Today it my birthday!! (Anna's). Bonzer.

Anyway, Amsterdam... we arrived here the other day. I couldn't tell you what day of the week. But it was a couple of days ago. 2 I think. We took a mega long train journey from Berlin but it was ok becuase it was overnight. But it was at 0030 so pretty late. But we stayed awake with this wierd fruit pot. It was good becuase I didn't have too much of an issue with the fruit side of things becuase it was covered in chocolate. Or so we thought. It was chocolate but it was this crap yoghurty chocolate that they have over here. They con you into thinking its chocolate when really its yoghurt. Not impressed. But anyway after we all tried and failed to eat them we donned the train and were in a cabin with 3 other smelly men. Me and Fran were on the top 2 beds (there is 3 levels) and B was on the bottom so we had to shout to each other. The man underneath me, and above B (the same man) was snoring so loudly it was so discusting. It was all flemmy and vile. Me and Fran couldn't sleep becuase he was SOH loud but B slept through it. She's like the proverbial log.

Then in the morning we found a pleasant cafe and read for ages becuase we are all diggin' our books. Then I lost the instructions for our yoof hostel. Classic me. So we tracked down an internet place and found it again and it turns out we were in the next street! So we went there, dumped out stuff, showered and headed out again, just wondering round the streets. We found loads of funny little shops with kooky things that no-one ever needs but always wants in there. And a whole lorra clogs. I tried loads on until I found the size for me but then I got a splinter and I must say my spirits were considerably dampened. So I didn't buy them. Plus I thought, what would I do with clogs? I mean they're like, so not In right now.

So then yesterday we slept for ages!! I mean ages. As in until 11am! Which is so long here. Normally we're up by 8. It was strange, there ware 4 beds in the room, and we went to sleep with just 3 of us in there. Then I woke up and a strange man was there. We didn't even hear him come in, that's how log-esque we were! Anyway, we went to a museum. We went to go to Van Gough but it was like 18euros or something. Sod that, we thought. And found this other museum. It was apparently suppost to be filled with old and new art (that's what the book said) - Fran diggs the old stuff whereas I'm more into the new stuff. So we went there and got in for FREE! It was all old stuff. I did loads of appreciating but I just find it really hard to love the old stuff. I mean I can see that it's good and stuff, like it takes skill. But I just can't look at old stuff and be like, ah yeah that's nice. And that made me sad becuase then I thought I couldn't appreciate art properly but Fran said that you can still appreciate art without enjoying it so then I felt better becuase I was appreciating it, I just hated it. There was only old stuff in there you see, they were building a new wing or something so only part of it was on show.

Next we did more walking around. I really love it here, the old buildings and blatent sex trade next to each other. But B and Fran think its kind of tacky. Which I can see.

Then today it was my birthday so I got to choose what we did. So we went to Anne Frank's house this morning. That was really good becuase I'm reading it at the moment so I recognise everything she talks about. I'm pretty glad I'm reading it at the same time. It was really sad though. We met some girls in Krakow and they said they thought Anne Frank's house was more hard hitting than Auschwitz. I could kind of see what they meant though (at first I thought they were stupid) becuase Anne Frank's house it so personal, there are loads of pictures of her family etc everywhere, and videos of her dad talking (he was the only one who survived, and died in 1989 at the age of 91) and Miep (one of the helpers survived and still lives in Amsterdam), whereas Auschwitz gets you with the sheer mass of people. But when the family was taken away in 1944 on 4th August (Anna Redbond's birthday) they were all split up and Anne's mum went to Auschwitz but the rest all went to other places that I can't spell.

Then we went to breakfast and I had a croissant with strawberry which I'm-a diggin' out here. I now activly search out strawberry jam.

Then we went and did more wondering. We went to the Red Light District too which was fab, I loved how outrageously blatent it was. But at the same time subtle. Like you wouldn't really notise them until you actually walked past their windows and looked in, otherwise you probably wouldn't see. But then when you did it was like, woah. Some of them were right skanks though, so drugged up. It made me sad and I wanted to talk to them but Fran and B said they would probably try and charge me for that. Plus it might come across as rude/patronising if I started trying to ask them about their self perceptions and why they are prozzies and stuff.

Then we walked for ages and found the best vintage shop!! And I was talking to the lady and she took a picture of me for her website (we are now out of the red light district... to avoid panic to readers) becuase she liked my clothes. So that was fun. And she said becuase it was my birthday she would give me discount and so I bought a leather satchel and a scarf! Tres bon. And she did me a card reading thing too! I chose a card and it meant "Justice". So that's reassuring. I think...

So until the next blog, fairwel blogger-fans.