Amsterdam

I am waiting in the Shipol Airport waiting for my connecting flight to Dublin before I finally make it home to the Boston airport. I didn't have time to blog this weekend at all so let me catch you all up on my time in Amsterdam.
Thursday I was supposed to have left the Dublin airport at 1 but we didn't end up leaving until 2:30 which made our landing time a bit later also, I landed at 5:30 instead of 4. But I got my bags and was ready to head to Amsterdam so I could meet up with Amber. I attempted to buy a bus ticket to the train station I needed only to find out my card had been shut off. Now I have not had a problem with my card up until this point, I even told my bank I would be in the Netherlands. The only way you could get on the bus was buy paying with your card, it would not accept cash (stupid I know). I called my bank and had them turn it back on. Tried my card again with still no luck. Called the bank back up and they said nothing was wrong that maybe I tried too soon after they turned it back on. Still no luck. At this point I was very frustrated and could not get ahold of Amber as she was still in class and I debated just spending the weekend in the airport. I tried to walk on the bus and hand him the exact money I needed but he would not take it without a ticket. I was at a loss of what to do. So I waited outside the ticket kiosks and kind of bombarded this girl about whether she spoke english (as I knew absolutely no Dutch) and she did amazingly so I had her buy my ticket with her card and I gave her money. I thank this girl a million times and then get on the next bus to the train station.
At the train station I have to figure out which train I'm supposed to take (the Dutch people have really weird names for things, I think they just threw letters at the ground and called it a word). I was supposed to take the train to the Bijlmer stop which I assumed was the same train that went to Amsterdam central. I was wrong. I didn't find out I was wrong until I was on the train and it was moving already. I finally got a hold of Amber and told her I was headed to Amsterdam central and she said she would just meet me there thankfully. I waited at the platform for her train to arrive and everyone got off but no Amber. I was about to give up at this point, clearly the Netherlands suck and I have no reason to be here because nothing should be this difficult. Sh messages me to go to platform 4b and to run (now I have two backpacks and a suitcase with me, not to mention I was holding my computer so I could charge my phone off it as it was about to die) and so I "ran" as best I could with all that crap. I made it to the platform just in time for the train we needed to leave and me be inside. We had a very hasty reunion on the train and waited until the stop I should have been at a few hours before. We eventually made it to our hostel (which was amazing, super nice, if you ever go to Amsterdam stay at the Hostelle it's girls only but super clean and fantastic) and then went back out to wander around and talk since we hadn't seen each other in almost a year. And then we went to bed.
Friday we headed into the center of Amsterdam so we could go to the Van Gogh museum and walk around the city a bit. I ate my last snickers for breakfast. We spent all of 40 minutes in this museum, both of us have been to way too many museums in the past months so we stopped trying to spend time in them for any length of time. After that we explored the city, Amber was my personal guide during this telling me all she knew from her previous trips here and all about her semester abroad. We got tired and headed back to the hostel around 4 and picked up some groceries on the way so we could make food in the hostel (they have a great kitchen area). Our dinner consisted of cucumbers, mini pancakes, and peanut butter lots of peanut butter. I haven't had peanut butter since being on the ranch this summer, I was in need of peanut butter so we bought a jar. We watched some great romantic comedies in the lounge and called it quits for the night.
Saturday we again went to Amsterdam central for the day, this time we took a canal cruise ride for an hour and a half. It took us all around the canals around the city and was very informative (though we didn't listen much to what they were saying). The city really is beautiful and it was nice to be able to see it without walking all of it. After that we just explored some more. Now Amsterdam is home to the largest bike population in the world, seriously they're everywhere and if you don't watch out they will hit you. I finally found a sticker that said the name of where I was on it. Oh how I wish I had one for all the places I had been in Italy, but at least I finally got this one. I finally gave in and paid to use the bathroom (only 30 cents but still) I had to get rid of all my change anyway. For early dinner we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe (say what you will, we were in need of american burgers, its hard traveling and living off foreign food) and then headed back to the hostel for the night. I bought my last (at least for 7 months) bottle of white wine and we drank that while we watched Pulp Fiction and ate cucumbers and cold pancakes. It was a great last night with my best friend, I miss her already and it's only been a few hours. I slept restlessly in anticipation of heading home the following day.
Today I packed my things once again (and for the last time) and we had breakfast of pancakes and the last of our peanut butter. I was quite surprised that we managed to finish the whole jar but it was just so good (we definitely ate it by the spoonful for a while). And we headed to the bus that would take me to the airport. We said our goodbyes and she headed back to school (she sadly still has three weeks left of class) and I went to security. I just finished a yogurt with granola in it (yogurt in different countries taste funny, I don't recommend eating it) and I am finishing up my last post while being overseas. My plane to Dublin will come in a few minutes and soon enough I will be back home eating chicken pot pie. I will post the pictures for this weekend on my blog once I get home and am not relying on crappy public wifi. But for now ciao!