seekingmygreaterperhaps

I am now the proud owner of an “Amsterdam: Bike City” grey hoodie. Sometimes the weather drives you to make really horrible for space, but very necessary for health , purchases. It’s cool, Now I have to wear it all the time (because it’s hard to fit into my backpack.)

Alright, So I’ve been a horrible blogger, but an awesome person (so humble too), but I definitely haven’t written anything in a WEEK. Whoa, what a great time I’ve been having. Haha. But really, Amsterdam was incredible. So I will try my best to sum it up with a few words and a lot of pics, or vice versa. We will just see. Ready? Let’s rock n’ roll.

Have you heard of the I AMsterdam letters? Well here I am climing on the M- for MICHAELLA. Also, notice I am wearing a dress. Fear not, I had spanx on underneath, and just because I chose innapropriate attire doesn’t stop me from letting out my adventurer.

I met some awesome people in Amsterdam, one of them being Thai who was lucky enough to sleep in the bunk under me. We spent the day together, and went to the Van Gogh museum first. This was awesome, especially since we didn’t have to wait in line, and he is one of my favorite artists. No line= no problems. Oh but there was a huge line, except we were sneaky and accidentally bought tickets from a different place (for the same price, whatup) and got to skip the line. Boom.

We also went to the Heineken Experience! This was SUPER cool. You not only get the brewery tour, but also get to be “brewed” on a ride. That was neat. Also, you get walked through a beer tasting, where I learned that foam is actually good, and it prevents all the oxygen from leaving. Then there are a bunch of fun games, and pictures you can take doing different Heineken things. My favorite part was where you get to become an “official beer pourer.” I may or may not have been feeling it and my certificate says “Mich Lightning Beatty.” You can tell because I would never misspell lightening.

Basically, I can get a job now…. maybe. Add it to the resume.

I was also lucky enough to be in Amsterdam for Liberation Day! The night before at 8pm everyone takes 2 minutes of silence for the fallen soliders. Then the next day there are festivals. I found one! We ate there and listened to music, and it felt really homey and like I was a local. Hey, I mean, I’m tall and blonde. Close enough.

The next day is when I earned my Amsterdam sweatshirt. I thought I was getting to the Anne Frank House early. Hundreds of other people also had this thought. It was freezing, and I was illprepared, and thus, I bought myself a hoodie from the souvenir shop. It was worth it, because I stood in line for a FEW hours.

This museum brought me to tears, and I highly recommend anyone going there. It is worth the wait if you are into it. You get to see all of the office space as well as the Secret Annex. My favorite thing was the original bookshelf that hid the Frank family. Throughout the museum you read quotes from Anne’s diary relating to what you are seeing. The way they put it together is really interesting. Also, the room that Anne shared was TINY. No wonder she craved fresh air, that was not very comfortable. Otto Frank made the decision to leave all of the rooms without furniture to represent all of the millions of Jews who would never get to come home.

The most touching part was the end, where people can reflect on the impact Anne Frank’s diary has made. “Her would haves are our opportunities.” It broke my heart because she was SO young. She had so much life to live. I also understand the part from ‘the fault in our stars” where they see the book of names of Holocaust victims. It is flipped to Anne Frank. But underneath are 4 Aron Franks. They don’t have a museum. They don’t have thousands of people coming to pay tribute to them. It really sticks with you.

Sorry to be all profound in the middle of a blog, but some things need to be said.

That night I went to an English Improv comedy show, hosted by Boom Chicago. It was hilarious, I only paid 11 euro, and got front row seats. They made me laugh, and the next day my abs hurt.

While in Amsterdam, I thought I would pay a visit to two museums that I figured you could only go to in Amsterdam… the Marijuana Museum and the Museum of Prostitution. I personally liked the latter more, but they both have their high points.

For example, at the Marijuana Museum, I was able to see real life plants! Among with learning about the history and how weed’s image has changed throughout time.

This is me standing “in a window” as a prositute… except sitting, and the red light isn’t on. I loved this museum. They start with history, but then they move to the trade as it is now. They have mock bedrooms set up for all different kinds of sex workers. At the end they remind you that hundreds of women are put into human trafficking with this video… watch it though, it’s incredible.

And on a final, happy note- Keukenof Gardens! I spent a lovely day in Holland with… TULIPS! Finally, I am in the right place in the right season. These tulips seem to go on for miles and miles and miles. They arrange the gardens so beautifully, and have big buildings with specialty displays, where I saw the blue orchid. It was on the bus back that I met 3 Australian doctors, and thus my plans for the evening. We played cards and drank wine, which sounds just about as classy as it gets. It all started with the tulips.

I know this post was longer than most… but it’s because I LOVED Amsterdam!! There is so much beauty to see, and soooo many things to do. Thanks for sticking with me! Here’s me hanging with tulips.