Amsterdam
Part 2
Part 3
So we reached Amsterdam unwell, exhausted and unable to think straight. After getting to the city center from our bus stop (20 minutes ride), we were again back on our foot. Lugging those backpacks and the stroller. Without any physical or mobile maps to help us, we started searching for the hostel with downloaded google images and asking the locals. We reached there so exhausted by the 15 minute walk that the sight of the really small entrance and congested check in area annoyed the hell out of me. Counting to 100, I let paglet do the talking. The volunteer at the reception told us our dorm was on the right just a flight of stairs away. If, taking right, then a flight of stairs, then another flight of stairs to the basement, then a right turn and then the finally reaching the dorm, is 'just on the right' then she was correct!
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| reality check! |
By the curse of the seven, we got the upper bunk bed. There was no one in the room except for an Australian (he later talked and we exchanged the usual pleasantries) napping. We had packed our dinner supplies from Brugge, so I immediately tasked myself with preparing dinner and searching the kitchen, which was another dimension away. If I were feeling my normal self I would have loved the sneaky stairways and the hidden rooms and secretive passages of the hostel. But that night, my brain refused to appreciate it for what it was. Every new turn felt like an unnecessary twist to the evil joke that someone was playing on our sick bodies and tired, cough syrup addled minds.
Anywho.. I prepared an insipid meal with minimal ingredients and no oil. We sat for dinner. One thing led to another and we were arguing about silly things. Voices raised. A couple of chinese diners and english ones aside, we were the only two there. Having an emotional screaming match. With our sore throats. It felt so liberating to fight and argue in that hostel basement, with no one to understand or bother about what it was all about!
Silly fights with friend which ended in awkward 'so where do I get some warm water now' question. ✅
With 'no one really understands me', vibes we both went to bed. Woke up around 3 am to loud noises in the dorm. Thanks to being a co-ed dorm, all the other residents were back from their parties, only to disturb our slumber parties. We both shouted at them like grumpy old people with cries of 'guys please keep it down'. Most of them, even though inebriated, were nice enough to respect us oldies and kept quiet.
We woke up, had some breakfast, booked a shared car ride back to Cologne. In short our Amsterdam part of the trip with so many plans and things to do was completely washed out. A cruel joke of the shared car ride getting cancelled later, we had resigned to our fate. N booked our bus tickets for later that day. We wandered around clueless and finally sat down by the river, our bodies refusing to co-operate. At 1.30 PM that afternoon we finally boarded the bus to Cologne, hoping against hope for some comfort food and good sleep, at the end of the journey.
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| Alices in wonderland - caption courtesy Paglet |
Moral of the story - I dont know, if there is any lesson to be learnt here. Except may be try not staying in a dorm when unwell ?
P.S. Expenses!!
Brugge - Amsterdam bus - 17 Euro per person
Amsterdam hostel - 70 Euro per person for 2 nights (We wasted this money)
Misc - 5 Euro per person
Amsterdam - Cologne bus - 20 Euro per person
Total - 112 Euro per person
Hostel website: http://www.flyingpig.nl/