An Amsterdam Adventure!

I am in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam right now waiting for my connecting flight to Washington Dulles. I'd like to share my rather humorous adventure here in the land of wooden shoes, tulips, bicycles, and a language full of deep throat gargling. I landed in this land at approximately 5:45AM and immediately noticed on the TV screen in front of me that the temperature outside was 57 degrees...Farenheit! Today is July 21st...right?? I asked myself. I looked out my window to see gray clouds and light rain falling then I proceeded to look at my jean shorts, sandals, and t-shirt and ask myself...why didn't I check out Amsterdam's weather before I left Ghana! (not that I had much warmer clothing...but pants, shoes and a long sleeve shirt would have been handy). Not wanting to be a wimp I decided to venture into the city to see what I could see. My first stop was the money exchange...for $100 I received 55.63 Euros! Next I bought a day-long train ticket to Amsterdam Centraal for 6.40 Euros and proceeded to the train. Amsterdam's airport is very nice and it includes a very nice train station. By now it is roughly 6:30AM and there is only 1 other person, that I can see, on the train...aren't people going to work today...it is Monday?? I get to Central Amsterdam and decide to find some breakfast and maybe a sweatshirt...cause I'm freezing and have been freezing since I entered Accra's airconditioned airport! I'm walking around, and by the way it is a gorgeous city full of canals with centuries old three and four story rowhouses along the canals, and there is virtually no one around...nothing is open. Finally I found a Coffee Shop that is open so I walk in...I'm met with a blue cloud of Marijuana smoke...in Amsterdam a Coffee Shop is a place to smoke weed...a Cafe is where you drink coffee...go figure? Well I walk around some more...see some shady characters...then I end up in the Red Light District! Just about everything is still closed but there were two places with 30-something heavy set women in skimpy nightgowns knocking on the glass, blowing kisses, and motioning for me to come in! There were a few places advertising live sex shows and very nasty things like animal sex!

After about an hour walking around I decide to head back to the airport cause i'm finding nothing and i'm freezing! I end up at Starbucks in the airport where I got a small Chai Latte with Soy Milk and a Croissant with chocolate...7.25 Euros - $11.60! I'm still hungry...After a while I end up at Burger King where I get the Hot Texas Whopper meal...5.70 Euros - $9.12! I've been walking around looking at things I will never be able to afford and now I'm on the internet where I just paid 6 Euros - $9.60 for 30 minutes! Well I have three minutes left so I will have to end this and finish it when I get back to US unless I want to spend another $10!!! Haaa...how I love Accra's prices...! See you all soon!