The Netherlands

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Trip start
June 3, 2024
The Netherlands Traveler
Day 145/146: Train Rides from Hell
June 4, 2024 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Before returning to the states for a wedding, we wanted to hit Belgium and the Netherlands. In total it should have been a 10-12 hour journey and hoped to break it up by training 6 hours to Hannover and then 4 more hours to Netherlands.

Everything that could go wrong did. The train from Warsaw to Berlin kept stopping for long periods. We get to the final stop before entering Germany, and the train conductors ask everyone to get off the train and file us onto a different train. Then once we were over the border, the train was stopped again and a bunch of German police got on the train and asked for passports.

1) Mary realized she didn’t have her passport on her and that it was in Warsaw. 2) The German police officers take 6 guys off the train and had them completely surrounded by 10 police officers.

We planned for her to bus 7 hours back to Warsaw and fly to Amsterdam in the morning. Two hours later, the hostel people said they would just mail it but Kieran already left for Hannover and there were no more trains or busses. So now Mary was stuck in Berlin and staying in a hostel.

The next day, Mary woke up at 6am to meet in Hannover. After arriving, the train was cancelled and everything went to shit. Every single train for the remainder of the day was either late or cancelled. Thus a 24 hour train nightmare became 48 hours.

We finally arrived at our accommodation in Waddinxveen at 6:00pm. We showered, rewarded ourselves with Argentinian steak house for dinner (12 minute walk and one of the only options), and the day was over.

To top it off, Mary’s grandmother Louise passed away today.

Here are pictures of our adorable, peaceful, countryside accommodation owned by Jack and Annie to misrepresent and lie about how we really feel right now 🤬🤬🤬

Hotel:
Premier Inn Wolfsburg City Centre hotel

Restaurants:
El CaballeroRead more
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The Netherlands Traveler
Day 147: The Hague and Rotterdam
June 5, 2024 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
Our Airbnb is located in the South Holland country side; the Dutch consider it rural even though they have a train stop, modern houses, canal systems, and major bike lines 🫠 Annie cooked us a delicious breakfast using eggs from their little chicken farm.

We lost a day to the train fiasco so we attempted to squish The Hague and Rotterdam in the same day. Both cities were only 40 minutes away by train and 20 minutes away from each other so we moved in a triangle.

In The Hague, we metro’d to the Peace Palace which hosts the International Court of Justice, the International Court of Arbitration, and the largest international law library in the world. They offer free 30 minute audio tours and we liked learning the building history, Peace Palace message, and the many examples they provided of ICJ and Arbitration court success.

In Rotterdam, we walked around the harbor, Erasmusbrug bridge, and The Rotterdam skyscraper. Hit a craft brewery to soak up the sun and talked about how Baltimore could be like Rotterdam if the government invested in the city. Rotterdam is also a major shipping port and was completely wrecked after World War II.

We finished the day walking to a Gundam Statue, Cube Houses, and trying different Dutch dishes at the Markthal Food Court!

Restaurants:
Takumi Ramen
Kaapse Brouwers
Markthal Food Court

Food:
Spicy Butatama Miso Ramen
Spicy Ebi Furai Miso Ramen
Gyoza
Greek Gyro
Spots:
Peace Palace
Gundam Statue
Kijk-Kubus housesRead more
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The Netherlands Traveler
Day 148: Amsterdam in the Day
June 6, 2024 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
Todays mission: people watching in Amsterdam. Ate another fabulous breakfast from Annie and made our way up to the party city.

Until we met Wilhelm in Poland, we didn’t know that the Netherlands actually built land and drained the sea to create more space in the country. This is especially true in North Holland where Amsterdam is located. While walking around the city, we noticed many buildings were crooked, leaning forward, or uneven. Apparently Amsterdam was built on wooden piles on soft ground. Over time, the wood piles sink or shift, causing buildings to tilt.

The second thing we noticed was all the tourists arriving for the weekend with their suitcases, bachelorette/bachelor squad, or friends; it’s fair to say the city is probably the Nashville/New Orleans of Europe. While the row homes and streets reminded us of Baltimore, we decided we couldn’t live there with that many people and tourists.

We walked around the Jordaan Neighborhood, Royal Palace, and Red Light District; we plan to come back at night on Friday. Visited a brewery to close out the evening before finding a delicious Sischan restaurant in central city.

Restaurants:
Grillroom Shoarma "Hilal"
China Sichuan Restaurant / Warmoesstraat

Food:
Not Dutch 😖

Spots:
Royal Palace Amsterdam
Oude Kerk Amsterdam
Red Light District
JordaanRead more
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The Netherlands Traveler
Day 149: Amsterdam at Night
June 7, 2024 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
When in Amsterdam, do as the tourists do: go to the Red Light District! We checked into our hostel, planned our evening out (bar crawl VS club), and got ready for the evening.

To start, we visited the Museum of Electronic Dance Music, which was an interactive audio visual experience. We both love EDM so it was an opportunity to learn more about the genre’s history. They offered a free drink and we able to take short courses on the mixing table or make your own mixes. They also allow visitors to experience the top 50 EDM festivals in history. Sadly, the museum tour is only 45 minutes, which is nearly not enough time to see everything. We needed at least 1.5 hours.

After the museum, we found a local bar to pre-game and the bartenders killed it with excellent music, lighting, and vibes. The clock hit 11pm and it was time to hit the Red Light District at its peak. Kieran couldn’t remember the path from the day time, but as soon as we turned the corner, the red neon lights filled the street. We walked past the windows and watched as the working girls sell their business. There were also options to watch live sex shows and regular strip clubs. Kieran was a weenie and didn’t want to go to the strip club. No brownie points for him since Mary also wanted to enjoy the ladies.

We got early bird tickets for a EDM club so we needed to be inside by 12am. On the walk to the club, a dude was sprinting out of nowhere and slammed into Mary; he kept running. Mary fell into a bike lane and a sweet 60 year old lady accidentally hit Mary with her bike. It was no problem though and we all laughed at the situation.

Thus, Mary can now claim she got body tackled in the Red Light District in Amsterdam.

We got into the club no problem, relaxed in the hip hop room for an hour, and emerged for the main DJ at 1am. He played a mix of European house, EDM, and also pop songs. At 2:30am, Kieran had reached his limit and we bussed home.

Hostel: Meininger Amsterdam

Spots:
Museum of Electronic Dance Music
Red Light District
Escape Night ClubRead more
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Trip end
June 7, 2024

Day 145/146: Train Rides from Hell

Day 147: The Hague and Rotterdam

Day 148: Amsterdam in the Day

Day 149: Amsterdam at Night