Bruges-Brussels-Amsterdam

Well. To continue where I left off, I spent the rest of my time in Bruges wandering around the canals, drinking beers, and getting my tragus pierced as part of the pact I made with my Basque girls :) (Dad, your tragus is part of your ear, don't worry).

I left Bruges Saturday morning and stopped to spend my afternoon in Brussels. I saw the peeing boy statue, and the modern art museum (but was very disappointed because the Magritte museum was being renovated), and saw the Musical Instrument Museum which was really cool - a collection of wacky, antique, folk, and medieval instruments with a headphone set that automatically played corresponding music samples. Really neat! After wandering around a bit and eating yummy street waffles (this trip has involved lot of various waffles and pancakes for me...) I got back on the train and came to Amsterdam. That night I went out to a bar in the red light with some girls from the hostel. Yesterday, I visited the Anne Frank House which was really moving, and the "homomonument"' and got info on where to go out from the rainbow-flagged kiosk in front. Then I went and sampled some of Amsterdam's finest green - why, the botanic garden, of course. It was beautiful and had a butterfly greenhouse also. At night I went out to a very quiet lesbian bar, and then made my way to a very underground gay dance club that the kiosk guy had told me about - it was fantastic and had 1euro beers... I ended up getting a ride back to my hostel on the rack of a bicycle belonging to a very nice Thai boy!

I spent today in Utrecht, where my friend Caro from New Zealand lives - we wandered around in the sun and had a lot of catching up to do from the last five years! I also tried a Dutch pancake with cheese, very filling and yummy. Tonight I think I'll have a quiet night in to rest after last night, and tomorrow i'll rent a bike to do Amsterdam the right way and see the park and the Van Gogh museum - then after that it's onward to Prague!! I can't believe I only have three more cities on my list...


Much love to you all!!
T