Amsterdam/Brussels
Catching a 6 am flight is no easy feat in Barcelona. The metro is closed until 5 am; the buses to the airport don’t start running until 530. The only option is a cab. I woke up at 415 am, forced myself out of bed and waited in the cold morning air outside my apartment for a cab. Janice and I were probably delusional the entire drive there, we talked with the energy one has at 2 in the afternoon. We arrived in Amsterdam around 8 am and followed Ali’s scribbled directions to our hostel. Our 14-bed room was part of a building that was built in 1638. The ceilings were low and wooden, the bathroom small and the smell – pungent. We walked around Amsterdam in the brisk morning fog and decided our first stop would be Anne Frank’s house.
The line went around the block but we stepped in line knowing that it was inevitable. I can definitely say that the tour of Anne Frank’s house is in my top 5 most moving experiences while abroad. Each room is untouched and the whole tour is really well done as it retells her story. It was mind-blowing and unforgettable to see how she and her family lived in fear behind a bookshelf, which concealed the entrance to their 4-room home inside the upstairs of a warehouse building. Although it is too fragile to enter, they have placed a mirror inside the attic where Anne frequently spent time, her only glimpse of the outside world through a tiny window. The posters and magazine clippings she glued to her walls remain there behind glass. For the rest of our stay, we explored Amsterdam. One night, we went to a Boom!Chicago show. Ali is into improv and found this comedy club that is super famous in Amsterdam. It was really interesting to see an improv show, I’ve never before, and it was also interesting to see the Dutch perspective on comedy and all things funny-mainly America(ns). The city is really cute, every building is unique but they all blend into one, as there are no spaces between them. The canals are pristine and beautiful, they provide for a nice break between the busy streets filled with bicycles, bicycles and more bicycles. The Red Light District serves as a gigantic contrast with the quaint approachability of the rest of the city. Women stand behind floor length windows wearing just about nothing, showing off their bodies and begging for men to come inside. Men stare at them from afar and up close, tons knocking on their doors and entering. This part of the city screams of sin.
For a nice break from Amsterdam, we spent a Sunday in Brussels. We took a 3-hour train from Amsterdam and arrived mid-morning. We were immediately welcomed by the pungent smell of waffles and chocolate; we quickly learned that this scent is inescapable throughout the entire city. We went straight to the Magritte museum to discover that it was Sold OUT. We walked inside anyways, hoping to find out that we could come back in a few hours when the crowds would disappear. The man behind the ticket desk told me I “have Bambi’s eyes” and that the 3 of us could get in to the museum for free if we kept it a secret… and that we did! The museum was amazing, all of his works were even better in person and I really enjoyed it. After leaving the museum, we followed our noses to the waffles and were treated to the most scrumptious of waffles! We walked through the charming streets of Brussels and found a cab driver. I asked him if he knew where Avenue Paul Deschanel was. He said yes and we jumped in. About 25 minutes later, we arrived at 130 Avenue Paul Deschanel. As soon as the man put the car in park, the three of us ran out and stared up at the beautiful white building. It’s wooden features delicately carved into the curvature of the corners, I walked up the few steps to the door. Ali and Janice took pictures as I stood exactly where my grandmother had many times before! 
Across the street is a tiny park and the entire street is full of beautiful apartment buildings. As we drove away, I kept my eyes opened wide..memorizing the stores and buildings around me. It was an incredible feeling knowing that my grandma had once lived there and has so many memories from the very streets I was passing by. For the rest of the day we took advantage of the approaching Easter holiday and ate as many free tasters of chocolate as we could. Every two steps is a different chocolate shop. We stumbled upon the Manikin Pis, the claim to fame of Brussels – and were surprised by how tiny it is! We ended our lovely day in Brussels with some fruit flavored beer – specialties of the country. Peach, apricot, blueberry, strawberry and the best – raspberry! We returned to Amsterdam late that night and crashed in our beds, trying hard not to awaken our roommates. Monday, we went to the Van Gogh museum and the Heineken beer factory. Both of which were crowded with fellow tourists. The museum was AMAZING and the factory was full of self-promotion but free beer!
