Taking advantage of the free day, we experienced a train ride ending in the most famous city in Holland; Amsterdam. Before even leaving Leiden, Matt decided it would be a good idea to stop for a coffee and proceeded to miss the train. This was a great start to a day full of interesting events. Rainy and overcast skies welcomed us on our way to Anne Frank's Museum. The Museum depicted the profound story of Anne Frank and her family, hiding in Amsterdam during the Nazi persecution against Jews. During our tour, we ventured through the house and learned various facts about the daily lives that the Franks lived during their hiding. There was a huge queue as people from all over the world pour in daily to visit the museum. 

Our next stop was the 'I Amsterdam' sign at the edge of the city. We decided to take a group picture here as everyone chose a letter and climbed on top of it. Thankfully we got the picture taken before a downpour began. The entire group ate lunch under small umbrellas in the hopes of staying dry. The small burger stand we ate at called "Fat Burger" reminded us of the "Fat Sandwich Company" in Champaign. We were pushed to the limit to consume their entire Double-Dutch burgers, which consisted of two large beef patties and three large buns. The group was up for the challenge as Kelsey, Scott and Zach all finished the burger. 

After lunch, our group split up to pursue various activities throughout Amsterdam. Some stayed back by the sign and visited the Van Gogh Museum where they saw an extensive collection of Van Gogh's work. Others walked through the city taking in the vast differences in cultures between the U.S and the Netherlands. Differences included the paved brick sidewalks, the Red Light District and crazy bike riders throughout city. Bikes are literally everywhere. It was worse than walking through the quad and trying to avoid getting hit by a bike. Other things we noticed were that the trams throughout the city are all electric; there are no big parking lots anywhere so all cars must park parallel along the canals, and all the furniture in the homes must be transported in through the windows because the stairways in the homes are too narrow.

Everyone had plenty to discuss on the train ride home. We returned to Leiden and went out to an early dinner. Everyone is trying to get to bed early as tomorrow is an early day.