This past week I celebrated my 21st birthday with some of my best friends from
my abroad program and could not have asked for a better celebration. Instead of
a top 10 I have 21 stories from the trip!
1. Easter – Right before we departed for Amsterdam we first had to celebrate
Easter and it was the first time ever I was not celebrating it with my family. A few
of us got to experience Italian mass at the Duomo that morning and then we came
back to our dorm and made a huge brunch feast which included eggs, sausage,
fruit, French toast, and chocolate. After that we headed to the park to enjoy
the nice weather and celebrate the holiday.
2. Train at 4 am - My flight to Amsterdam was the first flight out of the
airport that morning at 6 am... meaning I had to be out of my dorm at 3:45 am
to catch the train that would take me to the airport at 4:15. I hadn't fallen
asleep till 1 am the night before so it was more of a nap I took rather than
actually getting sleep.
3. Hair and makeup at airport - When I landed in the Amsterdam airport we
taxied around for 30 min before they let us off the plane. My Wi-Fi wasn't
working and I was supposed to be meeting up with two of my girlfriends, Analise
and Janelle. I texted them and thought they hadn't landed yet because they
weren't responding so I went to the bathroom to get ready for the day since I
did not want to do that at 3 am. 30 min later I finally got a text from them
saying where we should meet and was able to find them with no problems. I later
found out that they had landed before me and had been waiting the whole time...
They had also gotten up early so they hadn't gotten ready which meant Janelle
still had her retainers in! They were not happy to find out that I had gotten
ready... oops!
4. Wrong train - We decided to go right to the Anne Frank House because we
heard that if you get there in the morning the line is not too long. We had to
take a train from the airport into the city and could not figure out the right
train.
We picked what we thought was the
right train and then asked a lady if it was right and she said yes.
Then right before the doors closed this guy goes you're on the wrong train...
He was standing there the whole time when the lady told us it was the 'right'
train! Not sure why he waited till the last minute to tell us it was the wrong
one.
5. Leave me in line at Anne Frank - We got to the Anne Frank House and it
was a two and a half hour wait to get in. Analise and Janelle decided to drop all
of our luggage off at our Hostel because it was only 15 min from Anne Frank. When
they got there they decided to 'freshen up' since I had already done that the
airport. They ended up leaving me in line for almost the whole time! Luckily I
had my headphones so it wasn't too bad. The Anne Frank House was such an experience.
The house was a lot smaller than I could have ever imagined and it made the
whole story real and not just something you learn about in school. I imagined
what it would have been like to live in that house for two years and I have no
idea how Anne didn't go crazy. I need sun, air and room to run around. The
darkness and small corridors mixed with all the people made us
all realize how amazing it was that they lasted for two years in hiding. It was
also interesting to think about how most girls when they are younger keep a
journal but never would you imagine that not only would it be read by everyone
across the world but also could change the world.
The most interesting part of the museum was
how Otto Frank said the Secret Annex, after the war, was to remain empty since
during the war the houses of deported Jews were stripped of their contents,
which were sent to Germany. It was to represent the emptiness left by the
millions of people who were taken away and never returned.
6. Food - After the museum we realized how hungry we were so we indulged in
some Amsterdam specialties... a hot dog and fries which were just what we were
craving. Of course we ended the meal with some ice cream and it was so
different from the gelato we’ve been getting in Italy. We then went and met our
other girlfriend Alex at the hostel who was meeting up with us.
7. Dinner and Drinks - After a little catch up with Alex we made our way to
dinner which had been recommended by the hostel. We had to wait about a half
hour but it was so worth it. I got mashed potatoes with leek, a sausage, a meatball
and bacon. Alex, Analise, and I then went and grabbed some beers at a local pub
and sat out on the street talking and enjoying the night. I know I
always say this but its nights like these that I will never forget.
8. Keufenhof Garden - the next day we adventured to Keufenhof gardens which
my grandma told us we had to visit. Even though it was a bit expensive the
views/smells were totally worth the expense. Keufenhof, which is also known as
the Garden of Europe, is the world’s largest flower garden with approximately 7
million flower bulbs covering about 79 acres. There were so many tulips and different kinds of
flowers scattered throughout the gardens - it was breathtaking. The aroma of the place filled your nose and the
bright colors would catch your eye with every corner you turned. Across the
garden there were acres of tulips that were privately owned so naturally, we jumped the creek to go take
some pictures of these flowers. Unlike everyone else who was walking around the flowers, we stepped
through them all and then proceeded to get yelled at by the owner in Dutch who was
not happy with us. He was so mad that he actually shooed us out of there.
9. Grocery store - after the tulip gardens we explored the city a little
more. Amsterdam was exactly what I expected it to be. Filled with tiny canals,
people on bikes, and of course plenty of little shops and food places. We then
had to make our way to the train station to get on our train to Brussels but
first I wanted to run to the grocery store to get some alcohol since I was turning
21 that night. The hostel told me the grocery store was pretty close so I
started walking....it was NOT CLOSE! By the time I got to the grocery store I
was supposed to be leaving for the train station. I started searching the
grocery store for any kind of alcohol and could only find wine. I found 4
German boys about my age and asked if they knew where the alcohol was. They said they
didn't but when I explained that I was about to miss my train and it was almost my
21st birthday (which required alcohol) they offered to
help me search. So there we were, 5 of us foreigners frantically running around
this grocery store asking people, who don't speak English, where is the alcohol.
We couldn't find any so I ended up grabbing some wine and heading to the checkout.
After being asked to see my id (since they apparently care about the drinking age there, which is 18), I asked the worker why they had no alcohol and she said it was
downstairs. I SPRINTED downstairs grabbed a bottle and headed to the line that
was.... 20 PEOPLE LONG. There was no way I would make the train but I needed
the alcohol. I then explained to the people in line that it was almost my
21st, which is a big deal in the states, and I was about to miss my train. They
also didn’t speak English (they spoke French and Dutch) so I started speaking French and luckily remembered
how to sing Happy Birthday in French! Hearing the song they were able to understood what I was saying
and they all let me skip them in line. I got to the front and the man at the
counter said how he heard it was my 21st and isn't it a big deal to be asked to see your id on your
21st? And of course I said yes so he he did just that and the whole store thought that was
so funny for some reason... Then as I was sprinting out, the entire store,
including workers, German boys, and everyone in line wished me a Happy
Birthday. After, I had to sprint to the train which we made just in time.
10. Midnight celebrating - That night, after getting picked up at the train station by our
airbnb man, Charles, we went to a bar to grab a few drinks and ring in my
birthday. I chugged a beer right at midnight and one the way home we stopped at a kebab place to end a perfect day/night.
11. Breakfast - the next morning, on my actual birthday, I had the breakfast
of champions my dad said: A Belgium waffle and a beer.
12. Birkenstock’s– We walked around all morning shopping, eating and checked
out the Grand Place which is the center area of Brussels. We have all been
wanting to buy a pair of Birkenstocks and ended up finding them at a foot doctor.
So here we are… three American girls buying Birks at a Belgium foot
doctor. They were quite confused why we were there…
13. Finding Emma - Now Emma had been in Croatia for the past 8 days and was
supposed to meet us on my birthday in Brussels. Her dedication to getting to me
for my birthday goes above and beyond what any friend should do. She ended up
having to travel 36 hours and didn't get sleep but still was able to run and
jump on me when we were reunited. She found out that the 8 hour bus she was
supposed to take to the airport wasn't running when she needed it causing her
to take multiple taxis, buses, a 4 hour stay in a hostel and then a couple
hours on a flight. Oh and then another taxi ride into the city of Brussels because
she didn't want to take another bus. When I saw her I actually started crying
and running to her because I was so worried she wouldn't get there and couldn't
imagine celebrating without the fourth member of our group (of course we were
missing Annie but she was traveling with her parents).
14. Shopped around and thrift store - After dropping Emma's stuff off at the
airbnb and letting her freshen up we explored more of the city and ended up at
this thrift store our girlfriends had told us about. I was not in the mood for
shopping (shocker I know) but instead was more interested in having Emma try on
weird things and just laugh at her. Of course she let me do this since it was
my birthday.
15. Birthday Dinner - That night we went to a fabulous restaurant Charles
had recommended. I had the Belgium sampler which was two meatballs, one with
tomato type sauce and the other gravy. Then I had some type of beef with sauce
and some fries on the side. We had the best Belgium beer and then my
girlfriends told them it was my birthday and they brought out this huge dessert
with a sparkler in it and they all sang me happy birthday.
16. Delirium - After being extremely full from dinner, we made our way to a
bar a friend had recommended called Delirium where they have over 2,000 types
of beer. My girlfriends had bought me a boa and tiara that they made me wear that night. I wanted to wear something weird like this little red monkey type hat
but they said "We have to be strategic about what we have her wear.
Whatever she wears she ends up acting like that." I guess they didn't want
me to act like a monkey that night? I went up to the bar to get the first round
and asked the bar tender what kind of beer I should get and she said, "For
you honey, this kind." It ended up being this pink beer which was cheery
flavor and it was fabulous. We were able to meet up with one our guy friends
from our program and his friend who is also studying in Milan with us.
17.Fries - after Delirium we decided we needed a little more food in our
stomachs so we stopped at the fry shop right by our apartment. Emma
proceeded to steal so many different sauces and woke up even with about 8 kinds
in her purse. We still have no idea how she stole the sauces considering she
must have gone behind the counter and snuck them...
18. Bruges - The next morning we did not leave the apartment till 2 pm....
We quick grabbed some breakfast/lunch at the Asian place and I was somehow able
to keep it down. We then made our way to the train station to go to Bruges, a
town about an hour train ride from Brussels. None of us could get the machine
to work to buy the tickets and no one was helping us. When people did help us
they ended up yelling at us in many different languages. It took us 25 minutes
to get our train tickets.
19. Starbucks - When we got to Bruges we found heaven: Starbucks. I ordered
a caramel frappechino and when it came I tried a sip and it did not taste
right. I showed Analise who looked at the side and it had a weird word so we
asked the workers if that meant Mocca? One of the workers then realized
that his associated had given me 'Mattiew’s' drink and my drink was the next one
in line. The lady working was not happy when she found out that I drank a drink
and she would have to make a new one. Oops.
20. Ear piercing - We then got to Bruges and walked around exploring the
city, eating, taking pictures and of course shopping. I decided that I wanted
something to remember abroad/my birthday so I got my ears triple pierced
at... Claire’s. Who would have thought this small little city would have a Clair’s.
The city of Bruges is so quaint and filled with little streets, buildings. canals, and a lot of carriages carrying people around the city. There was even a park with a pond filled with Swans. Bruges is
apparently sometimes referred to as “The Venice of the North,” which I could
see because the streets were quite and there were a lot of
canals.
21. Mexican restaurant - When we got back to our apartment that night after
Bruges, Charles had made us a vegetable quiche, with a salad and fruit.
Analise, Emma and I decided to go get some appetizers and a drink after that
though. We ended up at this Mexican pub that had the front part open so it felt
like we were outside but also inside. We ordered margaritas, the most amazing
mac and cheese I have ever had and tapas. We then just sat there and talked
with each other. Emma still hadn't gotten a Belgium waffle so we made our way
to a waffle shop after and enjoyed it sitting in the middle of the Grand Place square.
The next morning Emma and I left before Alex and Analise and headed back to Milan.
My birthday went way to fast and I'm not sure how my birthday next year
can top this one. My friends, the places we went, the food we ate, the drinks
we drank and the memories we shared will always make this one of my favorite
birthdays. I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. So a huge shout out to
everyone, across the world even, who wished me a happy birthday and wanted to
hear all about it. But an even bigger shout out goes to those who celebrated with
me in Amsterdam/Brussels and also those who celebrated with me when I came back to
Milan. I love you all and have realized how grateful I am to have the best
friends and family not only here in Milan but back at home! Until next time!
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| Flowers from Keufenhof |
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| Sitting in the middle of some flowers at Keufenhof |
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| Flowers at Keufenhof |
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| My mom said I had to take a picture in the wooden shoes so here ya go! |
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| Little things like a well, a windmill, and creeks where scattered throughout the Keufenhof gardens |
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| Right before we got yelled at to get out of the flowers |
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| A different owner owned these acres luckily |
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| The tulips were HUGE at the Keufenhof gardens |
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| The famous I amsterdam letters |
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| Everyone takes a picture with a letter that their name starts with so I made the letters work for my name |
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| I don't have any pictures with the fries so I'm using the one I took of Alex to show you that I had about 5 of those throughout the week... totally worth the calories |
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| Canals in Amsterdam |
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| Secretly took a picture of Anne Frank's original diary |
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| Streets of Bruges |
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| Right before the ear piercing |
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| Emma took about 50 pictures and my mother loves my face in this one... |
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| Canals in Bruges |
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| More canals in Bruges |
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| A beautiful forest and park we found in Bruges |
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| Belgium is known for their excellent beer so there were thousands of shops just like this one all over Belgium |
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| City Center of Bruges |
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| City center of Bruges |
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| Emma and I chilling in Bruges |
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| Right when I turned 21 in Brussels |
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| My first Belgium waffle |
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| Emma's hat in the thrift store. This picture still makes me start laughing |
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| My dinner from my birthday and below is the dessert with the sparkler in it |
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| Alex and I |
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| Analise and I |
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| Birthday girl and her pink beer |
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| Emma and I |
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| Couldn't ask for better friends. Miss you Annie! |
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| Last Belgium waffle |
