Rome (Italy Spring Break)

I spent my 2011 Spring Break in Italy with just my roommates, Laura and Tricia. It was everything I could have hoped for and so much more! We went to six different Italian cities in nine days, and each only took one backpack for all of our belongings. In order to keep my blog organized I am going to put each city in a different post starting with Rome.

[Thursday March 3^rd – Saturday March 5^th]

We began our Spring Break bright and early Thursday morning because our flight was at 6:20am. With our bags packed the night before we rolled out of bed at three in the morning and were out the door by 3:15am.  Because our flight was so early both the metro and train station were closed so we had to walk thirty minutes to the bus station and catch a 4am bus to the airport in order to make our flight.  When we were getting our tickets/passports approved we ran into our Clemson friend Bruce that is also studying abroad in Brussels. Somehow we did not previously realize that we’d all be in Rome the same weekend (he was meeting his mom there), but were excited because we were all on the same flight and now had a fourth travel buddy! The flight went smoothly and upon arriving in Rome we had to take another hour bus to the center of Rome, but were in the city by 11am and ready to see the sites.

Our hostel was in a great location so after dropping our backpacks off in the hostel we headed for our first taste of Italian food. We stopped at a small pizzeria and devoured our brick oven, thin crust, yummy margarita pizzas. Next stop was the Coliseum, my first world wonder! It is absolutely remarkable. We paid for a tour of the Coliseum and it was captivating to hear all about the games and gladiators.  While most of it is in ruins, it still has the original shape and is more massive than I imagined. This was definitely another surreal experience for all of us because it is so old and there is so much history within its walls. In addition to the Coliseum, the paid tour took a group of us throughout the Palatine Hill and Forum.  The Palatine Hill is the most famous of the Seven Hills of Rome and the emperor Domitian built his enormous palace on this hill around 81AD.  There is barely any of the actual structure left however the tour guide took us around the area that was previously occupied by the house and told us of all the extravagant things that were at one point in the palace – included a miniature stadium where they raced ponies instead of full horses.  The tour ended overlooking the Forum which is the oldest part of Rome and was at once the center of city life.  It now includes statues of honored Roman men and architectural fragments from that distant time. Laura, Tricia and I went down and walked throughout the ruins after the tour.  It was hard to grasp that some of these artifacts were built in B.C. times because we were able to walk all throughout them.  

We ended our historical day by treating ourselves to a real Italian dinner, since it was our first night in the wonderful country of Italy after all. The three of us split a bottle of wine and had bruschetta as an appetizer.  I ordered a spaghetti with meat sauce while the Tricia and Laura got spaghetti with tomato sauce and gnocci with pesto respectively.  Our favorite thing to do is all get a different meal so that we can try a little bit of everything. :) Our first meal would not have been complete without our first Italian gelato! Ice cream has always been a weakness of mine but after we tried our first real gelato we knew that it would not be our last over our week in Italy.

The tour guide that took us around the Palatine Hill and Forum had a tour of Vatican City at 10am on Friday so we woke up early and were on the metro by 9:30 Friday morning.  Unfortunately the Rome metro is not as fast as the metros we are accustomed to so we arrived at the metro stop at 10:15 and the tour had already left.  While we were momentarily disappointed we realized that there were probably many more tours available and started walking toward the infamous Vatican City.  As expected, there were people lining the streets with flyers for tours to go on. All of the options were very expensive because you have to pay to get into the Vatican period and then of course have to pay for a tour guide fee on top of that.  I was wary at first but we stumbled upon the best tour ever and it was definitely worth it.  Laura, Tricia and I were the only three to go on the tour so we had a personal tour guide throughout the Vatican City! He was from Amsterdam, spoke great English, and had a degree in art history.  We started the tour by walking through St. Peter’s square and learned about the history behind this small country.  He knew more information than we could have every asked for and since it was only the three of us we were able to ask as many questions as we wanted which made the tour much more personal. He then took us through the entrance of the Vatican City Museum and pointed out some of the most famous pieces.  The museum is a collection of the gifts and purchases of the popes throughout the years.  If you spent one minute at each of the pieces inside this museum for eighteen hours a day, it would take you over two weeks to see them all! Needless to say we did not see everything, but all of the things he pointed out to us were amazing.  There were statues, paintings, tapestries, and even a collection of huge marble bathtubs that were evidently very expensive.  One aspect of the museum that really baffled us girls was that all of the ceilings appeared to have intricate moldings however it was all actually flat! It is hard to describe but the depth perspective technique was the best I had ever seen.  Our tour guide then gave us a lengthy history about the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo before we actually walked into chapel.   It was interesting to understand what each panel of the ceiling meant and the stories that went along with some of the unique characteristics of his work.  The next twenty minutes of our Rome experience was spent looking up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in awe – it truly is remarkable.  We tried to take pictures with our minds and remember it all because you are not allowed to take pictures inside.  Our three and a half hour tour ended after the Sistine Chapel and loved every minute of the tour! Firm believer in everything happens for a reason because if we had not missed our first intended tour then we would have never had the opportunity of having a personal tour.  The roomies and I then waited in line to go into St. Peter’s church by ourselves.  It is the world’s largest church and breathtaking inside!

After the Vatican City tour we went back to our hostel for fifteen minutes in order to quickly change clothes but then met up with our second tour of the day at 5pm.  This was a free walking tour (our favorite kind) around the city center and showed us the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, and Piazza Navona.  The Trevi Fountain was by far my favorite and so much larger than I expected! The water was crystal blue and the fountain itself was magnificent.  There is a myth that if you throw three coins over your shoulder you will return to Rome one day, so of course the three of us did!  The tour ended at the Piazza Navona which was a large open square with three fountains and several restaurants along the edges.  In the middle was the “Fountain of the Four Rivers” which was another remarkable fountain representing the four river gods – the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges and the Plate.  We met Bruce and his mother in the Piazza and all ate dinner together at one of the outdoor restaurants.  It was a perfect night outside so we all sat there for three hours and enjoyed another delicious pasta meal.  Laura, Tricia and I then walked to the top of the Spanish steps and saw the city at night.  After a long and filled day we took the night bus back to our hostel in order to wake up early and refreshed for our train to Florence.

Everyone says that you need three days in order to see all that Rome has to offer, however I can proudly say we saw almost all the sights in only two! Unfortunately it was raining for the majority of both days, but we did not let the bad weather slow us down. I saw my first world wonder and loved touring the Vatican City. We saw different ruins at every corner and had delicious Italian pizza and pasta each day. I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and am crossing my fingers that the myth is true and I will someday make my way back to Rome! 

Coliseum

In St. Peter's Square with my pink umbrella because of the rain!

Just hanging with the Roman ruins

Magnificent Trevi Fountain

Roommates, best friends and travel buddies

Bruge Day Trip

[February 25-27]

Everyone stayed in Brussels the last weekend of February because we had a scheduled day trip on Friday to Bruge.  After five straight weekends of traveling Thursday to Sunday it was nice to have a break.  In addition everyone had been traveling to different places on the weekends so we were all excited to actually spend a weekend together!

We all met at nine o'clock on Friday morning and took a one hour train to Bruge. It is another city in Belgium that is absolutely adorable.  There are cute little houses everywhere and it has a ton of shops and restaurants.  A tour guide walked us around for a little more than an hour pointing out historical sites and giving us the history of the city.  We then had the second half of the day to wander ourselves.  Laura, Tricia and I enjoyed a nice lunch and then explored the shops.  We purchased some Belgian chocolates that looked too scrumptious to pass up – and Belgian chocolates really are the best.  Unfortunately the weather was slightly gloomy outside so I am definitely looking forward to going back in April when my family comes to visit!! There were several places where our tour guide mentioned that flowers fill the fields in the spring and I am anxious to see them all =)

In addition to being a break from our travels it was convenient to stay in Brussels because it was the weekend before our finals. I was taking three classes the first two month session and had my accounting, marketing, and economics final the following week. None of us wanted to believe that our semester was already at its halfway point. Following our finals week however was our weeklong spring break so we were all super excited about that!  In addition the second two month session I only have one class that meets Monday and Wednesdays for two and a half hours and then my online class, much easier than the first session to say the least.

I definitely enjoyed relaxing in Brussels for the weekend and got a chance to spend time with the other students in our program as well as explore more of the country we live in. In addition my roommates and I were able to organize and prepare ourselves for our spring break extravaganza in Italy J

Canal

Main square of city

Roomies

Krakow, Poland

[February 17-20]

Our trip to Poland was with a new travel group but our second trip to Eastern Europe.  As expected it was very cold upon arrival, but we were bundled up with many layers! We arrived in Krakow, Poland on Thursday evening and went straight to the hostel to drop off our bags.  The hostel was on the second floor of an apartment complex so it was a small hostel.  There were about ten other travelers, in addition to the eight of us, that stayed there but it was by far the nicest hostel we had stayed. It had a full kitchen (with an included breakfast each morning) and large bathrooms with nice showers.  With our spirits high from the great hostel we went out to eat our first Polish meal. It definitely did not disappoint either and was very inexpensive. I had sauerkraut and kielbasa and we all split pierogies.  Needless to say after our first meal we all knew that it was going to be a weekend full of great eating! After our dinner we walked around the city before heading to bed and realized that Krakow is actually quite small; we were able to walk from one end of the city to the other within twenty minutes.

Friday morning we woke up early for our tour of the Aushwitz/Birkenau concentration camps.  The eight of us got picked up in a bus from our hostel and watched a forty minute documentary on the “Liberation of Aushwitz” during the drive.  While the movie was intense and very sad, it still did not prepare me for the tour.  I honestly don’t know what to say about being in an actual concentration camp.  We toured both Aushwitz I and Aushwitz II (Birkenau) and it was the most surreal and saddening experience.  Everyone learns about the holocaust and the awful things that happened at these camps but it was overwhelming to actually walk through the crammed corners and gas chambers where so many innocent people lost their lives.  The Birkenau camp is so much larger that I imagined - seemed to go as far as your eye could see. There is a memorial at the back of the Birkenau camp however and we all were able to take a moment there to reflect on our thoughts and pray for all those who died and the families who lost loved ones.  I will never forget the experience, but would never want to go back.  The tour took almost all day including the drive there and back so we just went out to dinner upon getting back to Krakow. Delicious meal round two was potato soup in a bread bowl, and of course we all split a plate of pierogies.   (Couldn’t go a meal without them!)

Saturday we woke up to snow! Surprisingly we have not had any snow in Belgium yet so it was exciting to see the white dust on the roads. After enjoying the hostel free breakfast we took a free walking tour around Krakow and learned about the culture and legends about the city.  One of the most famous legends is that the initial ruler “Krak” built his large castle on top of a dragon in order to capture the dragon underneath.  This is how Krakow got its name and there are literally dragon stuffed animals and figures everywhere! We were freezing after the walking tour so we warmed up at the hostel for an hour or so before venturing out into the snow again to buy some souvenirs.  In addition, we had a three hour tour of the salt mines at five so we wanted to grab a quick snack before since we knew that we would be having a late dinner.  You guessed it… we had pierogies! We called it the “fast food pierogies” because there was a small restaurant that was open 24 hours and gave you to-go boxes of them.  Laura and I both got a variety of pierogies including cheese, pork, and sauerkraut and mushroom.  Even though they were in to-go boxes, the pierogies were just as yummy as our previous ones.  The salt mine tour was our last adventure of the day and it was remarkable.  A salt mine that had been out of service for several years was turned into a tourist attraction because the miners built so many statues and cravings all out of salt. It is hard to imagine until you see it in person, but it truly was amazing. They had one huge chapel with the Last Supper carved into the wall, as well as many other famous paintings, and a magnificent alter where church services are routinely held on Sundays and you can even get married inside the mine.

Sunday was just our travel day and we made it back to Brussels by Sunday afternoon. Another successful weekend trip and I was able to get to know another group of students better which is always fun J All in all both of our Eastern European trips have been filled with delicious foods and great times! 

Aushwitz

Birkenau

Large Bell Tower in center of city

Yummy perogies

Travel group in the hostel

Roommates bundled up inside the castle

Krakow Dragon

The ladies

Barcelona, Spain

[February 10-13]

We left Thursday night for our trip to Barcelona!! We were so excited because it was the first time we got to pack warmish clothes and that I didn't have to wear my peacoat.  When we got to the airport, the weather did not disappoint! My sorority sister, Heather, is studying in Barcelona so she met us at the airport and rode the bus with us to our hostel. It was a long travel day and we were not all checked into our hostel until about 11pm.
Friday morning we woke up and had the free breakfast supplied by our hostel and then met up for a free tour at 11am. It was about a two and a half hour tour and we saw the historical sites of the city. It was a beautiful day outside and nice to walk around, but it definitely was not our favorite tour. After our tour ended however, the six of us that took the tour decided to wander through the city ourselves and somehow ended up at the gelato stand, oops. And yes, it was delicious :) The hardest part was trying to decide out of all the flavors which one to choose. With our yummy gelato in our hands we walked past the palm trees to the water and had a very relaxing afternoon. There was a man casually playing guitar to himself on a bench by the water and we wanted to sit as well so we decided to sit on the other side of the bench and took in the sun listening to slow jams. It was perfect!
Another great perk of our hotel was that it supplied free dinner as well as free breakfast. We all went back to the hostel around eight and greatly enjoyed getting dinner for no cost. We took a stroll on the beach late at night, and I forgot how much I missed the sand in my toes. Friday was a great day from start to finish.
We woke up saturday morning to more sunshine and great weather! Tricia and I decided to have a little date at the beginning of the day and ventured to the open market. It was overwhelming and bustling with all the little stands! This market had fruits, nuts, fish, breads, meats and pretty much any other groceries, but all fresh and delicious looking! We each bought a fresh squeezed fruit smoothie and tried to savor each sip of it.  With smoothies in hand we took the metro to Gaudi Park. The park was spectacular! We walked around for at least two hours and could see the city from afar, a flamingo dancer, many more palm trees and of course the Gaudi architecture.   I am not sure what I was expecting but the architecture reminded me of Willy Wonka because it had lots of bright colors and was almost all mosaic. It was very interesting though! After the park, Tricia and I met up with James and Laura and walked on the beach again (with more gelato). After talking a relaxing break we started our journey to the MontJuic Castle. There was an option to take a cable car up to the top because the castle was on a hill, however it cost money--and we are cheap college students.  So after many steps and burning lots of calories we made it to the top! It was huge castle and we were able to see all of Barcelona. Our touristy day came to end when we decided to have our ethnic meal of the trip and forgo the free hostel dinner.  The roommates and James went to an outdoor restaurant to enjoy the beautiful weather.  We ordered tapas and paella and ate every last bite! The paella had some seafood in it that looked suspicious but we tried them all! Yes, even a sea creature that had tentacles. 

The only bad part of the trip was that my blackberry phone got stolen Saturday night at the hostel.  All of my friends were napping in the hostel beds next to mine, and so when I went to take a shower I left my phone on my bed. Unfortunately some man came into our room and stole it before I got back from my shower.  It was definitely a shock and I was upset, but did not let it ruin my night! We all learned our lesson, and at the end of the day it could have been much worse. Needless to say we are all more careful now with our belongings.

Sunday morning we woke up early and headed for the airport. I had such a wonderful weekend and was so happy to be able to see our friends from Clemson! Barcelona gave us beautiful weather and great memories.  

On the tour

Palm Trees everywheree

Open Market

Gaudi Park

Yummy paella dinner

Roommates at the beach

Taking in the sunshine by the water 

Clemson students in Barcelona!!

Prague, Czech Republic

[Feb 4-7]

The first weekend in February was my first flight for a weekend trip; We flew to Prague, Czech Republic with Wizzair and had no complaints.  All of our airfare has been relatively cheap within Europe so we were expecting the worst, but it was not bad at all! The plane was a decent size and departed/arrived on time. 
Our flight was at 8:30am so we had to leave our hotel by 5:30am because you have to take an hour train ride from Brussels to the airport that the inexpensive flights fly out of. Regardless we were excited to wake up early and be on our way! In addition to my roommates, six other boys from our program joined us on this trip and it was a phenomenal travel group.
After the freezing cold weather in Paris and hearing that it is colder in Eastern Europe, I was much more prepared for this trip.  We dressed in lots of layers and I wore both my north face and pea coat outside. Surprisingly however the weather was very pleasant when we stepped off the train and we knew it was a good omen for a great trip! When we first arrived at the airport we all had to take out money from the ATM because Czech Republic has its own currency and does not accept Euros. They have a high inflation rate so one US dollar was equal to 17 Czech crown; we felt like we were rolling in the dough when the ATM spit out two 1000 crown bills!
From the airport we checked into our hostel in order to put down our belongings before starting to see the city.  The hostel was very interesting.  It looked extremely old and we had three separate keys to get into our room because there were three different doors you had to open--at least we felt safe! In addition when the hostel manager was showing us to our room it took him about five minutes to get the last door open with the key in which he told us, "This one takes full power to open". Needless to say the boys had to open the doors and often times we had to wait several minutes before they were successful. It was nice however because we had a room just to ourselves with enough beds for all of us.  We were secluded from any other hostel guests so we didn't have to lock our belongings in lockers, simply had to lock the door.
On Friday we ate at a restaurant close to our hostel because we were starving from our travel day. We soon discovered that most of the local food was relatively inexpensive in comparison to other European countries.  We ate plentiful and delicious meals and always spent under $15!


Saturday was our exploratory day.  We ate at a pizzeria for lunch and then starting walking around the city of Prague.  It is such a beautiful city! It is very hilly however, so when I said we walked around, we definitely got our exercise in for the day. In the afternoon, five of us decided to walk to one of the highest hills in Prague to "czech it out" if you will. (Yes we may have overused the "czech" pun a lot this trip) Once getting to the top the view was spectacular; you could see the entire city!  We then noticed however that there was a large tower on top of this hill that would have an even better view so we called this the "mini Eiffel Tower" and climbed up all of its spiral steps to the top.  While we were very winded after all the steps, we were not disappointed.  The sun was setting as we looked basically on top of the city.  We could see the castle and large church as well as all of the distinct buildings. After taking numerous pictures we started the long walk down the hill to meet up with the rest of the group and go to dinner.  Another amazing dinner was in store and we were more than full and satisfied when we left the restaurant! Czech is known for its dumplings so Laura, Trica and I split bread dumplings and they weren't exactly what we expected.  To put in simply--the bread dumplings looked similar to soggy pieces of bread covered in a sauce.  Regardless we were happy that we tried some ethnic food! 
 
Sunday morning we woke up and took another free walking tour around the city.  We had a great tour guide and another beautiful day during the three hour tour.  It was very fascinating to hear the history of Prague and Czech because they were still under communist control for so long and just recently had their revolution in 1989. It was rich in culture and interesting to compare this Eastern European country with the Western European Belgium that we live in.
Our tour guide recommended a restaurant for us to try, and yes you guessed it--we were not disappointed! I tried the potato dumplings this time stuffed with meat and sourkraut and they were delectable, much much better than the bread dumplings from the night before!
After dinner the five of us that initally went exploring went back up to the top of the hill with the pretty view in order to see the city at night.  When we got to the top we all separated for about thirty minutes to ourselves and really took it all in. It was so powerful to be so close to the bustling city but it be completely silent; you were able to look at this beautiful sight with only your thoughts surrounding you.
As if to completely oppose this peaceful place we eventually all walked back to our hostel together and watched the Superbowl! It aired at 12:30am in Prague and I was pulling for my Steelers!! We had a flight home Monday morning at 6:30am so we thought it would be a good idea to stay up watching the superbowl and then leave at 4am for the airport and catch the flight. While I was happy to be able to see the game, we missed the end with the exciting part and it made for a very unpleasant Monday. When the plane landed in Brussels three of us had to book it because we had Econ at 9:30am.  We walked into class with ten minutes to spare and no sleep whatsoever.  I then had Econ from 9:30-12:15 and Accounting following from 1:30-4:45pm.  Needless to say I was beyond tired Monday night and will hopefully never have to pull an all nighter travel day again.

Prague was an AMAZING trip however and I loved the city! We had a great travel group, spectacular food and the weather cooperated. While we were there until Monday it still did not seem like enough time and I would go back in a heartbeat. 

PRAGUE!

Travel Group

View of the city from the hill

Prague at night (The tower in the distance is the one we climbed)

Roomie love on the wall of the castle

Paris, France

[January 28-29]

Following our weekend in Amsterdam, we went on a girl's trip to Paris! After looking into the prices for both transportation and lodging we decided to only go for two days and one night because the hostels are very expensive. 

At 4:45am on Friday morning Tricia, Laura, Kara and I were out the door of our hotel in Brussels with a good night's sleep and a four hour bus ride ahead of us.  We caught the 6am bus from Brussels and arrived in Paris before ten o'clock! The timing actually worked out perfectly because the four of us were able to sleep on the bus and by the time we arrived in the city we were ready to see the sights! After buying a metro pass for two full days we rode the metro to our hostel and checked in.  While I would have to say  it was not as nice as our hostel in Amsterdam, we had no big complaints.  We went exploring around the area after locking up our belongings and settled on eating at a local pastry shop that had a sign for a sandwich, drink, and dessert for 6.5 euros.  However this was not any little pastry shop.  We all ordered these amazing looking chicken sandwiches on fresh baguettes and then when we asked what dessert we could get (assuming a cookie or something small) she pointed to this display of homemade gourmet desserts and all of our mouthes dropped! We were overwhelmed with our options, and needless to say they were as delicious as they appeared to be.

Delicious pastry shop we had lunch at

After starting our day off right with a scrumptious lunch we headed to the center of the city to catch the free tour.  Our tour guide was just as entertaining, if not better, than our tour guide in Amsterdam and was an overall phenomenal tour. He took us by all of the main sights in Paris and told us great stories about the history of the city. The only down side to the tour was that it was freezing! None of us expected it to be that cold, so by the end of the the tour I had my scarf wrapped around my head and my toes felt like ice cubes. Nonetheless we stayed on the full tour that lasted almost five hours and I am very happy we did. We ended the tour at Napoleon's tomb and then finally headed back to the hostel to get some dinner and warm up! Friday night we all had our first French crepes and they were mouth-watering. Definitely a must get if anyone goes to Paris =)

St. Michael's Fountain where we began our tour

"Lock" Bridge where lovers put their initials on a lock and toss the key in the river

The group of girls outside of the Louvre on the tour

CREPES!

Our bus back to Brussels was leaving at 6pm on Saturday so we woke up that morning at 8am in order to be able to see everything we wanted to before leaving.  Our hostel had a free breakfast of cereal and baguettes so after grabbing a quick bite we ended for the Eiffel Tower. Since it was so cold the day before we all layered up, but we were pleasantly surprised when we walked out of the door and it was sunny! It made the Eiffel Tower even more spectacular with the sun shining behind it.  We walked up 670 stairs in order to make it to the second tier of the Tower, and it was more than worth it. Such an amazing view of the city that really put things in perspective.  All four of us were able to sign the tower and we took many pictures in order to remember that moment forever.  

Eiffel Tower

On the second tier -- after 670 steps!

From the Eiffel Tower we took the metro to the Louvre and were able to get in for free since we are students studying in the EU. It is huge and has more artwork than anyone could possibly see in one day! While most of the paintings and statues were very detailed and impressive, none of us are big art people so we only stayed in the Louvre for an hour or so.  We walked to the Mona Lisa, it was by far the most popular exhibit, but it wasn't all that everyone makes it out to be. The painting itself is very small and there were so many people around it that it was hard to really analyze the 'mystery' behind it. Still happy we were able to see it though!

Following the Louvre we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to the Notre Dame church.  It was quite a sight from the outside and even more breathtaking on the inside. We were able to walk around the inside and it had some of the largest and most intricate stained glass windows I have ever seen.

Outside of the Notre Dame

After our history and sight-seeing filled day the four of us girls decided we needed to end our day in Paris at the shopping district. Oh yes. When got off the metro we saw all of the name brand stores in a row and it was spectacular! With Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Burberry, Longchamp, and many others we only did window shopping, but it was fun to be in that environment and get a feel for what "shopping in Paris" is all about.

Our whirlwind of a Paris trip was very successful and we boarded the bus to come back home on time and arrived back in Brussels with lots of fun times to look back on! Contrary to popular belief, the French were all very nice and we did not have any bad interaction with the locals. Because of the cold weather that slightly put a damper on Friday I would love to go back again for just another short trip in the Spring when it is warmer in order to enjoy the sights even more!

The Paris ladies at our hostel =)

Amsterdam

[January 21-23]
Unfortunately I have been having some computer issues and have been without a computer for over a week now. Sorry for the delay but here is an update of two weekends ago when we went to Amsterdam!!
Our bus was scheduled to leave at noon on Friday so being unsure of exactly how to get to the bus station, we left at 10am..and got there by 10:20am. Needless to say we overestimated how much time we needed and spent the first two hours of our first weekend excursion sitting at the back of Burger King waiting for our bus to arrive. However once we were on the bus it was smooth sailing! There were eight of us that all traveled together from Friday to Sunday and then another group of Clemson students that were in Amsterdam from Thursday to Saturday so our trips overlapped on Friday night.
The bus that took us was similar to a charter bus with semi comfortable seats and a bathroom, so no complaints. The bus only took two hours and 45 minutes so we were in Amsterdam before three o'clock! Even though we were tired from getting up early and the ride, we all had quite the pep in our step when getting off the bus =)
The first thing that we noticed was that there were so many bikes!! We had heard that there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam, however it is hard to imagine until you really see it in person. It is also interesting because all of the bikes are very simple and old fashion style. (We later learned this was because they are just for cruising in the city and they don't want them to get stolen)

Just a casual bicycle parking lot

We were pleasantly surprised when we first arrived in Amsterdam and realized that almost everyone spoke English very well. This was especially useful when we first got off the bus and were confused in how to get to our hostel.  However after talking to one sweet old lady we boarded the metro and were on our way to Central Station.

Central Station

Central Station is the main hub in Amsterdam and it is also beautiful. Our hostel had a perfect location which was walking distance from this station and many other attractions in Amsterdam.
Our first hostel was much better than any of us could have imagined. In addition to the great location, it was a very secure setting with key cards to enter the building and individual lockers to lock up your belongings while you were away from the hostel.  I felt safe at all times there, and we even made friends with some of the other travelers in our room. Our room consisted of 10 sets of bunk beds, but thankfully we only had one snorer! 
Friday night we met up with some of the other Clemson students there and had a fun night all together.

Tricia, Laura and I in the hostel

My roommates and I did a lot of research before going to Amsterdam and we found a free walking tour online that showed all of the main historical and hot spots of the city. So, Saturday afternoon all eight of us bundled up for the cold weather and put our walking shoes on to see the city. There was a large group of other people that joined us for the tour, and we had the best tour guide! He was a graduate student that walked us all around the new and old parts of Amsterdam for close to four hours with a short 30 minute break in the middle. Yes...four hours. It was quite chilly outside though so half of the group bailed at the break, but Tricia, James and I stuck it out and I am so happy that we did. I took a ton of photos during the tour but here are a couple below:

Our walking tour group

Main square in Amsterdam

One of the main churches

 Canal that ran through the city

All of the houses are very narrow and tall and are slanted!

Our tour guide told us so many interesting things about the architecture, history, and culture of Amsterdam that really brought the city to life for us.

Sunday was our last day in Amsterdam so after checking out of our hostel we went on a search to find a local place to eat breakfast. We are traveling college students so I have to admit that some of our meals were spent at fast food restaurants and/or just picking up a cheap sandwich at a small store, so we really wanted to end our trip eating a true meal from Amsterdam! After walking around for what seemed like forever we finally gave up and just walked into this little hole in the wall place because we were so hungry and it had a breakfast menu on its door. However hole in the wall or not, it was DELICIOUS. Ah so yummy. Everyone got something different and it was such a small place that our group of eight took up the whole upstairs and we could see the cook individually cooking all of our meals. I got a plain pancake but when it came out it was a huge, thin pancake that took up the entire plate.

Pancake breakfast

Once our bellies were full and satisfied we headed to the Anne Frank Museum which was our last destination before leaving Amsterdam.  We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes and pay 8.50 euros, but it was definitely worth it. It was a humbling experience to say the least but we were able to actually walk through the house that Anne Frank lived in for the two years while she was in hiding. It was a very impressive museum that had video segments and quotes from her diary in each of the rooms that we walked through. Although I have read the Diary of Anne Frank it hit home a lot harder seeing it all in person, something I will never forget.
We caught the bus back to Brussels Sunday afternoon and were in our hotel by dinner time.  It was a perfect first travel experience and we already have so many great memories to reminisce on! We bonded so much more with our small group of eight, and it was so interesting to see a different part of Europe. In addition it made us SO much more excited for our other weekend excursions.