hi! I got back from amsterdam yesterday...it was such a good time and it was so great to see jani...I've missed her! It was just a chill weekend. A little background on amsterdam for you...it's the capital of the netherlands and one of the most liberal cities in the world...pretty much everything is legal there (prostitution, marajuana, etc.)...and they speak dutch and english. The town is just so cute...bikes are the main form of transportation..and they are SERIOUS about their bike riding...you better get out of the way. It was rainy and cold the entire weekend..apparently it's always like that...but it fits the city. There are funky boutiques, art galleries, sex shops (yikes), and coffee shops (that sell coffee AND "space cakes"-brownies or muffins with marajuana in them). On Friday, we ate lunch at a thai restaurant and then went to the Van Gogh Museum which was cool...we got coffee and just caught up for while...that night, we went to an italian restaurant and got piiizzzzaaa..then just went back and hung out at her apartment. On saturday, we walked through a little outdoor market and then went to anne frank's house..they've turned it into a museum type thing and it was really interesting...you can walk through and see all the rooms..it was kind of eerie, but cool. After, we went to a restaurant that's known for it's pancakes...Amsterdam is famous for its pancakes...but they aren't realllly pancakes..they're really skinny..like crepes..but they're called pancakes. Anyway, they were good. When we were standing in line to get in, there was a group of spanish people behind us...they were speaking in spanish and asking eachother whether they should stay and wait, or go to another restuarant, etc....they were trying to figure out how to ask the hostess how long the wait was in english...it was so weird to hear spanish people struggling for english words...one of them was like, "It's, "how much minutes we wait?"..and another one was like, "No no..."How long in minutes we wait?" Haha..I hate to say it, but it felt realllly good to not be the one struggling for words for once. That afternoon, we walked around the city..there are 6 canals that go through amsterdam and its sooo pretty...they are all filled with houseboats...cool, yeah? We went to the "redlight district"..this is where the prostitutes "set up shop"...haha..they each stand in a booth and wait for the next customer..its so weird....they're also dressed in veryyyy little. prostitution is a serious business in amsterdam...it has its own union and the girls have to pay taxes...it costs 70-150 euros to rent a booth for 8 hours...and the usual going rate is 50 euros for 15 minutes. Its crazy...very weird to see. Also in the redlight district, there are "live sex shows"..where you pay to see people have sex..on a stage..in front of you. erglaieglaiugaegraeg...AHHH! That night, we went to a cute restaurant for dinner and then went out to a bar..it was a fun...a lotttt of dutch people and really crowded, but fun. On sunday morning, jani and I went out for breakfast and then I caught my flight back to madrid. I really really loved amsterdam...like, minus the pot and the prostitutes, it's a really cool city..somewhere I'd want to retire to. Not reallllly, but it gives that kind of vibe. Also, it was so great to see Jani...so nice to have someone from home. She is meeting me and a few others in Switzerland for Thanksgiving, so I'll see her again soon which is exciting. Hope you all had a great weekend!