Movin' on...

Well, Amsteram was a little *interesting*. . . For those of you wondering, no, I didn't smoke any pot, and no, I didn't eat any mushrooms. I did, however, try their traditional Dutch fries. Meh, a little overrated. But tell me this - what is the obsession with mayonnaise on chips??!! I was willing to give it a go and get over my judgemental attitude towards the mayo, but no . . . I have to tell you it was an experience that shall be reserved for a torture chamber. Blurgh! Didn't meet my roomies until the night before I was leaving - they were either stoned the whole time, or sleeping it off!! What a way to see the world... Did a bike tour as well - what fun. Not. It rained the entire time - I thought my fingers were going to fall off!! But, the tour itself *was* fun. The scenery was beautiful - it's amazing how quickly you can escape the city into the countryside! We went along one of the rivers and out to a farm where they make wooden clogs and also produce various cheeses - yummo! Cracked pepper and garlic was a winner! The worst thing about amsterdam? My accommodation. Not very encouraging when you rock up and they have fliers about "building up your immune system". For all you 5-star hoteliers, basically they have a reputation for bedbugs - but thankfully I didn't get any!

Right now I'm in Berlin. The hostel is *excellent*, with swipecards, comfy beds, spacious bathroom and massive windows.

Now, you would think that doing your washing is pretty mundane and a task worthy of procrastination. However, doing my laundry here in Berlin has become a bit of a highlight!! For starters, trying to find the laundromat was such an entertaining exercise for myself and 3 other girls. It took us about an hour and a half, and it was *pouring* with rain - I was walking along with the bag on my head. Needless to say, my pants ended up drenched to the knees. When we got to the laundromat (which ended up being only about 700m from where we were staying) we hit it off with the owners and couple of fellow launderers. One of the guys ended up being a fascinating artist with some published on the net. Obviously his arty talents run in the family - nice work Denes! :D

Doing a bike tour tomorrow, seeing all the sights. Berlin is a beautiful city - so much history. Will keep you posted!!