Blog Abroad #2

Hallo!

I am currently writing from Salzburg, Austria; taking advantage of one of the few quieter moments I’ve had in the past few weeks. Again, it seems a lot has happened in the period since I last posted one of these and it seems almost redundant to try to share all that has been going on. Neither of us want to read a blog that long and, quite frankly, probably uninteresting so I will try to divulge only that which has been noteworthy. At some point, I will start writing these more frequently just so I can touch on the cool minutiae that makes up daily life of living abroad but until then I will have to use broad strokes to discuss my life as of late.

Right after writing my last post, Catching up, I visited Amsterdam for a quick 4 day trip, then off to Madrid half a month later for a 5 day trip and, upon returning from that stint, decided on a whim to come to Salzburg for 3 days. It’s been quite a busy month and I have forgotten what home feels like; it has been my REI suitcase and I against the world. My bank account is having what some might consider a “cash-flow” problem, so this is likely my last trip for a while. But let me go over the trips in order, if only so I can remember what it is I actually did this month when I look back years from now.

Amsterdam. Amsterdam was everything you expect a city of that magnitude, prestige and culture to be. My friend and I arrived at 11am, unable to check into our hostel, the Flying Pig, for several more hours, so we decided to walk the city and get a feel for everything. We were staying right in the heart of the Red Light District for those of you who have visited, so you know there was plenty to do and see right off the bat. We ended up at a coffee shop almost immediately, as you do in Amsterdam, and got to experience a sensation that has been hitherto unavailable to those of us living on a military base. Upon leaving, we went to check out the rest of the district until it was time to check into our hostel where we remained until our canal boat cruise at 6. It’s at this point where I really was able to view the truly enormous scope of the city. It seemed we were on that boat for hours, skating under bridges and walkways through the narrow canals and marveling at the Baroque architecture that lined the city streets mile after mile. It was absolutely incredible and I can’t recommend a canal boat cruise enough to anyone thinking about visiting this city, whether its your first or 100th time.

The rest of my time in Amsterdam can be summed up fairly quickly: coffeeshop, walking, eating, bar-hopping. I know, I am a disgrace to the city because I didn’t see much of the actual history and culture — just the main touristy parts, but I really did fall in love with that whole place. The Anne Frank Haus is a must see and very eye-opening to stand in the cramped, brick rooms that her entire family and the Van Pels family had to share and survive in for 3 years together. It is still surreal to be in places where so much history has occurred; a feeling I very rarely got from America. I will definitely be returning to Amsterdam soon.

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May 15

Oh hey, thought I hit send on that last one. Let me make a new post real quick because believe it or not, a lot has happened since I started writing that in October.