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So our first week off...quite an adventure! goin out on our own into the vast world of Europe...so much confidence gained, and experiences to be remembered....and lessons to be learned from...like...not to let guys pick places to stay in Amsterdam. We took a train from Denmark to the Netherlands (yes...a train...over a body of water. How is it possible..? Apparently some ferries come equipped to house small trains...crazy eh??) and we arrived in Amsterdam to discover that the great Hostel with an excellent location that the guys had booked for the 6 of us was...well...it left something to be desired. The location really was great...close to the train station....and not far from the red light district! super....
We heaved our backpacks up the steep flight of stairs to look for our room only to discover that in order to get to our room we had to trek through the public coed bathrooms! Luckily I had convinced the guys to pay a little extra for our own bathroom, which, come to discover, was a linoleum plastered closet with a toilet and a shower head. The room seemed clean though...once you got past the mold making it's way up the wall and the oddly colored stains all over the carpet (blood..?). And despite heavily starched sheets the beds were actually quite comfortable, as long as the other bunk-mate didn't move the slightest bit and shake the entire bunkbed!
needless to say our stay in amsterdam was off to an interesting start...thank God for Irish pubs with tvs displaying sports, otherwise who can tell how our evenings would have gone in such a location! But the day that was spent was quite enjoyable...we went on an "architecture walk" through amsterdam and saw some pretty interesting architecture (we are architecture students after all....what else were we supposed to do in amsterdam?)
I think the coolest building we saw in Amsterdam, and would qualify for one of the top spots on the trip overall, was a building that we just happened upon...a concert hall that put to practice so many ideals that musicians would hope for and architects should strive for. A fully adjustable auditorium, the city as a killer backdrop for jazz concerts...and the place was full of amazing little details...it was awesome!
Our time in Amsterdam was shortlived as me and the other two girls headed out early the next morning for Paris. The guys followed later, and we all met up at the hotel in Paris later that evening and then headed over to the Eiffel tower...I had been there previously of course, but this time it was all lit up for the Rugby World Cup...and there were Rugby fans everywhere! But it was awesome to get to hang out there with my friends and then get to share dinner at a nearby restaurant...it was a very enjoyable evening :)
but there was much more of Paris yet to be enjoyed...
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