Sun Oct 14
We went to church at Wembley Church of Christ. The songs were all pitched way too high and not actually in a key, which was frustrating. It was a potluck day, so that was fun to taste food from many different cultures. After church we went to ASDA to try and find Poptarts, but they apparently do not exist in London. :(
We took the Tube to Hyde Park to walk around and go to Speaker's Corner. We met one man who believes that we were robots controled by the sun god. He also thinks that man's sex drive is lower because they are no longer crawling and thus shading their testicles. That was an interesting conversation....

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Tue Oct 16/Wed Oct 17
Today we drove to Stonehenge. I'm glad that I got to see it, but I wish it hadn't been raining. It was a bit smaller than I thought it would be, but I had prepared myself to be disappointed, so it actually exceeded my expectations.
Then we drove to Bath and spent a few hours there. I toured the Roman Baths, a fashion museum, and the Jane Austen center.

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That night began our adventures to get to Amsterdam. We left at 11:30 PM to take the tube to the airport. The line was running slow, so we had to wait a while. We now know why we aren't really out that late usually, because we did not fit in with these characters. We got to the train station and took the train to the airport. We arrived at the airport at 1:15 AM. We got some coffee and studied for our test over British monarchs. We memorized a lot given it was getting closer to 4 AM. So we walked around the airport. There were lots of stores and I found a cute hat that was actually small enough to fit my head!
The airports here are strange because you go through security and then wait to find out your gate. On the plane, we had a lot of space, and I just wanted to sleep since it was now 6:15 AM and I had not slept yet. However, the flight attendants kept waking us up to make sure we were buckled. It was very annoying.
We got off the plane in Amsterdam and had to buy tickets to take the train to where the hostel is. Trying to figure stuff out in English/Dutch is complicated. I've decided that I hate the Dutch language because it annoying and sounds so ugly.
We got off the train, after buying the ticket that no one checked, so it was a waste of money. We tried to find the hostel, but it was pouring down rain and we were dragging out suitcases, getting splashed by cars going by and not being able speak Dutch made it harder. Finally we got close and I asked a mailman who pointed us in the right direction. We were so glad to finally be there and be able to shower and take a nap.
We shared a room in the hostel with about 20 other women. We ate lunch with the staff members and met a lot of really interesting people with great testimonies. That night we went to YWAM, which was a unique experience. At one point everyone was singing their own prayers in numerous different languages.
After that we got chip (fries). They sell them at stores and they come in paper cones. We walked through the red light district. It was not at all what I expected. Poles come out of the ground with red lights on them to make where the district boundaries are. On the streets are glass doors where the women or men are inside and you can open the door and talk to them and then go inside if you are purchasing. There are streets dedicated to what your interests are. There were also live sex shows. The coffee shops in Amsterdam actually sell marijuana. If you want coffee you have to go to the cafe.

Thurs Oct 18
We got up early for breakfast and then headed to Anne Frank's house. There was actually no line, which was amazing. I'm so glad that I got to see the house where she lived. It was not really how I had imagined it. The house is many levels and the family lived on the top two levels. The stairs were unbelievably steep.
We walked around the city and did some shopping. In the middle of the shopping streets was a hidden church. It was beautiful inside, like a cathedral, and it was so peaceful and quiet. It was a nice change from the loud music and secular world going on outside on the streets.
Michelle took us to her house to see where she lived. It was really big. All of the staff members, 35 of them or so, live in this house.
At dinner with the staff, we ate and had a devotional together, which was really cool. It was such a great experience to eat with people from American, Germany, Britain, Russia, Iraq, Iran, Holland, and who knows where else. It really emphazies the point that we are all one in the body of Christ.
That night was open mic night. One lady from China sang us Chinese opera, which was great. After that we went to this art cafe to listen to live music and hang out.

Friday Oct 19
We had a pancake breakfast at the hostel and then when to the Waterloopline market, which was an outdoor market. We also went to some thrift stores, which was a great experience. They are like the 80's exploded in an even more tacky way than in America.
We went on a canal boat tour, which was nice because we could see more of the city and get some good pictures. However, the Dutch children next to us were very misbehaved and their parents were doing nothing about it. Dutch children are awful and when they are speaking a language that I don't understand, the children just sound retarded.
Back at the hostel I had an interesting conversation with a boy from Iraq who didn't speak English and a boy from Russia. It was a struggle to try and communicate, but we did our best. At one point the boy from Iraq grabbed Igor's beard and called him a terrorist and Osama bin Laden. I had never heard an Iraqi making a joke like that, but it was hilarious. He also asked us about Mohammad Ali, Bush, and Michael Jackson. He knew quite a bit. It is curious to me how other cultures grab onto figures that they see as famous that we in America wouldn't give much thought to.
We went to the library to look out. It is the largest library in Europe, and it 7 stories tall with a cafe at the time. It was a beautiful library. That night we had some Mexican food, which was pretty good. However, I do miss America's free chips and salsa and drink refills.

Saturday Oct 20
I kept thinking that I was having a strange dream of hearing a man's voice in our room. However, when I woke up I discovered that there was actually a transvestite in our room. I saw more of him/her than I needed to see. So that was an experience....
Michelle took us on another tour of the city and we got some dinner and talked with more people at the hostel.
Then we walked to the train station, took the train to the airport and waited at the airport to find out our gate. We were boarding and met two British guys. They were really funny and sat in the exit row by us. We had a good conversation, but declined to go party with them after the flight.
We took the train to Liverpool St. where we were supposed to take the Tube back to our flat. However, most of the Tube lines were shut down, so we had to change lines a lot and finally made our way home after midnight. I was exhausted, ready for food and a shower, and was so ready to be back home.

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