Today's adventures took us to Haarlem, a super relaxed town which has been my favorite of all the places we've visited in the Netherlands. Starting with the train station (where part of the Best Two Years was filmed), every boutique, house, and frites shop made me happy. :) I also enjoyed sitting along a canal and watching swans glide by. The art we saw (mostly Frans Hals and other 17th century Dutch painters) was very nostalgic and wonderfully jolly. :)
After Haarlem, we went back to Amsterdam for the last time (I think I'm good with that) to see an impressionist exhibition. It was beautiful. After that museum, we were set free to wander. Since one of the girls in my group had never been to a zoo (a travesty of childhood), three of us decided to take her to the one in Amsterdam. Unfortunately upon arrival, we found out our cards didn't get is in for free so we didn't go in. But we did see three camels, one donkey, a reindeer, some monkeys, a pigeon, and a fake owl...completely successful in my opinion.
Walking back was interesting. The only trouble we had (besides smelling non-cigarette smoke) was when we were almost at the station and accidentally brushed shoulders with the very corner of the red light district. It was pretty sketchy and honestly just sad that women choose to objectify their bodies in such a degrading manner. Definitely not my favorite experience. Luckily, we only ran into the edge and were able to quickly redirect our path towards the station. After Amsterdam, home (the Etap) was a pretty sight indeed.
It's funny. Five days seems like forever, yet each day passes so quickly leaving only memories. Thankfully, these linger and in time the good have the ability to overwhelm the bad. :)
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