Frankly My Dear, I Don't Give an Amsterdam.

Amsterdam has been on my bucket list for a while now, with its beautiful canals and vivid history. I expected this side trip to be something more peaceful and relaxing, as the city is notoriously peaceful. But things have been going wrong all day. I'm a firm believer in signs and since I've been having a run of bad luck on my road trips (I got mugged in London), I'm beginning to think I should have never ventured out of Paris. At Gare Du Nord -AKA the scariest station in Paris- I was approached not once, not twice, but FIVE times for people asking me for money. I love to try to help people in need if I can, but this was ridiculous and most were clearly the work of scam artists. It was uncomfortable. And I think one of them was a pick pocket as I discovered my suitcase partially unzipped after I turned her away. Thankfully I made it onto the train without further incident. Having been spoiled by the peace of the Belgian country side, I made it to the city. I sat next to an Amercan/Dutch citizen who couldn't have been more than 20 (he's a student in the Haag) and he filled me in on the things that I should do. And as much fun as "smoking until I'm sick" sounds, I'm sort of past that age. I have been spoiled by Paris's metropolitan underground system and EVER present taxis. Because as soon as I stepped out of the Amsterdam Centraal, I entered in to CHAOS. I stepped outside and looked at a confusing tram system and taxi setup and roamed around. There were NO taxis in sight. I caught the eye of a few dutchman who realized I was probably almost close to tears. (I promise that's not like me. I can usually go with the flow, but in a city where I don't speak the language, I felt afraid and overwhelmed). The Dutchman advised me to "go with the flow and be patient", but I waited for almost half an hour and no taxis came. So I started following the flow of people, figuring that if they were all going in the same direction, I should probably go that way too. I ended up on top of a barge, surrounded by an eclectic group of people in Star Trek costumes. I assume there's a convention on. And were I not so ill-humored, I would have snapped a photo. We ended up down town and I managed to find a cab, which ended up costing me 40 Euros. Bummer. I made it to the hotel where I was told that they would charge me the whole amount for the room even though I had made an initial deposit of 112 euros earlier this month. "Oh that'll be reinversed next month." I managed to remain calm until I climbed the incredibly steep staircase to my room and then I had a good old fashioned cry. Some may accuse me of being an awful,pouty American tourist, but we all ride the crazy train now and then and I am broke, in a city where I don't speak the language, and it's very cold right now. No apologies. Finally, I managed to come down from the pity fest and I managed to regroup. I decided to take a walk in the daylight hours (or what was left). I circled the block and saw my first beautiful canal that the city is famous for. I managed to find some food that was slightly more substantial than the espresso and half pain au chocolat that I had shared with my dutch friend on the train. And I got a Heineken (when in Amsterdam) The beer helped and I went back up to my room. I don't have wifi there (I have to come to the lobby) but thankfully I had a season of MTV's Awkward on my computer and I watched it. It was very fun to be distracted and relax tonight, knowing I can start my adventures tomorrow with hopefully a clean slate. For now, I'll just say "Dag"