Anyways! We decided to go to the Heineken Experience on Friday but we were up so early we got there at 11:30. We decided it was not acceptable to drink before noon (even though there was many exceptions) so we wandered a really cute market behind it. One man was selling chocolates in the shape of boobs and penises which were comical and delicious (obviously we had to buy one)! Then we went to the Heineken Experience on Friday and it was literally like a Disney ride.
We walked through the history and brewing process and there was one part we stood on a platform and "became a beer." They splashed water on us and the platform dropped a little and rumbled when we were the barley being ground and the bottles being capped. Also, I got to crush the barley so I hope they use it in a beer! We spent a lot of time browsing there and by the end we were ready for dinner. We went out for sushi because we were right next to the essential China Town, but it was really all types of Asian food. That night we went to a club/bar called The Grasshopper with three floors. The bottom floor was a a smoking room, the middle a bar and the top a club. The thing about Amsterdam is the smoking rooms are not for tobacco. Ironically, you are not allowed to smoke tobacco or any mixed tobacco product in those rooms because "you are endangering your neighbor" so only weed is smoked there, an tobacco can only be smoked outside. Definitely a different policy than America. The next day we went to an outdoor market and sniped a ton of free samples, which we decided the cheese was the best. Our plan was to go to the Anne Frank House next, but the line was long so pancakes came first. Amsterdam and the Netherlands are known for their pancakes which were like a slightly thicker crepe. I had a bacon and apple one and it was to die for. We added the traditional Stroop syrup, but only slightly because it is so sweet it resembles a condensed maple syrup or molasses.
The Anne Frank house was very humbling and an amazing experience. Her quarters were a lot larger than I expected but I could never live in darkness as she did, nor in hiding. Her eloquence for 13 was astounding and I am definitely going to reread the book. Then we walked through the Red Light district because we figured we had to see it. It was definitely a shock, because I thought the girls would be ugly but they were really pretty but I was still disgusted. It was not somewhere I would want to be regularly. That night oriental was on the list again and we had Thai food, which I found out later the Netherlands is known for its Asian cuisine so I didn't feel that guilty. Sunday the I AMSTERDAM sign was on the list, but the permanent one was really far from our hostel, so we settled for the moving one right next to us. After an extensive photoshoot, I really wanted to see a windmill so we walked to a brewery within a windmill. The tours were closed but we stopped for a beer which none of us liked but it was still an experience.
We also went to eh Sex Museum, which was disappointing in our eyes because it was just a bunch of porn through the ages, but still interesting I guess. We had a jam packed day every day and finally going home was amazing. I really liked Amsterdam but found the clash of weed/prostitution and windmills and pancakes to be interesting.
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