Day 7 - Amsterdam, full day

Today was my last day of travelling before I leave for Tanzania tomorrow. I am so excited to get on that flight (despite it being 10 hours!!). I spent the full day exploring as much of Amsterdam as I could. I started out by heading to the house of Anne Frank, where she hid for over 2 years from the Nazi's. I had to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to get in, as there was a big line up on the street. It was certainly worth the wait. It was a really interesting visit. They had excerts from her diary throughout the home, which ultimately led you to the secret annex where her and her family hid. You got to walk behind the bookcase hiding the opening in the wall, and see where they all were living. It was so sad reading some of the excerts, and watching videos about the war and the power of the Nazi's. I am really glad I waited in the cold to see this.

Afterwards, I set to explore a few different sites in town, including old churches, the palace, a shopping district contained in a series of nine streets around three canals, and the red light district (how can you not visit it in amsterdam?). The city is quite beautiful with it tall homes overlooking the canals, and the historic buildings scattered throughout the city.

I then went to the Vincent van Gogh museum, which has the largest collection of his art in the world. Some of the exhibits were really cool, including one section that showed hidden paintings underneath pictures. They said that canvasses were very expensive at the time, and artists commonly paininted over old paintings, after treating it in a certain way. I got to see van Gogh's Almond Blossom, which I absolutely love. It was so cool to see it in person. I wanted to take a picture, however I was caught in the act so was unable to do so. I did manage to take some other pics in the museum though.

It was a short visit to Amsterdam, but I learned alot about the city, and saw some really awesome things! Just enough time to do what I wanted, and now I am super excited to head off to Tanzania! My posts will likely be less, but I hope to update you all every once and a while.

Hope everyone is doing well, and I wish you all a Happy New Year. Sending my love!

At the Anne Frank house.

Busy streets filled with cool shops and lots of people!

Lunch! Apparently the best fries in town. They were pretty good!

Me in front of the Palace.

Bikes - the main form of transportion in Amsterdam. You have to always look out for the bikers, and make sure you don't get hit!

Lovely buildings and canals.

Vincent van Gogh museum.

Exploring the art!

Day 6 - Off to Amsterdam

Today I arrived in Amsterdam, very tired that's for sure. I finally made it to my hotel around 5, and settled in nicely. The hotel is super modern, and really cool. The shower and toilet are surrounded by circular glass doors, and have lights above which you can control the colour of. The bathroom is essentially integrated into the room, and then there is a giant bed and tv. See the pics to help you understand.

After orienting myself, I headed into town to explore. The city is full of canals and bridges, and neat stores with interesting things. Of course there are also 'coffee shops', however the city is full of much more history than I thought. I decided I would treat myself to a nice dinner, after all of the travelling and site seeing I have completed. I found a restaurant called Seasons, which was recommend by trip advisor. The food was amazing - I would say it was the best meal I have had in a long time. It was a three course meal, which started with a ceasar salad, then chicken curry, and then the most amazing dessert - a marshmellow hot fudge sundae. This was by far the best dessert I have EVER had. I can't even describe how good it was. I had trouble finishing the meal because it was so big, but I was so happy to have found this place. If you are ever in Amsterdam, you need to go here!

Here are just a few pics from the day. Enjoy!

My giant bed in the hotel!

Picture of the shower - note how it is integrated into the room, with glass doors that pull closed. Pretty cool!

The caesar salad. I had to take these pics with my iphone, because I fel funny taking out my SLR in the restaurant. It was a very nice place - they took my coat for me when I arrived!

Yummy chicken curry with naan bread. Unable to finish this!

The dessert. Hard to tell its awesomeness from this picture, but you will have to trust me!

Day 5 - Malaga, Madrid ... New Year's Eve!

Hello Again!

On Day 5, I spent my morning continuing to explore Malaga. I decided I would head to some old ruins of a castle, situated on a high hilltop. It was a bit of a hike to get up there, but provided fantastic views along the way. The castle itself was really neat as well. You were able to walk around the top on all sides, and see different views of the water and the city. It was such a beautiful day with great weather, and having those awesome views just topped it off. Afterwards I headed back down to the city, doing a bit of shopping and heading to the local market. I bought some really nice cheese and bread, along with some strawberries for a delicious lunch. It only came to 2.75 euros! What a steal!

I then took the train back to Madrid to spend the evening there for New Years! I had some time to kill before the celebrations, so I took to explore another area of the city I had not spent much time in, near the opera. I met this really cool artist doing some paintings on tiles in the street, so that was interesting to watch. I also bought one as a souvenir!

It was then time to head to Puerta de Sol. This is the area in Madrid where everyone celebrates new years. The tradition in Spain is that at midnight, you have to eat 12 grapes, with the sound of the clocks bells. Apparently it all started in the 1900's, when there was a surplus of grapes, and they wanted to find another way to sell them. The tradition of eating grapes at midnight has continued since then. Cool eh? People were walking around selling packs of twelve grapes, in additon to lots of other things including beer, champagne, wigs, and flashing accessories. I'm not sure why, but people in Spain on new years wear crazy wigs, of all different colours and types, so that was different to see! At midnight, it was really hard to eat all the grapes fat enough, especially since they had seeds. I had met some people from Australia and Chicago, and we all struggled to get the task done. I was also literally showered in champagne from everyone spraying their bottles - everyone was having a great time! It was a super fun night, and one that I will certainly remember.

Here are some pics!

On my way up to the castle. Self timer worked again!

Another pic of the awesome views!

I finally got to use my telephoto lens. Here is the bullring seen from up on the hill!

Explore the castle ruins.

Here is a pic of the slide from my hotel!

Next hotel in Madrid. Hotel Liabeny. Very close to all of the action!

Me at Puerta de Sol getting pumped for all the action!

Me and some furry creature ... possibly a star wars character? I have no idea! He just kept saying I love you, and I love whiskey. Good times!

The square packed with people, and filling all of the adjacent streets.

Twelve grapes to eat at midnight, not an easy task.

Me and some people I celebrated with, from Chicago, Australia, and Spain. Fun group!

Me and my new flashing ring after midnight :) Happy new year!

Day 4 - Sevilla, Malaga

Today I finished my morning off in Sevilla, visiting Alcazar, a royal residence in Sevilla. In spain, lots of tourist attractions give discounts to students, usually 50% or more off of the price. It only cost me 2 euros to visit here! I travelled by train in the afternoon to Malaga, and found myself quite tired on arrival. Nevertheless, I set out to explore the city, visiting the Birthplace of Picaso, a museum with lots of Picasso art, the Malaga cathedral, and walking along the port. My feet were in lots of pain again, and I retired to my hotel early. Hence the time to work on these postings!

Enjoy :)

Alcazar - the oldest royal residence in Europe. Beutiful rooms filled with intricate details, different works of art, and a large garden to explore.

Me inside the palace.

Outside in the gardens near a fountain. It was quite beutiful just strolling through the trees and the well groomed bushes. Very relaxing.

Sevilla Cathedral in the daytime. This picture does not do justice to it's size!

My hotel in Malaga. Very nice. Lots of space. Fancy bathroom! There is a slide in the lobby. Will take a picture of it tomorrow.

Streets of Malaga.

Did you know Picaso was born in Malaga? I did not know either! Lots of Picaso works to see here.

Cool piece of Picaso art. I secretly took this picture as cameras were not allowed.

Me in front of the birthplace of Pablo Picaso. It's the leftmost yellow house.

First site of ocean as the sun was setting.

The Malaga Cathedral at night. Christmas lights on orange trees line the entrance.

Churros dipped in chocolate for dinner. Why not? Yes, that is a cup of chocolate :)

Night lights in Malaga. Streets were full of performers, people, and just an overall upbeat vibe. Lots of fun.

Day 3 - Sevilla, Spain

This day I had an entire day in Sevilla. Lots of time to explore, visit various landmarks, and shop! I didn't think I would actually have time to stop in at shops and buy things, but I did! I found a nice dress, and some cool pottery from a small shop a walk away from town. Talked with the artist, which was really cool!

My feet were definitely hurting at the end of the day. Over 12 hours of walking will do that I guess. Got a lot ground covered in one day. Went to a Flamenco show at night, which is a presentation of traditional dance. I finished the evening with a nice meal at a cool restaurant named La Bulla. All of the waitors have been so nice! Trying to speak english to me, giving me free drinks, having a laugh. It was a nice place, but I did not finish eating until midnight, although that seems to be the norm here.

Here are some pics from the day.

View of Sevilla from the Torre del Oro, or the 12 sided Tower of Gold.

Me at the top of the tower! There were lots of maritime artificats contained here, but the best part of the tower was the view of the city.

Walking across a bridge. View of the tower in the background.
Lunch. Or more accurately, tapas. This was some sort of grilled pork on bread, and it was quite tastey!

Inside the Sevilla Cathedral. Dad, I thought you would like this. This is the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

Me in the courtyard of the Cathedral. Self timer on the camera came in handy!

Walking the streets of Sevilla. Lots of stopping in the little shops, and just walking with no plan in mind. Just exploring.

This is not a great picture, but it was at a Flamenco show in Sevilla. At this show they feature traditional dancing and singing. It was fantastic!

Dinner at La Bulla. Not sure exactly what this is, it was some sort of Peruvian food - stuffed with chiken, pork, and egg. Almost tasted like couscous, with discoveries of different items within it!

Day 2 - Madrid and Sevilla

My second day began with a 3 hour bike tour of Madrid. It was a fantastic way to visit the entire city, with all the important landmarks, in such a short period of time. It turned out the other biker cancelled, so it was my own personal tour! My guide did a great job telling me the history of the city and the particular buildings, and showed me lots of interesting non-tourist spots too (like a small guitar making shop that has been in one family for many, many years). There is no way I would have been able to see all of this on my own, so I am really glad to have done it!

In the afternoon, I travelled via high speed train to Sevilla. Sevilla is an old, old city, with tiny streets that create a maze. When I arrived, the sun had already set so the streets were dark. They were also packed with people, basically ever inch was full. My cab driver could not get me close to my hotel because the streets were closed, so he pointed down a small alley, and told me to go right. I said thanks! However, when I turned right, I found a maze of streets. I had no map. I asked as many people as I could for help, and it was a miracle I made it!

My evening was spent eating a nice meal, exploring the streets, and taking lots of pictures. It was so nice to get to my hotel knowing I would stay there for two nights. I could actually unpack a bit! The hotel was great - it was nice and small, and the staff were very helpful. I was told which restaurants were a must, and which sites I had to see in the time I had. And again, it was right in the city, in the heat of it all!

Here are some pics!

The start of the bike tour. A nice view overlooking the outskirts of Madrid.

This is the Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace. A very large building, surrounded by official gaurds. While there, we even caught the changing of the gaurds ceremony!

Me in front of a cool door!

The oldest restaurant in the world (according to Guiness Book of World records!) Established in 1705.

My bike from the bike tour!

My hotel in Sevilla! Much bigger than my previous hotel.

Enjoying the Christmas lights in Sevilla. Using my new map to find my way around the narrow streets.

Catedral de Sevilla. This is the largest gothic building in the world!