Amsterdam!

This past weekend was filled with lots of hours spent in the car.. but it was all worth it! We found out a couple weeks ago that our game was going to be switched from Sunday to Friday. So course we wanted to do some traveling in Europe so we decided to go Amsterdam. Unfortunately we lost Friday night in 4. To be honesty I played pretty terribly (I got taken out twice because I kept on hitting into the block) and they were playing one of their best games. The first set we won and it was one of the best comebacks I've seen. We were down 21-23 and Charlotte was put in as a serving specialist. She totally tore it up and served two aces in a row! It was such a good feeling to come back from behind! Things soon went downhill and we just couldn't find our rhythm. It was a really bummer that we lost. The team has two American's on the team and one I know pretty well. It was fun seeing Sabel from Northwestern across the net and it felt like old times. I hope in these next couple of weeks I can get out of my hitting funk and start playing like I know how.

It worked out perfectly that we were going on a mini road trip so we push the game and volleyball out of our heads for a couple of days. Bryn's younger brother is doing a study abroad program at a University at The Hague in the Netherlands and this would be the only time she could see him before he went home. So of course I contacted my friends Thijs, Serge and Ellen who are from the Netherlands and work at the University of Illinois volleyball camps. I've worked for the past four years and every year they always come back. It's such a fun reunion to see my friends from across the world!

The trip started out early saturday morning around 5 am. Luckily I didn't have the first shift so I slept most of the way. I honestly thought we were going to get lost a least a couple times on the way but google maps did a great job with directions. We also borrowed one of my teammates GPS just in case we got seriously lost. We made it to the Netherlands without a hitch. My good friend Thijs, who has been working at camps for at least 7 years, graciously offered to let me stay at his place for the weekend. I met him at a local gym because he was working and had a game later that evening! In between serving snacks he took me on a walk around town. One of the major things I noticed that was different from Neuchatel was that the houses were made of brick. Thijs told me that all the soil around the Amsterdam area is clay which is perfect for making bricks.

These apartment complex is known to most people in the town as the "bathtub". They call it this because the colors and tiles look like it would be in a bathroom.

A very modern green building

I've seen Thijs play at summer camps before but it was so cool to actually see him in action! The match I watched was very close but Thijs' team ended up getting their first win of the season! Here he is getting ready to hit!

After the match was over, we hung out with team for a bit but then decided to head home. Thijs took me on a big tour showing me where he went to grade school and even where he grew up. It was fun seeing things from Thijs' past. We got home, quickly popped in a pizza and watched a movie before heading to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of walking around in Amsterdam!

The next morning we had a quick breakfast and headed to the train station to go to Amsterdam. I was pretty excited to see the city but I had no clue what to expect! I actually hadn't been to a big city in quite some time so it was nice to see tall, big buildings. One of the first things I noticed were all the bikes! Everyone rides bikes and there are even bike garages like this one! I wish America would change to this because its so much better for the environment and for yourself. If you forgot where you put your bike.. you might be in some trouble!

My other friend Serge, met us at the train station. It was surreal that I was in Amsterdam with my fellow camp coaches. Normally I only see them once a year and now I'm in their home town! We walked around for a while and then we later met up with Bryn and Lindsay. Here are some pictures we took of the city.

The train station

So many people! And it was even Sunday!

The government building.

Lindsay, Bryn, Me, Serge and Thijs

One of the many canals in the city.

Through out my visit in Amsterdam I learned some fun facts so here they are!

1.) If you look at a map of Amsterdam none of the streets go in a straight line. This is because of the canals.

2.) Some of the houses are built on a slant. We thought that the buildings were super old and the wood used to make them started rotting which might be the case for some. But actually they were built on a slant on purpose! The stairways are so tiny you can hardly get anything to the top levels so they built the apartments slanting forward so you could use a pulley to get items into the top levels easier. Can you see how far forward this house is slanting compared to the one next to it? And the pulley sticking out above the top window? Pretty crazy!

3.) Going into a coffee shop in Amsterdam does not mean you will get a coffee. Coffee shops sell Marijuana and Cafes sell coffee.

The next thing on our agenda was to take a tour of the Heineken plant. We all had a lot of fun doing these especially since they were serving samples! Here are some pictures of the tour.

Thijs and I!

The best part of the tour- the taste test! Serge Thijs and I enjoying our beers.

After our tour we headed to a local pub and got some more beers and food. Although we didn't see a lot of museums but it was still great being in good company with my friends. Bryn and Lindsay headed back to the Hague and I said goodbye to Serge. Thijs and I stayed in the city for a little longer. Another one of the coaches, Ellen, who coached at the U of I camps, met up with us later that evening. All in all the day was so fun and I can't believe I was able to see everyone!

We had one more thing to do before we headed back to Thijs' place. I don't really know the correct term for it but in a lot of places around the city they literally had food in the wall. You go up, pay a euro and open the little slot where the food is sitting. So of course I had to try it! I had the frikandel which tasted like a hot dog but had the texture of a chicken nugget. It was very good though! The whole trip was a blast and I'm so glad I went! It was wonderful seeing my friends and I can't wait until summer camps this year to see them again!