Never Never Land

Because Holland and The Netherlands are the same place, there is often confusion with the name-calling and what one or the other actually is. Believe me, in America I experienced this first hand and it was the worst. An American professor, that’s right, professor, thought that The Netherlands was the capital of Denmark. Not even kidding. But actually, after having been in Europe for a while now, I’ve come to miss certain things about the States, for example the fact that supermarkets are open 24/7 in America, whereas in Germany for example, stuff is always closed on Sunday. In America, you can catch people doing their weekly grocery shop at 3 in the morning, not drunks or junkies, but ordinary, stay-at-home-moms that prefer to go in their slippers when it’s quiet. That’s what I miss about America. And free refills. I miss them too.

Anywho back to the present moment. The weather seriously has not been very helpful. We had even worse winds today, with gale-like force that stripped you of every layer of clothing you were wearing till you were chilled to the bone, (oh, how descriptive I sound). But, nonetheless, everyone was out and about in Amsterdam, and the pathetic umbrellas Serena and I bought may as well have been made out of tissue paper. It was a monstrosity. Picture this; walking down the canals where you see literally EVERYONE battling with the wind and their umbrellas are turned inside out, people are losing their hats and trying to hold onto their children, bikes are being ridden in a wobbly manner (in danger of falling into the canal) and hair whipping across your face with such atrocity that it gives you whip lash. But, it was Amsterdam, and we weren’t going to let the weather stop us. Below Serena battles with her umbrella;

Iconic 'I Amsterdam' sign

Check the umbrella...honestly

Dreary

But as Oscar Wilde says; “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination”

Yesterday was a little more relaxed so today we headed out early and tottered around to some sights. Now here comes photo galore; the canals are so beautiful that I couldn’t resist putting up, like, 20 billion photos. So you can feel like me, you see. But minus the wind and crappy weather, so you’re winning on that. But then again, you’re actually at home, wherever that is (THAT’S RIGHT, WE HAVE INTERNATIONAL REGULAR READERS) and I’m the one actually in Amsterdam, so I guess that means I always win, sorry.

Eating Dutch pancakes for lunch

My approach

We're in Holland alright

Holland has more than 4,000km of navigable rivers, lakes and canals. It’s often called ‘the Venice of Northern Europe’ (so I’ve basically visited Venice in Amsterdam and Paris in Budapest) and these guys love it. Water taxis, gondolas, peddle boats and motorboats, they’ve got it all. It’s actually one of the first cities to be flooded if global warming causes the sea levels to rise even a LITTLE BIT. It’s 6.7 meters below sea level at its lowest point, and the whole city is actually well below sea level. Given the fact that it’s almost entirely flat, it will be bye bye Amsterdam if things take a turn for the worst soon. Amsterdam left me speechless, and I couldn’t fathom why I left it so long to finally journey here. Serena and I dotted around, stole balloons and ran laughing from a mall, browsed around the Holland flower markets arm in arm and released our balloons in a significant moment marking our friendship.

Need  BIGGER size

<3

Also, another reason to LOVE it; Dutch people are the second tallest people in the world. And man, did I witness that. Saw heaps of blokes that towered over me, so gals that are tall, get your ticket and jump on board the train to Never Never Land.