That one time where I bought orange pants..

So there I am in H & M. Looking for shoes, but they caught my eye out of nowhere. Granted, they are pretty hard to ignore. The Pants. Orange pants. I mean, I'm all for colored pants! I think some nice aqua or coral tweed would be adorable. But imagine traffic cones. And oranges that you eat. And Hooters. Halloween.Construction workers. Nike shoe boxes. Yep.  The brightest, loudest screaming orange I could possibly hope for and imagine. I looked in the dressing room mirror for about 5 minutes thinking about how accurately my ass resembled these things and thought, "these are the ugliest pants ever."  I bought them. 

April 30th in the Netherlands is a special day. Queensday, or 'Koninginnedag' if you speak Dutch. It celebrates the birthday of their Queen (although April 30 is actually the birthday of the current queen's mother). Basically, it's just a chance to have one big party. And party it was. Just Google search images of Queensday, and you'll see! I have never attended a bigger event in my whole life. Some might say it resembles Mardi Gras in New Orleans, although I'm not sure having never been to New Orleans. 


I feel, however, that Queensday is not a comparison. It is not just a day that you throw around in casual conversation. You don't go, "oh yeah, I think I bought some pants on Queensday." If you were to say something about Queensday, it would probably be "OH SNAP, I HAD THE BEST QUEENSDAY EVER WEARING ORANGE PANTS." Or, maybe "Duuuddde, those pants are sooooo, ya know, orrraannnge. Duuudde." (depending on how you spent your Queensday particularly) Orange, orange everywhere! Orange cowboy hats, jerseys, T-shirts, tiaras, flags, streamers, balloons, dresses, and pants too! I bought the orange pants in preparation for Queensday, which was a pretty good choice, seeing as I would've looked pretty dumb without any orange on. It was really cool to see the streets packed with solid orange. I imagine it would be phenomenal to fly over Amsterdam on this day and just see gridlines of orange. 


Remember my last post about Amsterdam? Now imagine those peaceful little canals packed with boats full of people dancing, blasting music, drinking Heineken, and throwing things at the casual observers. The streets were even more packed with all sorts of vendors selling yard-sale items, clothing, food, drinks, anything. You name it, you could find it somewhere. 










And the food. Oh my, the food. Right now is where I ask you not to judge me for the amount of food consumed during this trip.... freshly squeezed orange juice, sliced apples with chocolate syrup, Poffertjes (half-dollar sized pancakes with sweet butter), Dutch fries, Kroket-a weird concoction that is basically fried gravy (it comes out of a vending machine), and flaming shots called the Harry Potter. I even had the McDonald's version of the Kroket, the McKroket, which was even better than the real thing. 

The infamous Dutch Kroket in front of its vending machine.

What the inside of a Kroket actually looks like. 

The McKROKET...patty-form

"Harry Potter" shots

I felt pretty much like this graffiti afterwards, "Consumer" 

 The absolute best part of the day was a small table set up with some housewares for sale in a residential part of town. The adults sat in lawn chairs outside conversing, drinking beer, and watching the parade-like throngs of people pass by. But there was a little sign taped to the edge of the table with an arrow pointing down and text that read "slapende kat" (or sleeping cat), and underneath, a small little kid dressed up in a cat costume, laying in a little nest of blankets pretending to sleep, occasionally peeking open their eyes to see if anyone had put a coin in the box. Right on cue, Emily and I both stop and completely melt. We'd have probably  sold our souls to that adorable little cat-kid if asked, and proceeded to empty our pocket change into the box, while the parents laughed at our obvious amusement. 

Trash in the streets during the day.

I wish I could describe the atmosphere. It was somewhere between brawling, obnoxious, pressing, and loud to laid-back, chill, easy-going, friendly, and relaxed. If someone shouted something, they did so for merely the purpose of declaring their happiness. At times, I was pressed body-to-body with people on all sides of me in the middle of a street, the constant threat of being run over by the push of people behind, and at others I lounged languidly with Emily, our legs hanging over the side of the stone canal wall, throwing our faces back to the sun, soaking up the music and smells, and atmosphere. It was just a festival which embraced all the nationalities, all the quirkiness, all the weird, mismatched, and friendly people that Amsterdam had to offer. 


 I wish my photos did it justice. But I didn't bring my camera along with me this time (seeing as I got my phone stolen and, praise Jesus, returned!) so I had to settle for cell pics. I won't bore you with any more details, but trust me, those orange pants were worth every penny. (Although I secretly plan on returning them if I can successfully remove the dirt stain from the leg)   :) 






Oh, and did I mention, I got to watch my favorite band in the whole world perform live approx. 20 feet in front of me the next day? Life was good. I couldn't ask for more blessings.

In Holland, eveerythiijng neeeds eextraa vooweels (and throw in a couple j's too)

Have I spent the whole day in my pajamas? Yes. Have I had two cups of cappuccino, gone no further than the kitchen, and left my hair in its non-showered state? Have I eaten cereal for dinner because cooking pasta was too much work and I ate the last of my cheese two days ago? Yes. But I HAVE finished a letter, completed my short-story's revision for publication (crossed fingers), organized my photos, listened to four of Coldplay's albums, replied to my emails, and started this new blog! I call that success. Maybe all I need in order to be productive is to be anti-productive! I have discovered the secret to life!!! On that positive note, I'm now attempting the daunting task of trying to blog about my trip into the world of windmills, wooden shoes, white cheese, watery Heineken, wispy blonde hair/blue eyes, and the wicked city of Amsterdam. In other words, I visited Emily! 


Enter, Nederlands.


Train trip from Aachen - Amsterdam = 3.5 hours. To me, that 3.5 hours sounded like a magical adventure where I would board the Hogwarts express and see the magical landscape of Holland passing me by, each turn of the tracks a new world to see through the windows. 
REALITY. Three and a half hours includes a twenty minute connection in the most boring train station in Europe, only to sit in one of the backwards-facing seats in the top of a very full train where the windows are smaller, and there is no leg room. The seats are strategically placed so that your feet have nowhere to go, and just far enough away from the wall so that in order to lean your head against the glass you have to tilt it at a neck-cramping angle. Not to mention the fact that the only way you know you've reached your destination is by listening to the static (fast-food drive-thru like) voice telling me in Dutch which station I'm at. Oh, and that magical Dutch country side? Yeah, it looks just like Missouri. Farms, farms, and more farms. Did I mention farms? The only distinguishing difference between Missouri farms and Dutch farms are that there are small canals that serve as irrigation ditches, and they break up the monotony. Oh, also in Missouri, you won't find a bright yellow passenger train pelting through the middle of a farm, scaring cows off in either direction. I did see a big white swan perched in a field every once in a while, which was rather odd.  


When I finally arrived in Amsterdam, just about anything would've seemed wonderful after that train ride, but     I was completely blown away with how beautiful it was. My expectations of Amsterdam were not high... get it?...high? ...hahaha, bad pun. Anyway. I was thinking  prostitutes, coffee shops, trashy tourist shops, etc, etc. But I might go out on a limb here and say Amsterdam might just be my favorite city so far (well, it's a tie with London at least). 


 #1.) The canals!! I was not expecting that! I mean, I knew Amsterdam had canals. I knew it was below sea level. But I didn't realize how integral they were to the atmosphere of the city. They were everywhere. So in a normal walk/bike ride, we'd cross several canals. There were hardly times when we weren't walking along one canal or another. And they are spanned by stunning bridges (some even light up at night). The peaceful canals just turned everything into a picturesque scene, even the Red Light District! *I sort of begged Emily to take me there so I could experience it. Not a place I'd want to have a picnic in. But the canals made it better! 

#2.) The architecture! It was clearly different from that in Germany. I'm not an architecture buff, so I wouldn't know how to describe it, but just trust me when I say it was beautiful. Lots of really old buildings, and they almost reminded me of something that you might find in more Eastern Europe like Turkey or Slovakia. Lots of red brick with white accents, and intricate detail and molding. Combine that with the canals, and let's just say I was a happy camper. 


I'm not ashamed to say I'm pretty jealous that Emily gets to go to school in Amsterdam. What was I thinking?? Just kidding. 


We visited a really cute town just outside of Amsterdam. Only after getting on the wrong train out of town, going way past our destination, taking the train back, then washing, rinsing and repeating. We finally made it to Zaanse Schans after walking past a stinky cocoa factory that smelled like chocolate poop. But you turn the corner, and BAM. Water and windmills. 

There was a cheese store with free samples (YES, I tried every single free sample, fighting with any little girl over the biggest piece in the jar), and a wooden shoe shop! 

Emily was a great guide took me to a bunch of her favorite places, restaurants, and bars in the hip, non-touristy parts of Amsterdam, which all turned out to be really cool. I felt as if I walked into a living, breathing, Pinterest world.

 I got to see the Bibliotheek (one of the top 25 libraries in the world!) and we had dinner at the top where we got to overlook Amsterdam. Interestingly enough, the actual book sections weren't very fun to be in. They were pretty plain. But everything else was cool! 

The Kid's section ^^

Eh, we're in a library. Why not feast?? 

I saw a lot of the touristy things too, like Dam Square, the Palace, Anne Frank's house and got my picture with this sign (I really liked the Queens face plastered on the Rijksmuseum behind it, nice touch for Queensday!). 

Anne Frank's house ^

And (in case you weren't aware), Amsterdam has a pretty tacky side as well. Ooooh shocking! (I already mentioned I made a pit stop in the Red Light District) 

Yes, yes, there is a condom shaped like a giraffe.

Oh, hey Britain. Fancy meeting you here!

That's whatcha call a Monopoly.

BEST. CONTRAPTION. EVER. It's a beer bike!! There's beer on tap at the table, and everyone pedals with one person steering!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I'm going to do a separate post about my Queensday festivities later! Otherwise, this would be the never-ending post. I suppose that would be fitting for Amsterdam, but I'll spare your eyes for now. :) 


PS. I changed the background of all my posts from now on so that they're a bit easier to read. Leave me a comment about what you think! 

Maastricht

Saturday, we got up early and took a bus to Maastricht, the closest major city to Aachen. Maastricht is a decently large city, with a big college, is one of the first cities in the Netherlands, and one of the most ancient cities in all of Europe. It's name means "crossing of the Meuse" referring to the bridge built by the Romans in the time of Augustus Caesar. 

The River Meuse runs right through the middle of Maastricht, separating the Altstadt (old city) from the rest. When we walked out of the bus station, we ran into a cute little Saturday flea market set up right in the middle of the street. They had wooden shoes for sale!!! I wanted to buy them sooo badly, but my common sense won out. :( 


I did buy a cute little tea spoon that says "Holland" with a windmill on top that actually spins. :) 

Taking our own walking tour, we saw Helpoort (Hell's Gate: a 13th century city gate and the oldest in Holland) and the old city wall built in 1229. Of course I had to touch it, that's the oldest thing I've ever seen!!! 

 

The Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek (Basilica of our Lady: an 11th century church...holy cow!) was a really cool place that looks like a combination castle/church. The inside was super dark, and rather creepy. They had a neat little side chapel, where there were lots and lots of candles which produced waves of heat. It was such a relief after the bitter wind outside. 

We followed the map around Maastricht, where we made our way to Church of St. John (Sint Janskerk: built in the 1300's) [below with the red top] and right next to it was the Church of St. Serviatus (Sint Servaasbasiliek), where we got to go down into the excavated crypt, and also see the saint's tomb. 

This floor was a legitimate maze. The center cross is Jerusalem, and there are other cities in the four corners of the floor. I actually walked through most of the maze, and it was really awesome. Probably the coolest tiled floor I've ever seen. I was running around the maze, using tiptoes because my feet were almost too big for the corridors, and some people came into the room and started giving me funny looks. Hey, it's a maze people! 

We found this adorable little bakery that sold macarons. I've been wanting to try macarons desperately for a while now, and so I was BEYOND stoked to try them. So I bought four (earl grey, rose, coffee, and a weird purple berry flavor). Now I can't stop thinking about them. I want NEED more macarons soon. I might just take a trip to Maastricht to buy them. 

So Maastricht was a blast, and I can't wait to go back soon (hopefully on a nicer day next time) !!

Here are some of my random pictures:

The oldest street in one of the oldest cities