Next we stopped in Edam where some of us were going to do the bike ride we had signed up for. This was a very easy ride as it was all flat. The guide took us all around showing us many different sights, including the dyke walls and windmills you expect to see in Holland. I really enjoyed the bike ride and would’ve loved the opportunity to do it in more cities especially considering most of them are very flat and it would be a lot easier than walking everywhere.
Getting back on the bus there was a lot of excitement knowing we were about to get to Amsterdam. I think having this as a final stop was a great choice as you can set off your sadness about the trip being almost over with the excitement of experiencing Amsterdam. We arrived at our hotel and were told we would be eating dinner there that night. We had a bit more time to get dressed than normal but it was still a bit of a rush. As it so happened the royal wedding in Monaco was that day so we had that on the TV while we got dressed. It felt rather strange watching a South African woman get married in Monaco on a German TV station in a hotel room in Amsterdam.
After dinner we were ready for a night on the town. The bus dropped us off and the guides informed us that we had an hour to explore and then, for those who wanted to, they would take us to a live sex show. We all immediately went to find a coffee shop to see what we could get our hands on, it is Amsterdam after all. Surprisingly finding one is not as easy as you may think and we eventually settled on a place that looked like a normal bar. We stayed there until it was time to meet back up with our tour group.
Our walk through the red light district was interesting to say the least although given that it was still light outside it hadn’t really got started. I went to the sex show with the others but honestly I could have done without it. You are in a theatre with thousands of other people watching the variety of acts on stage. Amy put it perfectly when she said “I saw more Chinese people than sex.” It really is purely a tourist attraction. From there we went to a bar for the rest of the night. I was very worried about losing everyone and not being able to get back to the hotel so I just stuck with a small group the whole night. Ash, Mel, Kara and I decided to leave and as we were walking to find a cab we saw a McDonalds. That was one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had or at least it felt like it at the time.
Waking up the next morning was very difficult and a bit of a blur. It was a relatively late wake up compared to some of the others and the breakfast in the hotel wasn’t bad. The bus dropped us off at the Rijksmuseum which was the starting point for a pedal boat trip some of the others had chosen to do. Renée and I had planned on going to the museum but decided to rather walk along the banks of canal that the others were pedalling down and meet up with them at Anne Frank’s house. The queue once we got there was really long and so we elected to rather spend the day exploring the city and shopping.
We found a really cute curio shop which kept us entertained for a while. It was filled with all sorts of silly things and pictures, cards and posters with funny messages on them. We stopped at a little corner café for lunch and I was really excited that I was able to understand a few of the words on the menu. From then on it was full steam ahead on the shopping front. We were quite set on the idea of getting something to wear that night, our last night on tour. Luckily we managed to find quite a few options and had a successful shopping day. We managed to find our meeting point to get the bus back to the hotel, this sometimes proved quite tricky. That night although being sad was also exciting as we all knew we were going to go big.
We started off with a lovely cruise around the canals. We got told the meaning behind the name of Amsterdam and it was really interesting but my brain is useless and I can’t remember it anymore. I enjoyed the cruise as a way of seeing some of the sights I hadn’t managed to see during the game and it was just a nice opportunity to spend some time with the people in my tour group. Our dinner that night was on a giant floating restaurant. It was Chinese restaurant and I enjoyed the food but as with most things that night it was more about spending time with my friends that I would soon be separated from. After dinner our guides took us to a bar for one final blow out. We found this awesome upstairs area with a separate bar and just went wild. Dancing and partying with those very special people is one of my favourite memories from tour. When we moved on to the next club it was a whole bunch of us just going to dance and have a good time. I’m not sure how late we stayed but eventually we decided to call it a night and get a cab back to the hotel. It must have been quite late as Jake fell asleep on the drive back.
Waking up that morning was one of the hardest experiences of my life. Aside from being tired and hungover it was also the knowledge that I was going to have to say goodbye to some of the most amazing people I’d ever met. Breakfast was rather a subdued affair as I think we were all thinking the same thing. Our goodbyes started early as there were a few people staying on in Amsterdam and then some who we dropped off at the airport. The bus trip back was like a ghost bus. We were missing people and everyone was sad that our amazing trip was coming to an end. When we got to Calais our awesome bus driver Muffin was starting another tour and so we got a new driver, which just added to the sadness and feeling of loss. We were now just retracing our steps getting on the ferry back to Dover and then driving back into London. Getting to the hotel was really the end and I was really emotional saying goodbye to everyone. Some of us were staying on in London a bit but there was no guarantee we would see each other again. As a final goodbye a few us met at the hotel bar to celebrate American Independence Day but then it really was all over.
The next morning was quite sad to know I was no longer surrounded by my amazing group of friends but I still had two more days in London and I was going to make the best of it, starting with shopping. I went to all my favourite places on Oxford Street and found some really nice items to bring back with me. That night I met up with my mom’s friend Anne for dinner and it was really nice to see a familiar face and have some human contact that day. It was quite a shock to have 50 people around me at all times to none. After I went to see the musical “We Will Rock You” based on the music of Queen. It was really good, despite some technical issues that were fixed quickly. It was just what I needed to do on my last night in Europe.
The next morning I had to pack my bags and check out of the hotel but luckily I could store my very possibly overweight bags with them while I did more exploring. I decided that I would go to the Tower of London and Harrods, which were the two things I missed out on in my last trip. As a person interested in history the Tower is a must and I’m really glad I went. I got the audio guide and just walked around exploring as much as I could. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the Crown Jewels as I was a bit pressed for time and the queue was horrendously long. Harrods was great, every shopaholics dream. I saw clothes and designers that I never thought I would and it was very special. However the best part was finding a Ladurée there. This meant I was able to buy a box of 6 macaroons and bring them back to my friends in South Africa.
Time was up and I needed to get to my flight. I went back the hotel to get my bags and catch the long tube ride to Heathrow airport. Luckily my bag was only a little bit overweight and the lady let me on without having to pay extra. I got chatting to some girls in the lounge and luckily ended up sitting next to one of them on the plane. I wasn’t as lucky on the flight back and it wasn’t a nice new plane and it was very full. I did thankfully manage to get some sleep as I was feeling very rundown and exhausted at this stage. Getting to JHB I had to rush to catch a connecting flight and once I got there I ended up being early. Unfortunately I hadn’t had a chance to change my money yet and so couldn’t buy anything to eat or drink and just had to wait for my flight. It was a tiny little plane back to CT but at this point all I wanted was to get home and into my own bed. The trip was amazing and I will have memories to last forever with amazing new friends, some I see every day and others I can only hope to see. All this was great but walking into CT airport to see my friends waiting for me really was the best thing I could ask for. That and sleep.
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