Continuing with the adventures in Amsterdam.
The next day, Saturday, the three of us met up once again, and grabbed breakfast at a local market. Two of us had fresh squeezed orange juice for a Euro, on top of a cinnamon-raisin roll, both of which were absolutely scrumptious. Then, while also encountering a man in a neon pink bunny-suit, we awaited the arrival of a fourth friend. All of us attend the same school in the States, and are studying abroad all over Europe, one in Amsterdam, myself in Berlin, another in Aix, France, and the fourth in Aberdeen, Scotland. He arrived much to the happiness of all of us and more hugs and smiles occurred.
Following the reunion, we then proceeded to explore the city even more, exploring the market once again, visiting the Cheese "Museum" (which is basically a shop with a dinky museum in the basement), tasting samples of cheese, eating stroopwafel (delicious, highly recommend it), visiting the Rijksmuseum (I saw some works of Vermeer's, my favorite painter), touring the Van Gogh museum, and partaking in some other local delicacies. That evening, we ate dinner at the crepe place again, and wandered the Red Light District, which was definitely an experience. We saw many drunk young British men, and curious tourists with a large range of facial expressions. After that, we called it a night and returned back to our lodgings to crash for the night. Our host also had three friends from Belgium visiting, in addition to the two of us, so we stayed up a little late over tea, chatting and laughing at each other and jokes. It was pretty relaxed and fun, despite it being a little cramped.
The next morning, I packed sadly, as my flight was leaving that afternoon, and bid farewell to my host, as my friend and returned to the city to meet up with the other two of our group. We ate breakfast in the houseboat, enjoying the atmosphere and sun that crept through the portholes. Then we enjoyed the beautiful day in a local park, where daffodils were blooming in full force, and birds and children were everywhere.
Following that, we grabbed sandwiches, fruits, and cookies at the local supermarket, and ate lunch on top of my friend's houseboat in the sun. It was a communal lunch of sorts, as we each had our own sandwich but had also bought Pringles, cakes, blackberries, mangos and strawberries which we all shared. It was a wonderful time, that was sadly ended by the departure of my friend who lives in the city, who had to travel to the south of the country for Easter with her host family. We bid her farewell, checked in my other friend into his hostel, and then I bid the other two farewell also, as it was time for me to head to the train station in order to go to the airport.
My journey from Amsterdam to Rome was smooth, but I arrived in Rome in a rush. One of my close friends is studying there, and the last bus was to leave from the area that my hostel was located at 11:30, leaving us with only an hour to catch up. However, we managed, checking me into my hostel, and letting me grab a healthy dinner of gelato. It was a brief but good reunion, and the day ended with me crashing onto my hostel bed, and waking up periodically to the in-tune chorus of snorers sharing my room.
The next morning, I quietly arose, showered, packed and chatted at breakfast with a young English man and two American girls, before I had to depart for the train station. In typical Italian fashion, my train and my flight were not where they were supposed to be, causing me to briefly panic. However, all was well, as I caught my flight to Malta from Rome.
This was the ultimate peak for me, as I would be entirely on my own in Malta, a country that I had been wanting to travel to for quite a while. And that is where I will end this entry.
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