Day 22

Saturday August 18

8:00am - woke up to phone alarm and took a shower

8:40am - went to the bank around the corner but it was closed or something (couldn't understand the message on the screen LOL). Looked in this pastry shop around the corner too - the smell was unreal good but I didn't find anything I actually wanted LOL. Came back and put on sunscreen and did all that stuff before breakfast.

9:00am - went to breakfast. Someone new! He is much nicer. Don't know his name but he was sweet, asking me and another table if the eggs were OK and if we had enough and blahblahblah. Maybe he's the weekend guy but he was very very nice.

9:30am - went to the tram stop to catch the 9:39am tram 4. It was a couple min late.

9:50am - ran to the change machine, got coins for a 5 and bought my round trip ticket to Haarlem for 6.20 euros (save a euro when you buy it as a return). Ran to platform 1 to catch the 9:57am train. Damn I'm good :p It was a double-decker train! Never been on one before so I went upstairs.

OH MY GOD. The stop before the main Haarlem stop….. All that was there at the stop…. WAS A HUGE IKEA. It took ALL I HAD to stay in my seat….. Oh my god. I saw the blue and yellow sign and my eyes probably bugged out of my head ;)

10:14am - arrived at the station and met up with Sjoukje (which I can now pronounce, woohoo!). Saw an ATM and was able to successfully use that one. Of course I go to Copenhagen tomorrow, which is not on the Euro, but I needed enough to get through today lol. So we're not sure what to do so we go into the VVV TI office and get some stuff. We walk to the center of town and then try to find the windmill and because we don't have a proper map (I was using the little drawing in the Rick Steves book LOL) but we asked some people and finally found it. Okay, so it was just a windmill. LOL. But hey I hadn't seen one up close like that so it was cool. While we sat and just chilled, we saw a bridge that ROTATED to let taller boats through the river. I'd never seen anything like THAT!

So then the fun began - trying to get back to the center of town. Somehow we made it to like the "suburbs" of Haarlem LOL

1:00pmish - Honestly I have no damn idea where we ended up and after asking 4 locals, we finally made it back to the main square, which was hopping (the rest of the town was dead as a doornail and I was wondering why locals and guidebooks alike were saying it was a good daytrip LOL). There was some kind of crazy festival and even a casino in a tent in the main square, which is too bad because it made it really busy and cramped and plus the square is supposed to be a nice one but with all that crap in it, it was hard. So we tried to find a place for lunch when Sjoukje saw a big V&D Department store and say that they have good cafeterias. So we went up to the 6th floor and wow. I explained to her that our department stores don’t have this LOL.

So we decided on pizza - which they make right in front of you and cook in a wood-fired oven. I had plain cheese and it was probably the tastiest pizza I've had on the trip - and as you know from following along, I've had a lot - and a fresh strawberry lemonade that was yummmm… all for 8.60 euros. Yippee! Went upstairs and had great views of the big church and the city.

3:00pmish or so I don't remember LOL - went back to the train station (thank GOD for the signs along the whole way or god knows where we would've ended up again LOL)…. Passed an H&M (btw Amanda if and when you read this, I did see another one in Amsterdam yesterday, not far from the other one actually |X ), made it to the station and decided to go to Zandvoort, where the beach is. I didn't even know Amsterdam had beaches. LOL!! But yes it does, on the North Sea. So ok, it's only 10 minutes or so further and with Sjoukje's resident discount the return ticket was only 1.90.

4:00pmish - got to the station and the beach was just a very short walk away. It is very nice. Not stunning like Barcelona's but very nice in its own Dutch way. The beach was COVERED with shells of all kinds - see the pictures for the more bizarre long skinny ones. Don't tell anyone but I took a bunch of shells - they're probably not allowed in the US, but I'm gonna try wrapping them in some clothes or something LOL

4:48pm (I think) - after walking along the beach for a while decided to go back. So happens that the train leaving was going all the way to Amsterdam Centraal so I could just stay on it. Convenient! Was real nice to hang out with Sjoukje for the day :) She brought me these sweet cookies that are apparently only made in her hometown. I am looking forward to trying them…. I think. LOL! Made it back to my hotel around 5:30. Since we had lunch so late I wasn't too hungry so I came back here and rested. Noticed that my room wasn't cleaned today. Not that I much care, just thought it was odd.

6:30pm - decided to get some food. Took the tram just 2 stops to Rembrandtplein because 1) my feet hurt and 2) I have the pass might as well use it. Bought a bottle of water in a drug store for 50 cents (1/3 the price of the food stand) and got a cone of fries. Not nearly as good as the Belgian :( Then went into a fast food type place and got a chocolate shake. Yes I had fries and a chocolate shake for dinner. But the dutch way. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7:30pm - came back here and just chilled for the evening. I think I have had enough of Amsterdam LOL. And since my flight isn't til 2:45pm tomorrow, I can pack in the morning since breakfast isn't til 9 and I won't leave here til after 10:30am anyway. So I will just relax and rest the feet :)