AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS/HOLLAND

What a place...and what an adventure we had getting there!

We took a Eurolines bus from Paris to Amsterdam, about 7-8 hours total because we stopped in Brussels, Belgium and several places throughout the Netherlands/Holland. Being as sleep-deprived as I was, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to sleep for a few solid hours. I passed out at the back of the bus since the front of the bus was where most of the passengers were sitting and dreamed about what awaited us in Amsterdam. I woke up in Belgium at a rest stop and ended up spilling chocolate milk ALL over myself and the seats next to me because I guess I was still half asleep and shook an open bottle of chocolate milk. So, next time you are about to shake some chocolate milk, double check that it is closed first! Anyways, we ended up in Brussels about an hour later and we stopped for 45 minutes. I didn't get out of the bus but I just stared at everything around me. After driving through Brussels, I decided that I want to travel there by the end of this year or early next year. It reminded sort of reminded me of a few areas at home in America.

We rode into the sunset and anticipated our arrival in Amsterdam. A little while later, we arrived in a city and everyone got off the bus. So, we got off too. The bus driver was saying something to me in French and all I could muster out was "No, no, je ne parler pas francias" and a weak smile. He looked confused but my friend and I just grabbed our suitcases and headed towards the metro station so we could figure out how to get to our hostel. We got to the electronic ticket booth and tried typing in the area of our hostel but all the screen read was "no results found". Hmm...we decided to walk back down and around the area to find some help. We ended up going into a hotel asking for directions when we found out that we weren't in Amsterdam.

We were in a city about 30 minutes from Amsterdam. Panic set in and we ran back to the parking lot in hopes that the bus was still there but it was gone, the parking lot was empty actually. The situation was funny but scary at the same time. Two girls in a city where English was obviously not well known and no idea how to get to Amsterdam. We went back to the metro/train station and figured out the next train left for Amsterdam within 2 minutes. We ran around and down the stairs pounding our suitcases against each step when the doors shut on us and rolled away. We missed the train. Tired, exhausted and defeated we sat down in a WiFi area, waiting for the next and last train of the night to Amsterdam.

An hour or so later, we made it to Amsterdam and we were on a tram with our new Australian friend, headed to the hostel. Amsterdam was illuminated, beautiful and filled with people either eating at outdoor restaurants or roaming the streets. We got off at our stop and checked in our hostel, Amsterdam Hostel Annemarie. A cute little place across from the Van Gogh Museum and I am Amsterdam letters. Despite the extremely steep stairs, the hostel was a great stay at a great price. We shared a room with some loud Brazilian tourists but they were quite funny when they stumbled in drunker than sailors. The beds were comfortable and the rooms are decorated as different cities around the room. Breakfast was better than the breakfasts in most hostels and we were allowed to store our suitcases there for a little while after checkout. We only stayed one night in the hostel because we had a flight at 6am the day after checkout (so, one full day and majority of a night). We could've stayed in the hostel two nights but in order to save money we decided to just do Amsterdam in one day and go to the airport at midnight and sleep there until our flight. We didn't want to walk around Amsterdam with our suitcases so we were directed by the receptionist at the hostel to the main train station where there are lockers especially for suitcases. Pure genius. Whoever thought of this needs a pat on the back and every other train/metro station in the world should install these lockers for travelers. Granted, it wasn't free, you had to pay about 7 euros for 24 hours but that's a hell of alot better than carrying your suitcases and bags around the city and getting back/neck pain for the days to come.

After dropping off our luggage at the locker room in the main train station, we set out for a day full of shenanigans in the beautiful, sunny Amsterdam. We first stopped and bought some tourist items (postcards, small wooden shoes, etc.,) and then we went to a "coffee shop". When in Amsterdam, right?! After some time in the coffee shop, we were at it again, just wandering the streets of this mysterious city. We walked pretty much all around the main part of the city over the next few hours, stopping in little shops here and there, sitting along the canal and taking pictures, stopping in coffee shops every once in awhile and eating at Bagels and Beans. If you are ever in Amsterdam, make sure to stop by this cute cafe, they have amazing drinks and bagel concoctions. I myself got a green tea latte while my friend got a bagel with the works inside of it. We passed by Anne Frank's House, the Rijksmuseum and the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. We also briefly wandered through the Jordaan district and ended our stay in the area of Oude Kerk and then Beurs van Berlage. We window shopped a bit in the Beurs van Berlage area then ate a late dinner at a sushi restaurant. I don't usually eat sushi in Prague because it's not exactly clear where that fish comes from or how fresh it is...so, I wait till I am home in America or somewhere by an ocean/body of freshwater.

The original plan was to go to the airport at around 2am but we got pretty bored and ran out of things to do so we ended up taking a train to the airport at about midnight. When we got into the airport, we found a quiet place to sleep and passed out until the cold airs of the airport woke us up a few hours later..

P.S. I have a new show obsession: Teen Wolf...laugh all you want but it helps fill the gap between Sundays for new True Blood episodes and until Homeland comes back on in the fall. I have to admit that the main reason I watch it is for Tyler Posey. 

THE PRAGUE GUIDE (WELL, A COLLEGE STUDENT/TRAVEL-ENTHUSIASTS)

As promised in the Czech Republic post on Saturday, here is the Prague exclusive guide!

You already know that the Czech Republic is the #1 beer drinking country in the world, home to one of the world's best Christmas markets and all that other good stuff. You may also be surprised, when coming to Prague, to see that one second you will see someone driving a Bentley, Maserati, Rolls Royce, Maybach, Audi sport cars or some other mind-blowingly expensive car and then in the next second you will see someone digging in a trash can for food.

So let's get to it!

There are 3 metro lines: a yellow, green and red line; probably one of the easiest metro systems in all of Europe. The main stops are: Karlovo Namesti,, Mustek, Staroměstská, Malostranská, Namesti Republiky and Florenc is the bus station. If you are coming from the airport, take bus 100 (that's the one I take) to the Zlicin bus/metro station and you can take the yellow line to any of the above yellow. Prague is also split up into different districts, so to speak, so expect addresses to be located in say Prague 5 or Prague 3 or Prague 7 or Prague 2. The main tourist area is located in Prague 1 and Prague 2; Old Town (Staroměstská) and New Town (Nové Město). The closer you are to the center and main tourist destinations, the more expensive you will pay for accommodation, even though Prague is pretty stinkin' cheap compared to other travel destinations throughout the Europe and well, the world.

Just a quick note, try to learn how to properly say where you are staying when it comes time to hail a taxi because usually if you speak English/sound like a tourist, they WILL rip you off BIG TIME.


The national language is Czech; there ARE English speakers but mainly only in the tourist areas and amongst the younger generation or the 100,000+ expats living in Prague.

The currency is Ceska Koruna (Kc). Bills come in 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000. Coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50). In terms of US dollars, 20 kc is about $1.

It would help to know a few basic words before coming to Prague, so you can feel somewhat immersed in the culture (I like to think that makes the whole travel experience that much better).

So, let's start with the basics:

Hello= Ahoj--- ah-hoy

Good day= Dobry den--- duoh-brie-den

Thank you= Dekuji---deck-wee-you.

Please= Prosim--- pro-seam

No= Ne

Yes= Ano--- ah-no

My name is= Me jmeno je--- meh-neh-mo-je

I am from= Jsem z--- je-sem-z

Where is__= Kde je--- grey-je

How much= kolik--- koh-lick

Places to eat in Prague:

1. U Vejvodů
Jilska 4
110 00 Praha 1

2. The Globe
Pštrossova 6
110 00 Praha 1

3. Cafe Louvre

Národní 22

110 00 Praha 1

4. Cross Cafe

5. Mama Coffee

6. Loving Hut
7. Lehka Hlava
Boršov 2/280
110 00 Praha 1

8. Orange Moon or Yam Yam
9. Cafe Slavia
Smetanovo nábřeží 1012/2
110 00 Praha 1

10. Triton Restaurant
Václavské Námesti 26
110 00 Praha 1

11. Buddha Bar
Jakubska 8
110 00 Praha 1

12. Můj šálek kávy
Křižíkova 105
Praha 8

13. Francouzska Restaurant

Náměstí Republiky 5 

110 00 Praha 1

14. Dobrá čajovna
15. Celeste Restaurant

Tančící dům, Rašínovo nábřeží 80

Praha 2, 120 00 

Nightlife in Prague...ladies and gentlemen, please, please don't go to Karlovy Lazne every night. It's okay to go one night or not even at all but broaden your horizons and go elsewhere. Also, the pub-crawls are fun but quite expensive when it comes down to it; you will meet tons more people and even the bar-crawlers if you go to these places, which I highly recommend: 

1. Deja Vu
Jakubská 6
110 00 Praha 1

2. Chapeau Rouge
Jakubská 2
110 00 Praha 1

3. Drunken Monkey

4. Propaganda-Vodka Bar
Michalska 12 
110 00 Praha 1 

5. Harley's
Dlouha 18
110 00 Praha 1

6. James Dean
V Kolkovně 1
110 00 Praha 1

7. Zlaty Strom
Kaprova 52/6
110 00 Praha 1

8. Lavka
Novotného lávka 1 
110 00 Praha 1

9. M1
Masna 1
110 00 Praha 1

10. Duplex
Wenceslas Square 21
Praha 1

11. SaSaZu
Bubenské Nábřeží 306
170 04 Praha 7

12. Mecca
U Pruhonu 3
Prague 7

13. Cross Club
Plynární 23
170 00 Praha 7

14. Retro Music Hall
Francouzská 75/4
120 00 Praha 2

15. Roxy
Dlouha 33
110 00 Praha 1

16. Radost FX

Bělehradská 120
120 00 Prague 2

Some other things to do/places to see in Prague include: 

1. Of course, walk across the Charles Bridge and take hundreds of pictures.
2. Climb up to the Prague Castle.
3. Go up to Petrin and look out from the Petrin tower for spectacular views of Prague.
4. Spend a day shopping in the 4 story mall, Palladium.
5. Grab a beer and relax at one of the many beer gardens, Letna is one my friends and I go to.
6. Walk through the tourist-filled streets of Old Town until you reach Old Town Square. Make sure to see the astronomical clock and the little puppet show in the tower at the ring of every new hour.
7. Walk on the main street before Charles Bridge at Malostranska Namesti. Walk down and around Charles Bridge as well.
8. Take a paddle boat ride on the river for an hour with a cold beer in hand and happiness in your heart.
9. Have a picnic at Kampa Park and view the various statues/art they have there.
10. Take a thumbs up (or thumbs down) picture with the Kafka Statue.
11. Wander over to the Jewish Quarters.
12. Get holy at the Spanish Synagogue.
13. Sit on the wall of the Vysehrad Castle and hope you don't fall.
14. Aimlessly wander around the beautiful Vinohrady neighborhood.
15. Go vintage, go second-hand at one of Prague's many vintage and thrift stores.
16. Ride on Europe's (well, for the countries in the EU) longest metro escalator at Namesti Miru.
17. Smell the beautiful Czech nature at Stromovka park.
18. Visit a strip club...Prague loves these.
19. Spend a few hours Antonin Dvorak Museum or the National Gallery.
20. Shop a little, grab a coffee, sit in a tram cafe, take some pictures at Wenceslas Square.

Hope this helps all you wanderlusters coming to Prague anytime soon. Enjoy my city for it's the Golden City aka one of the world's most beautiful! 

Travel on wanderlusters!