Amsterdam :)

Amsterdam!

I just went to Amsterdam this past weekend ( 4th November - 7th November ) and that was something to experience! The city is actually very beautiful, with canals and bridges everywhere throughout. I knew there was more to the city than it's reputation has to offer, but I didn't really know what quite to expect. One of the girls I was with said that part of the inner city, where the canals were, reminded her a lot of venice. So yes, it was beautiful! We left on Thursday afternoon and got back Sunday afternoon, so it was a bit of a longer trip, which was kind of a nice change of pace.

We toured the Van Gough museum, the Anne Frank house, went to a Botanic Garden, and went on the Heineken Brewery tour. So, we were definitely busy while we were there! I would have to say that the Anne Frank house was very fascinating to me, I was really interested in that. Also, the Heineken tour was awesome, that was definitely one of my favourite things I ended up doing over there. Overall, it was just really a great tour, because they included and showed all of the processes throughout the beer making procedure. They gave us two free beers at the end too, which was nice of them!
Heineken originated in Amsterdam, and it is everywhere over there. It's pretty much the only beer that they sell throughout the city. I'm not even kidding. But I like it, so I didn't mind!

Oh. Another thing that is everywhere in Amsterdam... BICYCLES! I literally about got ran over from more bikes than cars, and I'm surprised I didn't get hit at least once. I did trip over one once though. lol.

They had cute little Christmas shops up all over Amsterdam too, which got me really excited for Christmas! I'm trying really hard not to think about it though, because I don't want to get homesick or think about home while I'm still here. I still went through them though, and did buy a sweet blue and white Amsterdam looking ornament though, that will look great on our tree at home! I won't get to decorate our tree this year, but at least I get to put up one ornament :-)

I know all of you are curious about the Red Light district as well, just because I have had loads of questions about it already! It's actually not that bad of an area, it looks just as scenic as the rest of the streets in Amsterdam. It's still a very strange concept to me though, and I still can't quite wrap my head around it. As much as I try, I just don't quite get it! I guess that's a good thing!
All of Amsterdam felt pretty safe though, which was definitely a good thing. Our hostels were actually the nicest hostels I have been in so far too.

Alright, well I should stop making these so long, so I will go now and get back to homework! Sometimes these Huwer genes really get the best of me.

I hope everything is going well at home, only 5 weeks left! 

By the way, Mom and Dad come tomorrow! I'm so excited. They are actually on their way right now,  in a plane or at an airport somewhere. I really hope that they get here safe, and they their travel goes smoothly. They will be in my prayers all night for a safe trip. They should be flying into Newcastle by 11:00 on Friday morning, and there I shall go and meet them :-) After all of the hugs and kisses, we are going to set off for Scotland! So, I'm very excited for that as well!

I'm so happy that they get a chance to come over here to travel and experience everything at least once in their lives. I know they will really appreciate everything they get to see and do here, which makes me very excited for them. It really is such a wonderful journey, and we are very blessed to have all these opportunities. 

Well, I will talk to you all soon enough, and keep you updated on our travels :) 

Thanks for your interest and checking up on me and my blog!

Here we are! :-)

Bikes everywhere! They really aren't kidding when they say that everyone rides bicycles everywhere. They pretty much have the ride away with pedestrians AND cars in that city. Basically, they are taking over Amsterdam. lol

Me with my ridiculously huge pancake! I got bacon and apples in it. I couldn't decide if I wanted a meaty one or a sweet one. So i mixed them. lol. It was delicious! They are big on Pancakes in Holland.
Not quite like grandma's but you know.  :-)
Oh. Brother Brent: Palm Beer (It was very good as well!) Maybe I should get more picky with what beers I like

What most of the streets / canals look like in Amsterdam

Bike! I really like this picture :)

It was fall when we went to Amsterdam as well.. very pretty season! I really like autumn

Anne Frank House ( They reconstructed the outside of it for more support.. they almost had to tear it down before it opened because it was crumbling and deserted, and then they had to restore it again in the 1970's.  After this, it went through a major renovation in 1995 )

Pictures of Anne Frank

The secret door ( a bookshelf ) that leads to the Secret Annex
I find all of this information so fascinating, and if you want to check more out about it, the website is: http://www.annefrank.org/en/   -- just in case you were very interested as well :)

They have a cafe named after me! whoop whoop

Heineken Brewery tour!

Some of the ingredients they use to make their beer

Brewery! (Dad and Brent, you would have loved it. It really was a very good tour)

Some samples of beer they gave us before our two free ones lol

The horses carrying barrels of Heineken beer 

fall :)

Pretty colours

I amsterdam. This sign is actually very famous!

Van Gough museum! It was amazing. Almost all of his work, and then the works from the artists that inspired him are in the museum.

One of his famous paintings - Sunflowers :)

Sweet looking bike!

Very Pretty :) 

One of the many lovely bridges throughout Amsterdam

Me by a canal

We went to go see a Boanic Garden.. which was really really neat! This plant was hanging, and reminded me of some kind of weird octopus. lol I really love science. I think if I wasn't a designer, I would be doing something with science.
(Mrs. Niekamp, I'm not sure how much you actually check this.. but you would have thought this was so neat!)

Part of the Botanic Garden we went to go see

Amsterdam by night! 

Red Light District --  It was actually a nice area! Still strange.

Me in the Amsterdam shoe!

A coffeeshop on the streets of Amsterdam -- Pretty neat looking