Amsterdam

This was the city my Mom was suppose to meet us in, but sadly she was unable to join us. My sister and I stayed in a hostel right in the heart of the Red Light district, but we were good girls - it is not really our scene. It was strange to wander the streets and see the antics around us though. And 2 doors down from our hostel there were prosititues with their red lights on above their doors. I wish people would be able to see Amsterdam for more than the Red Light District. It truly is a beautiful city with so much history and architecture.

We found ourselves lost quite a few times because the canals cute the city up in non-grid-like patterns, but we always found a new adventure around every bend.

It was snowing and late when we first arrived and people gave use the worst directions EVER to our hostel...we ended up jumping into a cab and riding the 6 blocks to our hostel. After so many wrong turns and so much misinformation it was worth the price to be safe in a cab and know we were in the right place. We were too much of a target wandering around with our packs on our backs in the middle of the night.

The snow made for a beautiful morning and all of the thousands of bikes were covered with snow. I can't believe how many bikes there are in Amsterdam! I was more afraid of being run down by a bike than a car (and actually almost got taken out a few times!)