Exploring Amsterdam

The next morning, well early afternoon, we got up and set off to explore the city. I wanted to see some museums, but BH isn't the biggest fan of art museums, so instead we walked around the canals, saw the red light district, and the homomonument. My favorite area was the Asia Town. So much delicious looking food! Plus, there was an Irish gay bar. In Chinatown. Fantastic.

 

 We ended up at a cafe with the best espresso I've had in a long while (MJ might have influenced me). Chilling out in a cafe, wandering around canals, and eating delicious food. Amsterdam is a hard city not to like. 

The homomonument was intersting. Built in 1987 (my birth year!) it commemorates gay men and women who have been subject to discrimination and persecution. The three corners of the triangle point to the Anne Frank house, the National War Memorial, and the oldest continuous gay rights group in the world. 

One corner of the homomonument

Before I knew it, it was time to get back to Brussels for the EU conference. 24 hours in Amsterdam. I guess it was better than a layover.

Arriving in Amsterday

The last time I was in Amsterdam was during a four hour layover on a trip to Armenia. It was exciting to be back for a somewhat longer trip. I arrived at around 10:30 in the evening, and met BH and R at their hotel. Hostels were ridiculous expensive for the weekend, but we got a cheap hotel right in the center at Rembrandt Square.

I was greeted by a giggly BH who immediately handed me a brownie. What a crazy city. We went down to the coffee shop below our hotel and had a beer before wandering around the canals of Amsterdam. We were all way to giggly to continue, so we got some noodles and headed back to the hotel. Although the location of the hotel was nice, it was REALLY loud. Understandable for a Saturday night.