Pannenkoeken en koffie

Do not adjust your monitors, the trains to Ghent and Amsterdam really did take forever. We took intercity trains (as opposed to the more expensive high speed ones), which left us plenty of time to reflect, nap, and take video. El Dragon likes seeing the countryside whiz by at relatively high speeds.

Youth Hostel Meeting point was...ok. I'm glad we didn't stay there the whole time. 2 rooms with 18 beds apiece sharing 4 showers isn't the most ideal set of living conditions. There was a gaggle of boys form Normandy sleeping in the bunks across from me. They spent 2 days talking trash in French until I snapped the last day and called them out. It was funny. Rule of travel: Never assume the person next to you doesn't speak your language.

As I have previously stated, Amsterdam is a wonderful city to wander in, preferably away from Centraal Station and the red light district with their hustle and bustle (pun intended). According to one of our travel books, some 20,000 of Amsterdam's innumerable bicycles end up in the canals every year. The salvage industry must be booming there. Despite all of the attention and activity around the canals, I don't think I saw a single moving boat while we were there. Wait, scratch that. I saw the "hop-on, hop-off" canal buses for those travelers too inept to take the tram (it's not a bus, it's a TRAM!) and too lazy to walk or bike.

It's truly a shame we couldn't sneak some video of the interior of the Van Gogh Museum. Its titular collection aside, it's really a nice exhibition space. Instead, we give you, dear readers, a montage of every single sign within a kilometer that makes reference to the museum. Also, directions to the nearest phone booth.

The picture of the naked women forming a bridge is the work of an American artist named Spencer Tunick. He has made his name traveling around the world doing massive installations involving thousands of naked volunteers. If you are interested, here is more info on him.

The video also gives you a small taste of our ever-changing cast of cheap umbrellas. The one you see Anders purchase is actually his second. The first was bought just a few steps away from Mannekin-Pis and had a really cool newsprint design. It lasted all of 3 days. Stef's rainbow rain protection was bought in Amsterdam and fared the best of the bunch. Mine took some severe punishment from the wind and disappeared on my last day in Paris.

-Eric

Days Seven and Eight: Arrival in Amsterdam

re: Day Six: Ghent

So, the camera is deciding to work again. I will probably finish up all of the video when I get home and then post them here.

I have finished Ghent, the video pretty much speaks for itself.



-Anders