You Want a Cafe, NOT a Coffeeshop!

So traveling across the world is exhausting, but completely worth it. It's especially tiring traveling in a large group, but we made it here! We connected in Heathrow, but didn't have much time to look around in the super expensive shops there before we caught our flight to Amsterdam. People were a bit cranky once they got here (especially those who weren't quite used to the idea of jet lag), but we got to sit outside in the Dam Square for a bit in the sunshine. (Because as my dad always says, Jet Lag hates sunshine and fresh air!!!) It was great being back in Europe, seeing all the people and being completely comfortable in the area.

Here I am in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is so beautiful here, but the smells and sights are sometimes a bit iffy. :) Our hostel, Shelter City, is right on the edge of the red light district, and this morning we went with a partner on a prayer walk through the district. It was so incredibly haunting seeing the whole thing, how this perversion of such a beautiful thing was taken so lightly and callously. I felt for the people there, those girls in the scarlet windows, the people working in the sex shops and the groups of people (mainly men) walking around in search of fulfillment or temporary pleasure. It was disturbing to see the blatant way that the sex industry has become a part of life here. One thing in particular interested me as I noticed a man, an everyday house painter in his white hat and jumpsuit, painting the white frame around one of the windows. Such a practical, everyday thing to do, yet in such a dark neighborhood. We went on a prayer walk, but I found that I didn't quite know what to pray for. For the people? The neighborhood? The men walking around? I was just busy with what these people were living in and with, how did this become the norm? How did this become acceptable? All I could do, I suppose, was pray that those working at Shelter City (a Christian youth hostel) and its affiliated ministries can make a difference and reach these people for Christ.

We ate lunch at this cute little cafe along the side of one of the many canals in the city, a Caprese sandwich with the delicious crunchy European bread. Afterward I was able to walk around a little in the shopping area near the hostel, with the many cafes and cool little shops. It felt liberating to walk around by myself, not having to be somewhere at a certain time or make sure that we were all there. One of my favorite things was walking through a little outdoor farmers market. There were colorful flowers, huge hunks of cheese, fish, bread in tall baskets, and a little spice/fresh mushrooms (the real ones) stand. All the smells and sights like that always remind me of wonderful times in Europe, little outdoor markets in Armenia, Finland, Austria... they all have the same cultural quality, even if they are a bit touristy cheesy sometimes.