The Netherlands

I took my one and only night train from Lisbon to a town called Hendaye in France, right across the Spanish border. The night train was awesome and I wish I could have done more of them on my European trip, but they usually cost too much - I had to make a reservation for a bed, which is expensive despite having paid a lot already for the Eurail pass. I forgot that the time changed going from Portugal into Spain, and thought it was odd that the older lady in our cabin was dressed and ready so early; so then when we arrived in Hendaye an hour earlier than expected, I had to pack up very quickly. I got in line at the small train station to get my onward ticket, as did most other people from my train. When it was my turn, the lady told me that all trains to Paris were full and that I should have booked days in advance. I attempted to tell her that I had tried, that they wouldn't let me do so in Lisbon, but she didn't really care. She got me a ticket three hours north to Bordeaux, and said that maybe they would have an option to get me to The Netherlands. When I arrived there, at least the guy helping me was friendly and tried pretty hard to get me a ticket. I didn't want or need to go to Paris, but it turns out there aren't really any other options - all trains pass through Paris. He ended up getting me the last ticket to Paris on the evening train, leaving at 9:30 p.m. and arriving at almost one in the morning, and then further tickets to Holland not leaving until around 8 in the morning. Of course, at that point, I started thinking about where I would stay in Paris, as well as what I would do all day in Bordeaux, since it was then only about 11 a.m. Unfortunately, the train station was not in the town center, and I decided that I didn't want to pay to store my pack and then to get into town, so I just stayed near the train station all day. I found an internet cafe and a place to eat, and waited for my departure time. When I arrived in Paris, the train station was just about to close. Yes, I had briefly considered attempting to spend the short night in the station, but when I was looking it up online, I was warned many times over that it was not a good idea. Luckily, there were several hotels right around the station, so I went to a few of them and it didn't take me long to accept one of their offers. I had come to terms with the fact that I would be spending a lot that night, but thought it was funny that when I asked for the cheapest room, what I got for €55 was a closet-sized room with a toilet and sink, but no shower! That was ok, I didn't have time for one anyway. As it was, I only got to sleep for about 4 hours and then had to head to a different Paris station to get my train. The seat reservation from Paris to Rotterdam was also the most money I spent on any one journey the whole time in Europe. It cost €55, and I am still not sure why. I did get breakfast and lunch though, which is the only time that ever happened. I only had a short connection time in Rotterdam, to get my train to Breda, where I was to meet up with my friend. We were about 10 minutes outside of the Rotterdam train station and stopped for some electricity problem, so I missed my train. I found it ironic that the one time I had someone waiting for me at a train station was also one of the only times that the train was late. I asked an American that was sitting near me if I could borrow his laptop, and sent my friend a message on facebook, but of course she didn't see it in time. There were hourly trains, so I just caught the next one, and when I arrived in Breda, the nice guy at information let me call Nienke with his phone, and she walked over to meet me. I met her in Laos, and it was fun to see her again and catch up.
Staying with Nienke was also really nice. She has a small studio apartment, and shares a kitchen and bathroom with several other girls. We cooked Dutch food a couple of nights - both recipes were really simple and tasty, and I hope to be able to make them sometime at home. One day, we borrowed a bike from one of her friends and rode all around Breda. My Lonely Planet mentions nothing about the town of Breda, which is a shame because it is really a great place with nice squares full of restaurants and bars, and a huge, beautiful cathedral in the center of it all. We couldn't go inside the church because they were handing out diplomas to high school graduates that day. We did enjoy a nice rosé beer on a sunny patio though, and then walked through the old town and down some shopping streets. One of my favorite places was the begijnhof, which is a courtyard surrounded by small dwelling where beguines lived. I saw several of these, especially throughout Holland and Belgium;  they are quiet and peaceful areas often in the middle of a busy city. Many of them date from the 12th century. Beguines were a religious movement of women who were unmarried or widowed, who then lived together within this compound.
Next, it was time to head to Amsterdam! Nienke had asked her younger sister, Tjitske, if I could stay with her for a few days, as she is living and studying there. She agreed, and once again, it was awesome to stay with a local person, not to mention the saving money on accomodation part. Tjitske was on a bit of a break from studying, and it was a pleasant surprise to have her show me around a lot of Amsterdam. The weather wasn't the greatest while I was there, but we took full advantage of the times when it wasn't raining to see the city. Amsterdam is unique in that a series of concentric canals run parallel to the roads through most of the center of the city. Therefore, there are bridges everwhere, and small boats navigating the canals floating by almost constantly. I have never seen so many bicycles in my life! There were entire parking garages that appeared to be made just for bikes, and they were packed! I have no idea how you would ever actually find your bike in that massive place. Being in Amsterdam, and Holland in general, definitely made me vow to use my own bike a lot more when I get home! And then there is the side of Amsterdam that a lot of people go to see - the Red Light District and the coffee shops. We walked through the Red Light District one night, and I was saddened by all of those beautiful girls living that kind of life. It made me wonder why they do it - if they have no choice, or if they don't think they have any other option, or if they actually enjoy it? A lot of them certainly look like they could make it in life doing many other, more socially acceptable jobs. In Amsterdam, coffee shops are code for places that legally sell cannabis in various forms. Inside they are dark and full of smoke, and I don't know how anyone could sit longer than a few minutes there.
One rainy day, we waited in the long line to get into the Anne Frankhuis, where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis and wrote her diary. It was neat to read about their life inside those walls, but sad to think about how they would watch the small bit of blue sky and a tree that they could see, and wish for freedom. Also sad is that no one from the family survived except Anne's father, who was responsible for publishing her diaries. Anne actually died just weeks before liberation, possibly from typhus, or possibly from a broken heart as her sister died just days before she did, and she also believed both of her parents were dead.
Tjitske succeeded in eventually convincing me to try the fresh, raw herring that was offered at several kiosks throughout town, and was in peak season. I was reluctant as I am not a fan of pickled herring, and that is the only way I have ever tried it. When I did finally try it, it was served with chopped onions and sweet pickles, and it was really good! It had that 'melts in your mouth' quality to it, and wasn't fishy at all. Another Dutch treat that I fell in love with was stroopwafels, which consist of two thin waffel cookies with a caramel-like syrup in the middle.
I took a day trip from Amsterdam to the small and typically Dutch town of Zaanse Schans. It is a super small town with several still-functioning windmills surrounding a lake. I walked along the path and got some good pictures of the windmills. Also, I went into the small cheese factory and tasted several types of delicious Dutch cheese, and went to the wooden shoe factory. On my last full day in The Netherlands, Tjitske and I took the train outside of Amsterdam and met up with Nienke, and she drove us to another quaint little town, the name of which escapes me right now. The center of town is completely walled in by a star-shaped fortress which is surrounded by water. It was fun wandering the streets, and we had lunch at their aunt's house. Then I took the train down to the town of Maastricht, which is sandwiched between Belgium and Germany, where I would spend the next two nights. Apparently it is a completely addictive place, according to my guide book, but it didn't stop raining the majority of the time I was there, so I didn't get to see the addictive aspect of it. On the only non-rainy night though, I did get some cool pictures along the river of the buildings reflecting in the smooth-as-glass water. My other memory from Maastricht is that I borrowed an umbrella from the hostel, and I leaned it against the railing on a bridge while I took some pictures, and it proceeded to fall down into the river below! I watched it float for a long time, thinking that eventually maybe I could fish it out from the bank, but then a big barge came by and it sank. I felt really bad because most hostels ask for a deposit when you borrow an umbrella, and this one didn't. The guy only said to me when I borrowed it, "Please bring it back!" To which I of course replied with a cheery, "I will!" I think it was a bad omen as the great majority of my trip since then has been overwhelmingly rainy and cold!