. . . amsterdam 01-03 aug part 2 . . .

i have no doubt that the people in Amsterdam never sleeps. the only time i realise everything was quiet was when i woke up for dawn prayers, say around 4 or 5 in the morning. but a few minutes after that, came the bustling noises of motorbikes and honking cars. had to wake up early for prayers and also beating everybody to the shower/toilet. a good exercise in the morning :P i was kinda hoping that since we went out early we could be the first in line for the museums but i realised most of em open by 10 or 11am. then again the tikets were too expensive for me at that point of time and i didnt really wanna waste my time going thru all the exhibitions. i wanted to walk around and sightsee the city... as well as eat a lot :D

the dungeon... was too afraid to go in :P

statue of Anne Frank

i'd suggest buying some groceries from the stores and bring it back to the hotel for breakfast and late night snacks. i myself eat once a day and alhamdulillah i manage to cut down the expenses from buying too much food or souvenirs. i'd say i could finish all of Amsterdam within a day, just simple sightseeing, eating and walking around as well as getting some souvenirs. actually 3 days is more than enough from any holiday you take. for me, its all good.

the Palace...

i do suggest of placing your bags at the station since its very safe and guarded by security. u could hire a box for like 4 or 5 euros (but you can only use maestros or cards, no cash since its machine operated). our hotel's checkout time was 11am and our flight was at 8pm. so we had loads of time but we had to bring out our luggage. hence we used the boxes. not bad. for 24hrs it costs 4-5 euros... more hours, more charges. i think it goes up to a maximum of 72 hours.

its will also be great to come during the summer since everyones out and about. but its just the crowd that i dont like. alleys are small and millions of people are trying to cross it. i had to physically shoved myself in an alley just to try and get a souvenir...

so Amsterdam is crossed out in my list. next could be Budapest or Athens... any places that would pop in my mind (and not forgetting on how much there is left in my wallet)

wassalam