Best Western Hotel Bellevue Egmond aan Zee

... when we got there). Thanks to the White Tulip Hostel, my first hostel experience was rather terrifying and I am not looking to forward to staying in them on future trips. First off, the White Tulip was located in the red light district, and although it was secure, I wasn't expecting to be greeted by a young guy  (I would guess to be about 23) from Donegal named Colin walked into our 12 person mixed dorm and refer to my friends and I as "fresh blood." Have you even ...

... provided me with invaluable insights into my person and my relationships with those around me. And it has made me a more positive, more balanced individual than the person who stepped on that plane in Amsterdam bound for Hong Kong four months ago. Haha.. yes, I've been working *********** myself.  Moreover, this 'investment' has allowed me to see the most stunning sights imaginable, from the magnificent Angkor Wat to the brilliant lagoon of Bora Bora and the awe ...

... restaurant by our guidebook and locals. Then we headed back to Boom Chicago for a Late Nite Improv show. It was a really good time. The next day we were scheduled to arrive in Paris. We got up and headed to the train station wanting to get on the 12:30 train, waited in line for about an hour and a half to not make a direct train to then getting kicked off of our train (the train staff from Belgium wasn't there to take over ...

... markets and all kinds of great cafes that sit along the streets on either side of many of the canals. I've got to go back when I have some serious money to spend. The Dam might just deserve a spot on the top 10 coolest cities of the world list. Five days was enough though. Let's just say it's not a place for the budget-minded traveler. I had to get out! It was now time for a quick look at small town Holland with a quick visit to Hilversum ...

... Anne Frank house and perhaps the Heineken Brewery, if it is open. Matt Dell left us today to travel to Greece for a class trip. He originally planned to leave from Prague but we convinced him to come along to Berlin and Amsterdam. We are looking forward to staying in his flat in London, though he won't be there to show us around. We leave tomorrow afternoon for Paris, where we will spend two nights and then on to London, our final European destination! See you soon!

... a packed coffee shop. The two frenchy's were a great laugh but with the travelling and walking id done throughout the day i though it was a good idea to get my head down for the following day. The group of spaniards i was sharing the room with were cool and we even had a game of poker before we went to sleep. All in all my first full day in Amsterdam has been good.The building's ...

... for Sam, these streets were small, and extrememly over-priced. But still, it was good to look. Next was on to the Singel canal - one of the bigger canals in Amsterdam, where there was a floating flower market. Sam being less than impressed at the amount of market/shopping going on, we briefly walked past before moving on to taking a break in the park. We realised that our hostel was a bit of a journey away (being a train journey followed ...

... during the day, but they are on the honor system in the evening. However, there are random patrols and undercover officers. Do not try to ride the tram without a ticket, the Dutch love enforcing rules and making you pay fines if you break said rules. Being a tourist or not speaking Dutch won't work. As a matter of fact, no excuse will work when talking to a Dutch officer. When your walking around, look out for cars AND bikes. The bike ...

... In fourth comes Tallinn, for the ancient feel that still lingers all around the old town. - In fifth Tampere, for the wonderful museums, the completely different churches and the small town feel in a (not so) large city. - Running up behind comes Praha, which might even be the most beautiful, but is severely hurt by the ultra-heavy tourism. (This travelog is not over yet!)

... of the root vegetables that they have to be chopped up into saleable proportions. We ducked into Star travel agency to see how we might get a flight to one of the Scandinavian countries. We had envisaged a drive to Copenhagen for a couple of days and on the way visit those camps in which a friend of ours had been interned during the war until I started working out traveling times. It really was not on. Neither was Western Germany. We would be spending all ...