Last Day in Amsterdam

My last day in Amsterdam was a bit more relaxing. Slept in, got up and enjoyed a large breakfast and started the day by just wandering around the city. So far on this trip I have been out with people and going to specific destinations. Today I just wandered for the first part of it, finding new streets, appreciating the canals, etc.

After awhile I head back to my hostel and run into the two sisters again. They are with another friend from the Netherlands that came down to Amsterdam to meet up with them. They are going to the Heineken Brewery for a tour. Kind of embarrassing, but until I came to Amsterdam I always thought Heineken was German....sorry Netherlands, now I know!!

They invite my along and I gladly accept. I have never been on a brewery tour before, so this seems like a good start. The tour was pretty good, nothing super exciting. The things I learned that caught my attention were that what makes Heineken different is that one of the first Heineken's invited a specific type of yeast, called Yeast A, which is the secret ingredient to their beer and makes them stand out. Also, though Heineken is brewed all over the world, they get the barley and hops from only one area and then distribute that to all their breweries. That is how they claim to keep such a universal taste to their beer across the world.

During the tour we were showered with plenty of free beer. By the end of tour we were in the bar inside with two free drink coupons. I will say, drinking it fresh makes it taste a lot better for whatever reason. I also discovered that super-chilled, I like beer even more.

We left the brewery and it was about time for me to catch my train to Brussels. I got back to the hostel, backed my bags and was off to the train station. I barely missed the train I wanted to Brussels and had to wait an hour till the next one. It was kind of frustrating because their system for buying tickets is different and they don't really explain it and you have to stand in a long time until you can talk to someone who will explain it. The people behind the help desks don't seem in a rush or really enthused about their career choice.

I finally got on my train and enjoyed the 2-hour ride to Brussels. It still blows my mind that in the same time I could drive from Kansas City to Manhattan, KS I can change countries and be in another major city and then I could be in London or Paris after another 1-2 hours.

Now, when I got to Brussels it was about 9pm and I, like the idiot I am sometimes, did not print directions to my hostel or even write down the address. Luckily, I knew the name, but that was all. It was a Sunday night, so everything was closed. After a question to a cabby, an hour of walking and a lot of confusion I found my hostel. It would have been a 15 minute walk if I knew where I was going. Well played, Tom, well played.

The person working the front desk wasn't too pleasant sadly. In Belgium they speak French or Flemish. He spoke French and barely muttered English to me. He had the reaction like I was a very annoying object that was interfering with his work. Buddy, you work at the front desk of a hostel, I am your work. After finally getting checked in I also find out they charge an arm and a leg for Wifi access. I pay it anyway. To top off my experience with this guy he answered a bunch of my questions incorrectly, which I find out yesterday and failed to tell me I can't be in my room from 11am-4pm for "cleaning."

This hostel wasn't a great experience. The bed was hard as a rock, the sheets were wool and scratched and the pillows I am pretty sure were lumps of plastic. Needless to say, they weren't going to get a great review from me. But I went to sleep anyway.