The BeNeLux Tour---Day 1(Amsterdam)

Hi allll....
So, I am finally postin my blog after arnd 3-4 months. I always wanted to publish a post but U know I am laazyyy.. So, Now I finally am composin some stuff...(Guess this is the startin line of my previous post too :)) [Its a bit lengthy; just be patient...]

Its about our tour to BeNeLux. This BeNeLux is combination of three small countries named Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Before startin abt the tour a small info. We took a EU rail pass wid the help of which we can travel for 8 days(not necessarily consecutive) in 2 months in 3 countries. So, our EU Rail pass is valid till July 31st. The 3 countries we selected were Germany, France and BeNeLux(Ya, all these 3 small countries come under one)
So, coming to our tour, it started on the nite of June 2nd. We took a night train(got reserved) to Amsterdam directly from Munich. The next morning we were in Amsterdam. Its really a wonderful place to look at. We(Mainly Rajat) did some research as to what are the places in Amsterdam that can be seen. So, it was a bit planned. As soon as we got down frm the train, we went to the tourist info. counter, bought a map and got all the tourist spots marked on it.

Its AMSTERDAMNNNN

Then started our walk. We first went to ANNIE FRANK'S HOUSE. U ppl know who is Annie Frank??? I didn't know b4 these ppl here started talkin abt the place. Lemme throw some lite on it. Annie Frank is a german gal whose family fled to Netherlands when the Nazis were bein ill-treated. Its in arnd 1941 they fled and the house abt which I was talkin is the place where these ppl used to hide till 1944(Coz Hitler even captured Netherlands and started deportin the Nazis there too). So, this gal was arnd 11 at tht time N she used to write a diary daily. Her diary is placed there in tht place now and the dialogues she has written in tht were really heart-touchin. I really felt bad when I happened to hear the dialogues(they were bein played there in a TV which shows the deportation of Nazis with her audio in the background). They(All 8 members of her family) used to hide in a room and the interestin fact was tht no one new tht there were 8 ppl hidin in tht house. Such gr8 were the arrangements there. N finally TRAGEDY. Noone knew how the German soldiers came to know abt them, they were finally caught N deported to Auschwitz just before the World War was about to end. It was then her diary came into light N later got published(After World War-2). She died just one month before the people at Auschwitz got freeee.. Of the 8 members, only her father was able to come out alive..(Kuch zyaada senti to nahi hua na..)

Later..we went to VANGOUGH MUSEUM.. U ppl know Nythin abt Vangough?? I didn't know. He was a gr8 artist it seems(Only artists can appreciate, I am not). There was Gaurav wid us who strted explainin abt Vangough N Rajat listenin to him attentively.. Me, just waitin when will these both ppl come out of the museum. N then, I decided not to visit any Art Museum again. I guess there is no point in visitin any place where U don't Njoy.(My situation was like Saif Ali Khan's in HUM TUM.. hehe,). N then we came out finally{U got to visit http://www.munichdiary.blogspot.com to know somethin abt this Museum N also one more where I didn't go}
So, now the other two ppl wanted to go to another art museum called RIJKSMUSEUM. I didn't dare to. It was the spot where we decided to get separated and meet after some time at a place. So, both of them went to RijksMuseum.

I started wid a camera in my neck, a map in my hand and started explorin Amsterdam, the work I loved the best. So, went to a MUSICAL CONCERT HALL nearby, it was closed. So, did the max I can do...Took a snap of it. Later, checked the map N decided to go to Film museum nearby(Thought it wud be better than Art). When I reached the Film Museum, I found tht its in a park called VANDEL'S PARK. I loved tht place. It was really gr8. There were a lot of people there and its so big tht I was unable to watch the complete park in 1 and a half hour. There is everythin in the park, startin frm small children with their parents to lovers(both hetero N ......, after all its Amsterdam..). U find a number of ppl skatin, cyclin, learnin Karate, and ya I happened to watch an engagement in the park too. I really Njoyed visitin the Park.
Later I started rushin to the place where we planned to meet.

By the time I reached the spot, I was ab4 time((It rarely happens). There was a MOBILE CONCERT goin on there. It means it is a van which
contains all the musical instruments and each band comes N plays fr some time. There were a number of bands which participated N I happened to hear to 2 bands(1 lap N other some chinki stuff). Then both the other ppl also have come there. This spot was the place in Amsterdam where I really felt myself to fly. Did a lot of mischeivious stuff there. U can check in the photographs.. This was the place where I Njoyed the most in Amsterdam.

I amsterdam (Watch me out there on t(op))

Later we moved on to have a look at BEGIJNHOF. Its on road side N when U look standin on the road U just see a door, but when U enter inside, its like another street inside. It was some hiding place.

Seems like a normal door frm roadside..Enter IT, U see a colony inside ...:) wid a park,etc..




Then we headed to have a look at the SKINNY BRIDGE. Walked a lot but finally didn't reach coz others were too tired to reach the spot. I got a bit dejected, but then we also had to reach the Canal Cruise place to go on a Canal Cruise. So, we started goin to tht place.(Ofcourse took a picture of Skinny bridge)
Can't say much abt it as didn't watch it closely, But had a better look at it durin Canal Cruise


N now the Canal Cruise. We were made to visit all the canals in Amsterdam. It was an Audio tour. So, always, we were able to hear some blah blah abt the place. It was a good trip. N U know the fact, wee didn't sit in any local transport frm mornin 9:30 till evenin 7:55(Its in the cruise we sat). Ya, we roamed complete Amsterdam on foot(Guess we covered 2/3rd Amsterdam :)). It was really a gr8 experience.

A Cafe on a street in RED LIGHT DISTRICT

Now, the only area left was the Red Light District. Ya, I forgot to mention,when we went to the tourist information place and asked to mark the tourist spots in our list she marked all of them N finally showed us tht this is the Red Lite District(It was not in the list we have shown her). N also b4 leavin to Amsterdam, in our research, we found a number of ppl statin to have a visit at tht place. N each N every site stated it was safe. So, finally we planned to have a visit even to tht place too.(Afterall itni door aaye hai aur baad mein pata chala ki kuch place ghoome nahi tho acha nahi
lagega na :)). Also our train frm Amsterdam to the next destination Louvine La Neuve is at arnd 4:00 AM. So, just strted roamin in the streets of tht district. All the streets in tht district are completely filled with red lites, like U see Ny Beer shop, it also has a Red lite. Afterall its a tourist spot. So, they made it this way. N ya, they strt N end wid the red lites. We met one more IIT Gang in this street only :) (Funny naaa). They were 5, we 3 so total 8. Just kept walkin in the streets frm one street to other. We also happened to watch ASHBROWNY(Got it??? EURO TRIP...???). Two of those 5 tasted it. We just saw it. Its just like a cake, a normal cake.

Then we ppl got separated. All 3 of us went to the railway station at arnd 12:30 AM. We didn't feel
like it was. It gets dark at arnd 11:00PM in Amsterdam. U know, the station in Amsterdam gets closed at arnd 1:00AM. So, a police came N asked us to leave the station. So, we took a train to Rotredam which is arnd 90 minutes away frm Amsterdam. It was yery cold tht day. Our EU rail pass is valid for all international N national trains in the 3 countries.

U know the time when this was shot..9:30PM
in AMSTERDAM

Wht happened at Rotredam station, I will publish in my next post. Guess this has become too big fr Ny one to go through.