Parting is such sweet sorrow.....

Oh Amsterdam...even thinking about leaving here makes me sad.  At least we had some great stuff planned for the final day and a half.  We had breakfast in the cafeteria at the hostel...dorm style...then hopped the train to Central Station to by our train ticket to or first stop in Germany which is Koln.  Kelsey did her first foreign language ticket machine purchase successfully..which let me tell you is kinda nerve racking when you are doing it the first time but it's kind of a right of passage into international travel.  With our departure tickets in hand we set out on our last day of exploring this fantastic city.  First stop....shops!  We had seen quite a few fun little shops on our walks and just had not really had the time to stop so that was the morning plan.  Lots of fun and quirky design shops with dutch designed goods were where we ended up.  No major purchases were made but great

Front entrance to NEMO

inspiration.  

Second stop...NEMO!  Sorry guys I don't mean to burst your bubble but I did not go and see the cute little cartoon fish.  On the recommendation of Kelsey's friend who recently moved to Amsterdam we walked over to the NEMO museum. It is basically a children's science museum.  The building is beautiful, right on the water and is shaped like the front end of a boat.  If you walk up tons of really big stairs it takes you up to the rooftop of the building.  There on the rooftop they have created a little beach type atmosphere.  There were water fall type creations running through the center that kids could get in.  Up near the very top there were these kiddy pools with water just pouring out of all sorts of different pipes that the kids could control with wheels.  It was basically like a mini water park, minus the slides.  Lounge chairs that put you at just the right angle and height lined the edges of the waterfalls...this is where we sat and didn't move for quite a bit.  We were so lucky to have such a gorgeous day....I don't think I mentioned before that we had a ton of rain the first day we were here.  I'm 

Rain Rain Go Away......

not talking just a little shower I am talking marble size water drops pelting from the sky.  Luckily Kels had a rain coat I however had left all my rain gear in London to gather on my return home so I was without a jacket or umbrella.  After suffering through this rain all week and getting soaked we were very happy to get some lovely weather and sunshine for a bit.

Here comes the sun!

of course we celebrated the sun with a beer in a street side cafe.

Ok, back to NEMO.  We basically relaxed on the rooftop then headed back to the hostel.  We packed up our suitcases so we didn't have to make a bunch of noise and wake up our 4 other roommates in the morning then got ready for our evening event.

Boom Chicago!  (Yes I know my name is spelled wrong)

Kelsey's friend Marcy recently moved to Amsterdam to be a part of a comedy show here called Boom Chicago.  She was able to get us some discounted tickets so we could come to the show.  I was so excited about this event I could hardly contain myself.  I have really gotten into going to improv comedy shows over the last year thanks to my brother and sister-in-law taking me to Upright Citizens Brigade in LA (if you have never been go!  It is worth the drive to LA).  This show was right up my ally since it was based on branding in our society.  The show was beyond funny!  I love improv because you really feel like you are a part of the show.  We had to fill out papers before the show started for different parts of the act.  One of the papers was asking about any tattoos you have and you had to draw a picture and everything.....well....I did that and mine was chosen.  The skit was totally funny talking about how we brand our selves and why.  Kinda fun being a part of the show!  There is video of it to which can possibly be viewed upon request.  This was the best way we could have ended our time in Amsterdam.  I am very excited about he next part of the trip but really loved being here.  

I will leave you with the little motto that Kels and I lived by in Amsterdam and some photos to go along with it:

In Amsterdam, don't get hit by....

                                                         BIKES!

There are so many intense bike riders the entire city has it's own lanes for the bikes and I promise if you step in front of them they will hit you and not feel bad about it.

PIGEONS!

They are everywhere and have no fear.  They will dive bomb your head or take a sandwich right out of your hand.  I have seen it happen!  Look at this poor little kid in the purple shirt!

TRAMS!

As you can see Kelsey has left a sufficient amount of space between her and the tram.  Many waiting areas for the trams are tiny and will take out a purse off your arm if you are standing at an improper angle.  Also all forms of transportation (tram, busses, taxis and cars) seem to share the same area so you gotta really check before you cross.

CROOKED BUILDINGS!

I just swear one is going to fall over then the whole town will go down like dominos.

As I leave this town I refuse to say good bye and instead will say see you later because there is no way I could stay away from this place too long.  We will be hopping a train to Koln and starting our Germany adventure next.....stay tuned for the next part of this fast and furious month!