Attacking Amsterdam

Hello again my avid blog readers! It has been much too long since I last touched base with you, but I'm back and with tons of stories and pictures to share. As summer approaches and work begins to lighten a bit, only a bit, which is the exact reason why I haven't been able to write, I have found the travelling bug deep inside me and have taken the opportunity to travel. A few weeks ago I found myself in the middle of Amsterdam with three beautiful friends and smack in the center of the biggest party of the year, Queen's day. Although it's been almost a month since I was there, the memories are still clear in my mind and I still manage to burst into laughter, remembering all the fun things we did.

The first day, Friday, I arrived before the girls and decided to get a quick preview on my own before being shown around. I found canals, lovely sunny plazas, bridges and people of all nationalities who spoke Dutch. The city took my breath away and it was the opposite of what I had imagined, a dark, cloudy, drug infested city. On the contrary, the sun was brighter than Barcelona's and the cafes were authentic and cozy, just like San Francisco.

The first night, Ana(from left to right)Sandra, Idoia and I treated ourselves to an amazing Italian dinner, two bottles of amazing Nero D'Aviola, oh how that reminds me of Puccini and Pinetti and the wine tastings, and Sambucca, of course. Afterwards we went out for drinks and headed back to the apartment, knowing the next day would be a challenge since we would rent bikes and begin the Dutch adventure. The apartment was so tiny, the bathroom didn't have enough room for a sink and so we took to washing up in the kitchen. Look Ma! I'm clean.

We acted like the Romans do and got ourselves some bikes early Saturday morning, taking over the Dutch pathways, four sexy girls on four sexy bikes. Every other hour we would take a break of course and sit in the sun to treat ourselves to cold beer, large refreshing salads and whatever else four hardworking girls needed. It was amazing to see how a city functions on bicycles, the fun you can have and the good you are doing for the environment. Something that surprised me was the silence in Amsterdam, all you heard was the ching ching of the tiny bells that warned you someone was going a bit faster than you. The best was being absolutely chic on these bikes and learning that in the end, we needed practice since we couldn't quite lock up as quickly and when we did our fancy jewelry got in the way...Exhibit A: Ana and her pearls:

The day was perfect for riding, sun everywhere, happy people, and nature. I couldn't have asked for more at that moment. Sometimes, it's as simple as going back to your childhood and putting on those dusty rollerskates or pedaling your soul into the distance.

The greatest part was getting dolled up for the night and riding our bikes. All of us had a taste of falling or crashing into a moving vehicle at one point or the other and instead of helping each other we would burst into laughter at the sight of how hard we tried to be cool and how easy it was to look like a fool. Question of the day: what's worse, a drunk driver or four drunk Barceloneans on bikes? Use your imagination....

On Sunday we rode around Amsterdam did some much needed shopping, and bid our dear Ana goodbye who had to work on Monday. We promised to dance in her name and did we ever. Sunday was the Queen's day eve. Queen's day is a national holiday in Amsterdam, in celebration of the previous Queen's birthday. Sandra couldn't have said it better, SURREAL. The night before the streets were filled with people in good spirits, drummers on the streets, beer and the famous shopping cart of course. When have I ever denied a ride in a shopping cart??

I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Imagine this: we find a shopping cart, with little pressure, Sandra talks me into getting in, she starts pushing me around on cobblestone streets. The cart flips over, I fall out, I dust myself off and the three of us walk away, as if nothing happened as people watch us and the cart, deserted once again on it's side...

On Monday, THE DAY...Queen's day, we were treated to a boat ride to see the other side of the canals. Idoia realized we were sitting in a boat with an Ajax player, Amsterdam's soccer team! We toured the city for a few hours and like the Dutch do, started our morning with cold beer. After seeing the canals, we bid Brian the boatman goodbye and experienced Queen's day at full force. I cannot begin to describe this strange party. Rule #1: you must wear orange...Rule #2: you must look like an idiot. Rule #3: You can sell anything, I mean anything on the street, so you can find from handcrafted goods to the oldest junk Holland possess on the street. Rule #4: you must get drunk...and of course if you're with us, you must buy a bottle of Moet Chandon, sit on the sidewalk and drink it. Nothing classier than that. We didn't stop til midnight when we found ourselves in a punk bar, exhausted, with aching butts, arms and legs. The experience was once in a million...and already we are planning our next destination for the summer...Ibiza, Menorca?? who will have to put up with us this time?