German Bowl Part 7-Traffic Jam and Amsterdam

This weekend we ventured on the roads into the great unknown, the Netherlands, to visit our friend Sophia. Well, I've been there before but not by the wheel of my own vehicle. We planned out our trip, agreed to meet Sophia at the Dam Station and hopped on the Autobahn. Two hours later and we were in the Netherlands, all was well until suddenly there were orange cones lined up across the highway. Not sure what any of the signs said (should have brought by Dutch dictionary!) we followed the traffic on the detour. We realized that the highway was closed for, well, ever and hopped on another highway. Okay, so we were going to be a little late but I always plan a little cushion into our schedule. I wasn't until we hit the traffic that we realized we were going to be LATE. We sat on the highway, engine off, waiting. We finally made it to Amsterdam in 5 hours instead of 3.5 and got to the park and ride only to find out it was full. So, we drove through town (yikes!) to another park and ride, hopped on the tram and arrived at our meeting place. Of course Sophia wasn't still there an hour and a half later! We used the GPS to walk to her apartment only to find she wasn't home. Now it was 330p instead of 130p, we finally called Dad Dougherty and he sent her a Facebook message to come meet us. As soon as we were about to leave Sophia's angelic red head appeared in the doorway! Yay!!

So after all the mess, we were ready to have some fun! We started with a quick walk through the main attractions in Amsterdam. We went to Dam Square to check out the horses and watch all the people.

There were families, older couples, and a LOT of younger people as well. It is a very busy city and is quite amusing to watch all the coming and going. The roads are filled with cars, trams, pedestrians, and of course, the Amsterdam way, bicyclist. It was nice to be in a place so filled with people but still so serene.

I'd like to say that last time I visited Amsterdam, I was not too impressed. I think I was so wrapped around the immoral things happening (ie. red light district, 'cafes', etc) that I did not take the time to really appreciate the good parts about the city. The peaceful side streets, canals filled with blooming flowers and boats, and the quiet of Sunday morning. It was funny to see and like some of the same things that I did over 3 years ago.

Lion near Dam Square taken January 2008

Same Lion as above taken Sept 2011

After our short walk, it was already time for dinner. We went to this great place called Club 8 where we had a 3 course dinner, drank the local beer (Amstel), played pool, and then danced the night away. I guess all of the bars, restaurants, etc in Amsterdam have cats to keep away rodents, and club 8 was no different. I wanted to take him home but James said no. And, man, is Sophia a pool shark! She hustled us all!

To end the night, we went downstairs to the club (called 'disco' in Europe). This wasn't an ordinary disco night, though, it was Silent Disco Night. I had never heard of such a thing and didn't know what to expect. They passed out air traffic controller headphones at the door with two channels. You walk into the completely silent club, put on your earmuffs, and pick a channel to dance to. What a great experience! You could switch between the two DJ's (who were competing for listeners) and dance away! The best part was when you took off your headphones and saw a bunch of people dancing and singing to nothing! Ha ha! Plus, we all looked so sexy in our headphones, who couldn't resist us?

On Sunday morning, we woke up late, had some great pastries at the bakery and headed over to the Anne Frank Huis. James wanted to see it and Sophia and I were excited to check it out again. It is a somber place but a great piece of history that has been well maintained and researched. After that, we had to head home but not before a nice little lunch and a peaceful Sunday walk. Oh, and the leaves are turning so that added to the beauty!