is kinda a hotel.  It wasn't as nice as the first one we went to, this one was more what I was thinking.  We shared a room with two other guys which turned out to be a little weird.  But it was not bad of a place and it was in a pretty good location!  First, we took a walk around the city and found the flower market! It was soooo pretty, tulips and bright colors everywhere!!! We stumbled upon an amazing cheese shop and I ended up trying each cheese they had out... pepper, pesto, red pepper, etc etc.  So good!  We ate lunch at a team room and I got a Spicy Chicken sandwich... so good!  They actually have spicy food in Amsterdam... that's all I ate!!!!! YUM.  Then we roamed around the city for a bit!  It's soo pretty and there are so many beautiful canals!  We saw the Red Light District, which was really interesting... not the prettiest girls I've ever seen and they looked so sad and bored, it was a bit depressing!  Afterwards, we made it just in time before the Heineken Factory closed and thank goodness we did!  Definitely the best tour/museum we've been on!! It was 16 euros but certainly worth it!  It was done really well and there was so much to see!  We got a small beer while some guy talked to us about how to drink, blah blah and then we got two more at the end and it seemed like we were actually in a club!  So cool!  After that, we found a really yummy place and got pasta for dinner!  And of course I had to try the french fries and had them with ketchup and Samal, aka spicy chili AMAZING sauce :) 

On Saturday, we woke up at a reasonable time and had a plan to see lots of stuff! :)  First, we saw the I Amsterdam sign which was cool and, of course, a bajillion people were there taking pictures.  Then we went to the Van Gogh Museum and I LOVED it!!!! I love Van Gogh!  I feel like I can actually appreciate his artwork!  I had definitely already planned out my future house too by the time we were done.  I have some several 'must buys' and I know exactly where I want them :)  Hopefully, I'll have enough money to do so! 
After that, I got a burger and Meaghan and I went to the Diamond Museum because Mica and Katie didn't want to go!  They definitely missed out though because it was sooooo cool!  We learned all about the history and how they are made and the four Cs and saw some of the most famous and biggest diamonds!!!!! Sooooo cool!  Then we walked around and tried to make it to Westerkerk Tower but it was freaking closed for a few months :(  We really wanted to go there to see a view of the city!  So then we went to Anne Frank's House and that was very cool.  It was very heavy and really hard to believe that we were actually standing where she was once in hiding.  It was insane to see that they had preserved her wallpaper even and we could see the random pictures she glued to her wall... and along with all of the rooms and artifacts it had her quotes.  Very cool!  And they even had her real diary!!!! I really wanted to take a picture but we weren't allowed to :(  On a bit of a happier note, we then went to the Tulip Museum.  It was very hysterical.  Katie loves flowers and got so excited... the museum was in the process of being finished so it was a bit ghetto but it was really pretty and actually funny! 

Walking into the hiding spot!!!!!

On Sunday, Mica and I had all of the afternoon to roam around some more!  Which turned out being very good because we had missed the main street!!!  I was in search for pancakes before we left so we finally found a place and I got bacon pancakes and Mica got apple pancakes!  That was yummy.  Afterwards, we just saw more of the city because we couldn't get enough of it.  We really didn't want to leave... it's so pretty and the people were nice!  The architecture, I was obsessed with!  And it's so cool how everything is so crooked... I felt like I was in Diagon Alley hehe.  The city's not too big and not too small! And good, spicy, junk food :)  This trip was so much fun and I will definitely be returning to check out the things we missed.  I loved the city and would love to see it when it's warmer!