This Halloween was the first Halloween where I did not hand out as many Kit Kats and Butterfingers as I ate (I didn't see a single trick-or-treater for that matter), where I did not eat Stump Cake from White's with my family, I didn't see a single pumpkin let alone carve one, I did not wear a costume...I could go on.
This is the first Halloween that I spent away from MA--which is craziness. It might sound dramatic, but Halloween and my birthday are such a constant in my life--always with friends and family, always in a place where Halloween is looked forward to and celebrated like there will never be another one. Every year it is pretty much the same thing--which is great because I love Halloween traditions, but this year going to Amsterdam was just such a good way to celebrate the holiday that technically doesn't exist here...oh, and my birthday.
I can sum up my weekend in Amsterdam like this--if Pineapple Express had a baby with The Hangover and the offspring was 8 college students celebrating Halloween and a birthday, that was the weekend.
I kind of just want to leave it like that, but I suppose I will share the details with you.
Maria, Kate, Walsh Liz and I left Paris on the Thalys high speed train at 6h30 and arrived in Amsterdam at 10h30 where we met up with Max, Becca and Ashley who had come via bus. We got all settled in the hostel and then went to a coffeeshop right away--and from then on, we were just continually stoned, like every other tourist in Amsterdam. We went to the Heineken Brewery, where we enjoyed 2 drinks with our tour ticket...but Maria and Ashley don't like beer...so being the birthday girl, I ended up drinking 4 pints...that was at 5pm.
From there, we went to a coffeeshop again, went back to the hostel to get ready for the night and played kings with the Italian guy staying in our room.
We left at 9 to go the Red Light District...which was weird and I was bummed out to be there. It was super depressing. The girls who stand in the window and just sad looking, but what makes it worse are the middle aged men walking around, drooling and picking out a girl. I really am torn about this who prostitution thing...because my gut tells me that I'm disgusted by it, like when I saw the Red Light District in all it' glory I was so bummed out and my stomach was just turning. But my head, when I over think it I suppose, tells me that if these girls are voluntarily doing this for a living and they can make good money, they should be able to use their bodies however they want. OK, on a lighter note...
We found a bar that looked fun, and Karaoke was happening, so we hung out there for the night and got absurdly drunk. Mostly because I bought myself one measly pint, and then a guy next to me at the bar overheard it was my birthday, so he bought me a pint, and when I was almost done with it, I knocked it over and it spilled, so he bought me another. Then this man who was desperate for female attention bought all 6 of us tequila shots...twice. Then we all shared a celebratory midnight birthday shot together. So we were already pretty tipsy when we got to the bar, and then alcohol seemed to start raining down from the sky and things got just drUnk.
Kate, Becca, Liz and I stayed at the bar singing Karaoke and drinking until about 2, when the bartenders became concerned for our well being. Before that though, the bartenders kind of loved us and were singing Karaoke with us the whole night.
The walk home...oh noe. If you don't want the gritty details, stop reading now. We walked the wrong way for 30 minutes...and then I started to get sick, but at the same time, I felt completely jolly and I was doing fine besides the occasional pit stop to vom...then we had to catch a taxi when we all became desperate for a bed and a shower. We got back to the hostel, passed out and I woke up at 8 to begin the most horrid hangover of my life. I was violently ill from 8 to 12 and then just painfully nauseous until 5...nothing stayed in my stomach until after I had smoked (I was so grateful to be in Amsterdam).
We enjoyed the day on Halloween, despite my horrendous hangover that I foolishly brought upon myself. I can't regret it though because I had such a good night on Friday.
We went to a coffeeshop, and after that, we got dinner at this little Italian restaurant in what I think is the best part of Amsterdam. It right by Museum Square and it was fully of galleries, ethnic restaurants, little boutiques--right across the way from the Van Gogh Museum and the National Museum.
Dinner was so good...I miss it. It was like eating at an Italian place in the North End--sorry Paris, but your Italian food is terrible.
After that, we went to another coffeeshop and I got cake and hot chocolate, because it seemed wrong not to have cake on my birthday.
We were thinking about going on a pub crawl too, but we all sincerely didn't want to in the end for fear of missing our 8am train the next morning (it's happened before).
We ended up back at the hostel at 10h30 or so where we just stayed up and enjoyed each others company and laughed together as usual. It really makes my day that I got to share my birthday with all these people--I really had a great time. I missed all you home and Stonehill folks and the one that overlaps, too. Molly, at dinner on Halloween I was thinking about how we met 8 years ago exactly. And on a less graceful note,when I was nauseous and hungover I really wished you were there to sit with me and rub my back in that way mom's rub their kids backs and tell them it will be OK when they're sick. I hope you can take that as the best possible compliment.
I hope you all had the best Halloween. Is it selfish of me to throw a Halloween themed party this winter/spring?
