Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Amsterdam and Portugal


Amsterdam was like another world. Anything that you might think would be illegal is legal in Amsterdam. The people were not very nice (probably because it’s maybe the number 1 weekend destination of American college kids in Europe), the hostel was a little grungy and expensive, but the city was beautiful and always full of energy. But I quickly learned that “coffee shop does not mean coffee shop in Amsterdam. We did not get there until late Thursday night so we just found our hostel and then went to meet up with some friends that had left earlier that day and searched out an Irish bar to celebrate St.Patty’s Day the right way. The next day we tried to go to Anne Frank’s house, but it was rainy and cold outside and the line to enter wrapped around the building. I heard it’s not that cool anyways. That night we walked across town in search of the red light district just to see if it was real and it was. The next day we went to the Van Gough Museum and the Heineken Museum as well. We wanted to make sure our 14euro entrance ticket to the Heineken Museum was worth it. So along with the two free beers they give you, the three of us may have taken those 6 glasses home as well…… I’m sure they have an unlimited supply anyways. We bought our souvenirs  and hoped to make it to the ice bar that night, but we were all too tired and decided to get up early for our flight at 6:10am instead. 


Me and Chelsea

Me and Kelsey outside of Anne Frank's house













24hr Real food vending machine!
 SO pretty!!




The next weekend we would be finally staying in Toledo after 5 weeks of weekend travels. It was nice to not have the stress of traveling for once. I was a lot more homesick than I thought I would be after mom and Tracy left especially because everywhere I went with them are the places I’m surrounded by everyday here in Toledo. That went away in about a week and I was SO excited for Portugal. 

When we first arrived in Spain, not that many people wanted to go to Portugal because they had heard that it was just like Spain. Now, almost everyone has either traveled to Portugal is planning on it. Lisbon, Portugal is my new favorite place in the world. We left Thursday night and came back Sunday morning. Our hostel was amazing and I would take it over any hotel. The people were the nicest people that I have ever met. The beaches, the weather, and the men were gorgeous. We went on a day trip to a city called Sintra that I can only describe as Alice in Wonderland in real life. I will live there. 


Kelsey in the hostel room







To try and save money we try to find local supermarkets and cook at the hostel

Beach in Cais Cais

Me and Kelsey playing in the waves

So many surfers


 Plaza in Lisbon


View from our hostel's terrace


The terrace of out hostel where we ate breakfast and hung out at night

 Sintra aka "Wonderland"


Outside of Palacio Nacional in Sintra

  
Quinta de Regaleira in Sintra

  


Chapel on the grounds
  
Inside of the chapel










Palacio de Pena







Entrance of our hostel

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