In the morning, after waking up later than I wanted to, I had a final chance to explore the city. I had a chance to grab some souvenirs, see a museum and grab a kebab from one of the finest places in the city
I wanted to specifically talk about the museum though. It was called the Topography of Terrror and is an open air museum in the middle of the city. Within it's walls are written the words that explain everything that led up to World War 2. Specifically looking at Hitler's rise to power and how he chose his top lieutenants.
I won't go into the history here, because that is something that can be found online. What was overwhelming was having it all be displayed so clearly. The Germans work with facts, and did not inject their opinions into anything that was on display. This is both amazing and very sad. Amazing because the country so openly acknowledges everything but sad because of how a few men destroyed the lives of so many. It was so systematically done, that you cant help but just be horrified by the efficiency of the massacre.
Before I go into Amsterdam and how it's been, I wanted to talk about the beauty of finding like minded people and realizing that you have such a short period of time with them while travelling. Yesterday, I had the chance to connect with someone so amazingly well, it sucks to say bye in the morning. I didn't know whether to say "see you around" or "have a nice life" as I checked out. The biggest difference, this person who was a complete stranger just a few hours ago is now someone that I know a lot about and vice versa. I guess that's part of the package when you travel, not getting overly attached is key to forging ahead to new cities.
Amsterdam though, omg what an amazing first night. I arrived at 11PM on a train from Berlin and immediately felt energized by the city's vibrant people and culture. Everybody is young, looking to have a good time, and willing to connect with others!! I won't go into too many details yet, because I want to get a fair assessment of the city + people first before I form a real opinion. So far, it's EXTREMELY positive!
