Amsterdam: Heineken-washed, our first conning, and Anne Franks Birthday

    We are officially Heineken -washed.  I can't remember if we loved Heineken. Before this day but we do now! The Heineken Experience took us through the sole 4 ingredients in a hugely active and entertaining way, let us dance and sing to dutch music on a music video, gave us a mini beer testing lesson, and then free beer. Socially responsible, cheap, and tastes good! We traveller's to see the West India house, Jordaan market, but the best by far was the Cheese Museum. A quaint little shop with sooo many free samples of all kinds of cheese tastes. Given by a funny old man who has.a way with the ladies. Went to the Anne Frank House as well, and thought man this is a big line. Turned out it was her birthday the day we went. The house is left very bare with lots of pictures and videos that take you through the journey of her childhood and her diary. Beautiful portrayal of a girl losing her childhood to the holocaust, with a huge emphasis on her representing every child that went through those dark times.

    We also got conned for the first time in the bikers paradise of Amsterdam. The Electric Ladyland museum was a must see on some list I found, but a mini collection of fluorescent rocks and sculptures on someone's main floor and basement?? Not quite 5 euro worthy. We were told some info, took our shoes off, and the 2 of us were hustled into the basement for the "main exhibition." After the first section of the room, our eldery-hemp dressed-clearly high guide walked upstairs, turned off the lights, and said the next part would start in a minute. In pitch black, after a minute or 2 "Taken" begins running through my mind and I determine that keelin can totally take him on if necessary. I walk up to try the handle and...no handle. Just a flat door. But eventually lights come back on, our group gets a bit bigger, and we walk away learning a bit more about cons. Where was our second hostel located? Smack dab in the middle of the red light district. Only we did it the Jessica and Keelin way, which does not involve gazing intently at the dancers in the windows, but casually strolling around the place eating icecream. 10hr megabus through the night, and these 2 cheap hostelers are out of amsterdam and onto London!