Amsterdamn it Feels Good to be Back in Ascoli Piceno.

The sweet Italian air.  The sweet Italian cobblestone.  I'm back.  After what reality says is four days but I say is one year, I'm back.  Study abroad time is a whole different entity from real life time.  But, I digress.  Let me fill all you in on my time in Amsterdam.

It started off on my first EasyJet flight.  I'm already a pretty horrible flyer back in America.  Even my easy up and down 50 minute flight from St. Louis to Chicago can send me into a fit of sweaty palms, gripped armrests, and uncomfortable seat-mates.  The panic started even before the plane took off.  Sitting in my polyester throne of terror, there was a very real part of my that was convinced that a safe landing was not guaranteed in EasyJet's low-budget ticket to Amsterdam.  I've repressed most of the flight but Kelsey deserves a blog shout-out for calming me down and dealing with my crazy.

After miraculously surviving the flight, I was ready to take on Amsterdam.  Kelsey, Meredith, Ben and I got on the train (with free WiFi - a hot commodity, mirage of wonder, akin to heroin to us study-abroaders) and made our way to Hostelle, the all-female hostel where Kelsey, Mere and I were staying.  Describing the hostel is difficult.  I think they were going for groovy-funky-girlicious-chic.  They were successful.  There was a lot of pink, complimented by a lot of posters for Katherine Heigl movies.  It was clean and had unlimited free marshmallows, which is all I could ever want in a hostel.  Thanks, Hostelle.  

The day after the arrival was my big moment.  Jersey Boys in dutch.  As I wrote previously, I'm a somewhat disgusting human being that knows the Jersey Boys script by heart, so I had no qualms about the language barrier.  It was at the Beatrix Theater of Urtecht where I twice got mistaken for being Dutch.  I guess the baby face and freckles blend in more here than in Italy.

The rest of the trip is blur of another Jersey Boys viewing, walking around, seeing the D Team morning prostitutes, and french fries.  Amsterdam really needs to work on their Nutella offerings.  I am so glad to be back in Ascoli Piceno.  And get this.  Who was milling around the piazza as we walked back from our bus this afternoon?  THE GHOST OF AIREDALES PAST.  Seriously.  Alive Italian Cupcake was in the piazza wishing me a warm welcome back to Ascoli.

If you're wondering where the prostitutes, windmills, and Anne Frank reviews are in this post, I already been there and seen all of that a couple of years ago with my family and Grandma.  Prostitute row with Grandma.  I remember it fondly.

CIAO!!

PS Another shout out to my Billiken Basketball team.  All they do is win.  I miss you all but the "Bring Back Mary Rose" temporary tats are a bit much.
PSS Another shout out to SLU Theatre for a great opening weekend of Middletown!  I miss you all and your lack of "Bring Back Mary Rose" temporary tats are a bit insulting.