Div had already been in Germany for a week when I landed at the Dusseldorf International Airport on a Saturday morning. He had rented a car for the weekend and the plan was to drive down from Dusseldorf to Amsterdam. So after grabbing a quick bite at a Mc Donalds at the airport, we started our journey. We had to roughly cover 250 kms and it is supposed to take us 3-4 hours to reach there. To guide us we had a GPS system in the car and additionally I was armed with detailed maps for Germany & Netherland. Both of us were very excited about this trip as it was finally our much dreamt about Europe trip & our first road trip. It took us quite some time to get out of the city and reach the suburbs. The country side was beautiful as we were passing along rivers, over bridges and some windmills.
I think we drove for almost 3 hours before we entered Netherlands. I could'nt believe how open the borders were between the European countries- no check posts, no barbed wires, no passport to be shown- just a little sign saying ' Welcome to Nederland' in multiple languages.
Anyways, after driving for a while we realized we were not hitting any highways/ freeways or the famous Autobahns and have been driving all this while on the inside city/ town roads where the speed limit is never more than 40-50 miles an hour. Since neither of us had any experience of operating the car GPS systems, we could not figure out if the freeway routes had been disabled on it. We reasoned that we have already driven for 4-5 hours , we must be really close to the destination so we should continue. But the fact was that we did not have a choice but to quietly follow what the GPS voice said!
Whenever I narrate this story to my American or European friends they all remind me
"but you had the maps with you??!!". Now what they dont understand is that we Indians (and most other South Asians I presume) are not trained to look at maps. To start with we dont go on road trips so we dont need maps, then our road system is not as planned as theres with all street names & traffic rules pre-defined. And to add to the misery the road/place names change from Bombay to Mumbai , Madras to Chennai, Connaught place/ CP to Rajiv Gandhi Chowk on the whims & fancies of politicians.
By the time we reached our hotel after passing through several city roads, numerous round-abouts and missing turns more than once, we had done 7-8 hours of driving. My minor headache had spiralled into a full-fledged migraine and top of it I was jet-lagged, cramping & hungry.
We had booked our hotel on the Internet and though it was neat and clean, it wasnt the best choice as it was far away from the city centre.
Anyways after settling our luggage we quickly went to the hotel restaurant to grab a bite. Unfortunately it was a fine dining place and things came at their own pace. I dont remember what I ate, all I could think of was the throbbing in my head. By now it was already 9 in the night, though Div was eager to go and check out the night life after seeing my situation he changed his mind.
While Div was watching TV, I fell asleep hoping to wake up fresh and ready for Amsterdam.
Oh I forgot to mention, this hotel room had a peculiar feature- the bathroom walls were made of glass. Now I realize that the idea behind this was to be romantic but do you really feel romantic early in the morning when you are brushing & flossing your teeth??
Eitherways, we woke up early morning the next day, checked out of the hotel, stored our luggage, left the car in the hotel parking lot and took a bus which took us to the city centre. We were walking through the main streets searching for a good & cheap place to eat some breakfast. The first thing that stuck me about Amsterdam was number of bicycles going around. Most of the city seemed to commute on bicycles since the roads & streets were pretty narrow in this old historic city. And with a car you would be forever stuck in a traffic jam (sounds similar to Bombay or Chandini Chowk?). What was more interesting was that everyone had old rusty almost falling apart bicycles. We later figured out that this was due to the high rate of bicycle theft! The shinier your cycle is the higher the chances of it getting stolen. So people play it safe :)
To cater to these high number of bicycles, the city actually has special multi-level parking for only bicycles.
Also most houses have a special metal railing running down their steps, to make it easier to take the bicycle down the stairs.Anyways, we soon found ourselves a small restaurant which served Breakfast buffet. We got in and ate to our hearts content before we started our whirlwind tour of Amsterdam.The first thing we wanted to see was the Centraal Station but unfortunately this majestic building was under renovation.
Next we headed towards the Tower of Tears- this is a very simple structure but an important piece in the world history. This tower was built as part of a defensive wall built around Amsterdam to protect it from invaders & floods. Its called Tower of tears because this is where the women wept when their husbands/ brothers & fathers set sail maybe never to return. But the most prominent man to set sail from here was Captain Hudson, who later discovered New Amsterdam (Now New York). The Hudson river in New York is named after him.
This city is a series of beautiful canals. Its amazing how an entire city has come up on water and how the construction, the way of life everything has been adapted around this basic fact.
\What was most impressive about Amsterdam is the 'liberal' culture that the city (and the country) embraces. Soft drugs like Marijuana, grass etc are legal and are sold in special shops called 'Coffee shops'. Infact if you go into one of these shops they present to you a menu like you would get in a restaurant! Me & Div desperately wanted to try something but like good Indian kids we chickened out, making rationalisations like we dont have time to be doped out. But the truth was we were scared- what if there are bad people there? what if we get addicted? etc etc
Even prostitution is legal here!! The red light district of Amsterdam is a big tourist attraction and it definitely lives up to its name. An entire section of the city is dedicated to this trade and what is amazing is that you find all sorts of people walking through here. Infact you have Mc Donalds, Coffee shops etc too, right in the middle of all this. The prostitutes stand in the windows of the buildings, all dressed up or rather dressed-down. You walk around literally window shopping, if you see something you like, knock & ask the price. If the buyer & seller agree on the price the deal would be done.... simple economics. The other attractions here are the 'Live shows' and Sex shops which are actually strewn all over the city! For someone coming from a conservative country like India, where prostitution is such a big taboo all this was a complete surprise !
So we mustered some courage and decided to go see a 'Live Sex Show' !! Now the truth be told though I was outwardly projecting a very strong, liberal, experimentative picture, inside my Indian roots were tugging pulling at me. I grabbed my husbands hand for support and he held me to protect or maybe he was scared too ?? We stepped inside this dimly lit small auditorium which might seat 50 ppl. I looked around carefully to see if there were other women here but I couldnt figure out in the darkness. We quickly sat at one corner, thankful for the darkness and waited for the curtains on the stage to roll open. Soon the show started two women did usual strip shows dancing to music and then there was a Live Sex show.. ya ya they actually made out on a stage. I came out feeling surprisingly numb at this new 'cultural' experience, infact felt a bit nauseated. I looked at my husband to see how he felt wondering that maybe it is a guy thing. But he didnt look very excited either. So we decided to think twice before we jump into any other cultural experimentation.
Photography is restricted in these areas thus we have no pictures.I guess it is because of the openness with which this trade is carried out that you suddenly dont feel yucky while walking through the place. You dont feel threatened, you dont feel dirty, infact you dont even feel sorry for those girls. I am almost sure that the crime rate in these places would be lower than some of the other more 'controlled' cities. With making some of these things legal you have taken away atleast a few reason for people to commit crimes!!
Walking around the city was pleasure seeing the beautiful canals and the typical houses of Amsterdam. The traditional Amsterdam houses are usually narrow (less than 30 feet wide) built on a single plot with a 'gabble top'. Since these houses were so narrow and had steep staircases inside, it was almost impossible to carry furniture to the higher floors. To get over this problem, these houses actually slant forward slightly and have a metal hook on the gable, which is used like a pulley to hoist stuff through the windows!
Many of these buildings on the canals are now tilting to a side. This is because they were built in marshy soil and the foundation is actually a wooden pile driven deep into the ground. With time this wooden foundation is 'settling down' from one side and thus the tilt!! 
Next, we went to the heart of the city- the Dam Square. This is where a dam was built on the original course of Amstel River and thus the name. This is where all the festivities and protests take place. On one side of the square is the beautiful Royal Palace. Even though the royal family doesnt live here anymore, it holds a lot of historical value. Opposite to the Royal Palace, is the national monument - a white stone pillar as a World War II memorial. There is also the New church with sun-dial and the Madam Tussuad's Wax museum on the other sides. Its a very peaceful place, where you can just sit, relax & watch the world go by. 
After relaxing for a while, we went to check out the Historic Museum. Div was really keen to see this but unfortunately it was closed for renovation.Next we visited the English Reformed church which is one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam and easily accessible from the Historic Museum. This is simple structure within a courtyard not visible from the streets. Apart from the fact that it is a really old there isnt anything very impressive about the place. So, we hung around for a little while and then proceeded to our next attraction.
From there we went to the floating flower market. It amazed me how we could cover the entire city attractions on foot! There were options of public transport like bus or train or even the option of renting bicycles but somehow walking seemed more fun. Seeing things like a gigolo standing at a window in his leopard print G-string just because you happen to be walking by, its priceless! Also is the excitement of figuring out your way in a strange city with a map is like a treasure hunt. Ya we learnt how to look at a map with some experimentation.The floating flower market also known as 'Bloemenmarkt' in Dutch, is situated on the banks of the Sengel canal. The flower shops are made on docks & barges and has been here for almost 200 years. You will find all varieties of flowers & plants here but the speciality of Holland is definitely the Tulips. These shops also sell souvenirs or specially stickered plant/ flower bulbs that you can take with you on flights. Since neither of us wanted to add any more luggage, we resisted the temptation to buy something. Not to mention that we have no gardens back home to plant them in.
By now it was early afternoon, so we stopped for a cup of coffee & to plan rest of the day. We decided to check out one of the canal cruises that the city is quite famous for. But there two problems - the good ones were quite expensive and we would have to wait there (or come back after an hour). So we decided to continue our trip on foot.So next we headed towards Rembrandtplein to see the 3D version of a famous painting 'The Nightwatch'. I did not have a clue till now about who Rembrandt was though Div seemed to have read about him earlier. I guess I would have appreciated the 3D version more, if I had seen it after the original painting. But as of now it looked like just an interesting sculpture paying homage to a great artist - Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
After this we were inspired to head towards the Rijks Museum where a lot of Rembrandts original paintings were showcased. Though we were a little disheartened to see the long queue to enter the museum But we had made a strong resolve to see atleast one museum. And finally after waiting 45 min we were able to enter the museum. Now I must tell you that usually Div is the one more interested in museum, history, art and other such stuff. But once we enter a museum its spell takes over me and then its kind of difficult to get me out of there :) I would actually stare at each and every painting in the place trying to understand the artists perspective and listening to the audio tour.
Rijks museum had largely Dutch painting from what they refer to as their 'Golden Age'. Though the hero of the museum is the Dutch artist Rembrandt some of the other famous artists who are displayed here are Vermeer, Frans Hals & Jan Steen. Some of the masterpieces we saw were
The Night Watch- Rembrandt
The Doll House- Petronella
The Threatned Swan- Jan Steen
Explosion of Spanish Flagship- dont rem the artist
The paintings were amazing for their life like feeling, rich details & colours. But most interesting was the little quirks or secrets that painter puts into a painting which only a trained eye can see. No no I am not claiming to be an art critic, I had the audio tour with me which would tell me to look at the upper left corner to find a smiling girl in the clouds or at the right back to see a man holding chicken in a war scene or something. Things which I wouldnt have noticed even if I stared at the painting for hours. It was just amazing fun!
After spending two hours in the museum it was time for us to go . But this time we were wiser, we went to a Internet cafe and got ourselves a Google map for Amsterdam to Germany :) Armed with the Google map we set out on our journey back and there we were at our destination in 4 hours!! And I cannot but comment on the amazing Autobahns of Germany. For those who dont know - Autobahns are the highways of Germany and they have no speed limits!!!!
We spent the night at Div's hostel in Vallendar (Germany) and the next day I headed back to Barcelona to attend my conference.
Then Div took over and drove for the rest of the way. It was amazing to slowly see the terrain change from city to open greenery to arid desserts. As we drew closer and closer to the national park, we were passing absolutely arid & dry mountains and sand dunes with no trace of life anywhere.
But I must say driving here was a pleasure- smooth straight roads all to yourself...the Camry was excitedly going at 90 miles an hour.
By now it was almost 12.oo in the afternoon and the sun was right above our heads. The heat in this place is unbearable. Infact the average temperature here in peak summer season is close to 120 degree Farenhiet OR 50 degree Celcius!! So we went ahead to the Furnace Creek Ranch- the main visitor centre is based here. It is an oasis in this dessert with a small lake, some greenery, restaurants, shops & hotels. After a quick lunch with beer, we rented out a room at the Furnace Creek Inn. We were so tired with the driving & heat that we couldnt resist a nap. After resting for couple of hours we set out again.
We first arrived at the Titus Canyon but we had a problem- there were only two ways of going in either with a 'four-wheel drive' or by walk. Now our Camry was definitely not a four-wheel drive so we could have walked but it was 2-3 miles. So we stood there wondering what we should do and we said lets check out the other sites :)
It was very interesting to read how wind creates these ripple-like patterns in the sand. And how some of these dessert plants can have roots which go upto 50 mts to tap into the water table.
Next day morning we woke up and set out early to see the main attraction- Badwater. It is the lowest point in North America, 282 feet below sea level. This is actually a salt basin, where the salt eroding from the sorrounding mountains during rainfall, gets collected. The place was huge and there was salt as far as your eyes could go. At one point I doubted that it was salt and tasted it too :p.... it sure was salt! Due to drying up the salt formed these interesting looking patterns.
After this interesting site, we went to see 'Artists Palette'- this is the face of a mountain which has rocks of several colours. I guess we were expecting something really dramatic, colourful, almost like a rainbow and thus were pretty disappointed with this one. There were definitely some shades of green, red & brown if you looked carefully but it was nowhere close to what I had imagined it to be.
From here, we headed towards Golden Canyon. We parked our car and walked through the canyon. The geographical formations of the rocks were very intriguing. Though the walk through the canyon is actually quite long, we went half way through and came back....laziness I guess.
Our last stop, before we headed back to civilization was the Dante's peak. And it was fitting end as this place is 5,500 feet above sea level and provides you with sweeping views of the park. It was especially fun to see the Badwater basin which is the lowest point from so far above.
Next we got to see and touch some dolphins. I think Dolphins are the cutest animals. In the Dolphin pool, you could feed them fish & give them a quick pat.
Then we enjoyed a ride called the Shipwreck rapids, its a very common water park ride. Since we stil had our 'raincoats' from the Shamu performance, we managed not to get too soaked. It was afternoon, so we quickly took a lunch break.
We then went to the aquarium, it was a wonderful experience. I have never seen such colourful & different varities of fish and sea creatures. We saw stone fish (they actually look like stones), sea horse, cat fish, lion fish, snail fish and many more interesting looking sea animals. But I think the best was Octopus, which spread out all its 8 legs and looked majestic.
We then saw beautiful sea-turtles, its amazing how lazy they look. Then we saw fiery red flamingoes, they sleep on one-leg while resting the other. 
From there we proceeded towards the Shark adventures, we got to see several different species of Sharks including the Killer Shark. We got to know tit bits like an average shark gets 30,000 teeth in one lifetime!! There is also a shark encounter program where you are lowered into the shark tank in a cage and get to see these amazing animals up-close. But you need to reserve this in advance so we couldnt go for it.
We were so impressed with the 'Shamu'-the whale show, that we next went to the Dolphin encounter. And it was a complete delight. I am still amazed how they manage to train animals which dont speak. The dolphins jumped, swirled, danced in tandem with thier trainers.
The SeaWorld also carries out some animal rescue operations and they had currently housed a few rescued Manitees.
After enjoying the flowers, we decided to go see the Cabrillo National Monument but by the time we reached there the 'visiting hours' were over and we had to turn back. We were driving by the sea, so we stopped for a while and watched the sun go down. Then we met my brother, had dinner and called it a day.
