trippin all over

the trip - day 1

Anne Frank House, Admission Fee : EUR 7.50
rating: 3/5
arrived at place with a looong Q. * singaporean mentality : nvm wat is it, just Q 1st*
half ran over to join the Q in the now sweltering heat.. n did a survey for this hongkie ger doing hospitality studies in sweden/switzerland.. somewhere

A walk into histroy thru the eyes of Anne Frank and her diary entries, with replication of the rooms and video clips of the members of the family and friends. Slightly stuffy and muffled whispers ( no idea y..but everyone was whispering) but all the more adds to the authenticity and feel of how she muz have felt during the months she spent hidden in the attic.
Took bout an hr to go from room to room, basement to attic and to look thru the diary entries and stuff. * cannot take photos tho..*

* while roaming the streets and trying to find a way to the hotel, we chanced upon a protest on the streets. - not good coz the hordes of pple on the streets waving flags n placards were screwing up traffice.*

Ended up back in central station to take train to station near hotel - train station: old n slightly creepy - like a scene from those slasher flicks.

had problem locating the hotel coz its kinda ulu but kind ang moh offered to give us a lift to the hotel after we asked him for directions. - muz be the sight 3 asians walking blindly in the rain; so poor thing

Artemis Hotel, Amsterdam. Cost: EUR90 per night
rating: 4.5/5
SUPER COOL!
Designer furniture, chic lobby, big comfy beds, LCD tv ( but no cable!), clean bathroom with fresh thick towles..
only drawback : location is bout 20mins out of the city, nearest tram stop is 10mins walk away.
i got the bed!! ( while ken had the floor n ben taking wats remained of the other bed after giving up the mattress to ken)
*proceeded to concuss on bed while waiting for turn to shower*

*cries of hunger from the boys*
Dinner at Grancho Grill (alfresco), EUR24
rating: 3/5
had steak n grilled salmon with sides. salmon was yucks! super fishy!! eee... i think the 1s tt i grill in london also nicer lah..
steak was juicy n yummy tho. Baked potato with blue cheese topping was something different but pretty easy on the palate..
wash it down with a cheap bottle of Hoegarden... now i feel like im on holiday.. oh.. plus there was a busker playing the banjo.. so free entertainment too!! * yes.. free coz i didnt give him any tokens of appreciation.. on budget can...*

after dinner... walked n walked n walked trying to look for the red-light district.. got lost coz i got the area name wrong, ken was horrendous with directions n ah ben just doesnt know where is it.. haha...
walked past a few gay pubs which flustered the boys coz the dudes where checking them out.. sheesh... n i didnt get any attention at all.. damn. wat is the world coming to?!

*Finally after walking in circles for an hr plus..*
Red-light district
rating: way over-hyped
more touristy than sleazy, with rows and alleys of 'fish-tanks' with women displaying and plying their wares and long Qs of tourists trying to get into the 'live show' EUR30 for an hr show.. * so expensive!! u think i would have watched it?? madness*
oh.. so tt's it?!.. the small little cubicles the women were in, the mechanical moving to watever music they were playing on their portable radio, the lolls of fats spilling out from some of the reallie fat ugly 1s, the sagging folds of skin on the aunties still in the trade... the gawking from the tourists.. quite boring actually... bleah.

Coffeshop, EUR15 for a drink n cupcake with a total of 0.15g of 'extras'
rating: 2/5
1.5 for the atmosphere, 0.5 for the 'extras'
Eee.. not nice.. no feel... then again, being the kiasi singaporean.. better dont try the real thing
dont play play... substance stays in ur system for 6 months n its an offence even if it was overseas.. *model citizen.. haha*

went for drinks at a cozy pub and be part of the amsterdam nite life before going back to hotel. very vibrant nitelife there.. its Happening with a capital H!

* showered n concussed after going for about a day without zzzz - last thought before the zz monster claimed me: oh no!! tmr gotta go back to london liao!! *

posted by princess @ 6:33 AM