day 4 amsterdam

24 may 2009
to feel like dutch folks, we rented bikes near dam square and rode all over the place, with no real sense of direction. there is no readily apparent logic to the streets etc., so suffice to say, we crossed many different points in amsterdam, multiple times.

the bikes we had were back-pedal brakes which none of us have used since grade 7, and made cycling thru the bustling city all the more challenging. as such, today, i was the one almost hitting pedestrians, bikes, cars etc... or getting hit by the latter two. near the end of biking, i saw an old school windmill so we went in that direction just to help fulfil the stereotype. sometime after purchasing the "i amsterdam" card, we got completely lost trying to return the bikes, but luckily got in with 5 minutes to spare.

off then to anne frank house in the evening, but first a picnic dinner along one of the canals very close to 267 prinsengracht. anne frank house was simply amazing. seeing the bookcase entrance to the secret annex, the blocked windows and the diary excerpts on the wall tell a sad tale. i got choked up when i saw the markings on the wall recording the height of the children as they grew while in hiding. at anne frank house i got postcards to send to mom and dad, andree, emily and dave/kate/ben/hannah.

we then made it to an internet cafe and i managed to IM with dave and family, and andree.

... then the stupidness ensued. bulldog cafe, 12e and purple haze. things that i remembered that night: milkshakes, febo wall-meat challenge, febo change machine, soccer guy (editor 2010 - i think it was this guy - i do not entirely remember), dude at pub under pancake corner pushing hard, keuken=kitchen, cowboy boots on this block only and some incident at mcdonalds that i don't recall because i was too busy taking a pic of myself.