Home is where the HEART is

Summer 2010... complete.

I am departing Germany in t-minus 14 hours and 45 min... but who's counting =)

Arrive in Chicago at 2:30pm Saturday. Then its Chicago-Cedar Rapids arriving in CR at 6:30pm.

I have my wallet and my suitcases are packed. Ready to be HOME.

Looking forward to seeing you all very soon!

God Bless

Love,

Matthew

Holland

Amsterdam

My last trip of the summer was to Amsterdam, Holland/Netherlands. Amsterdam gets a bad rep because of its repetition of being a weed smoking/party crazy city. Not really the case. It actually has very beautiful scenery with canals all throughout the city. It is definitely a tourist city though and thrives off of visitors.

Heineken Factory Tour

Heineken Beer is originally from Amsterdam and they have there beer factory there and we went on a tour. It was a pretty interesting tour as it was really high tech. Meaning a lot of videos, cool lights, and interesting ways to present the history of Heineken. You also get 3 free beers for going on the tour... not a bad deal.

Sights in Amsterdam

We were there during the weekend of the Love Parade or the Gay Pride Festival. We really didn't see much of the festival as we were there on a Sunday but we did get to see a lot of the aftermath from the festival. There is an actual parade on Saturday and there is always music and dancing going on.

One of the popular sights to see in Amsterdam is the Anne Frank House. The line was really long when we got there and none of us really wanted to go in so all I can say is I saw the Anne Frank house.

First thing most people think of when they hear Amsterdam is weed/marijuana. It is sold here... pretty sure legally. Fear not, for I did NOT purchase or smoke any but for those who were wondering they sell them at 'CoffeeShops' (all one word is the way you know). I went inside.. saw what I wanted to see and left. It's the real deal and people are not making it up. Just something you have to see when you're there unfortunately.

My camera did die about half through the day and I was unable to capture about half the sights I got see while in Amsterdam. Overall, it was a fun last trip for the summer and I thought the city is pretty interesting.

5 DAYS

I am coming back to America in 5 days and I couldn't be more excited. Thanks for all the love and support this summer.

GOD BLESS

Belgium

Brugge & Brussels

I went to my 6th country of the summer... Belgium. I really didn't have any expectations for this trip because I haven't heard much about Belgium and I didn't know what to expect. I was really pleased and had a great time. Its a beautiful country and that reminds you of various parts of Europe.

Brugge

For the first part of the trip we spent some time in the northern part of Belgium in the city of Brugge. It was an old town with canals and lots of people. It had a Venice feel to it without the Italian atmosphere. A lot of markets selling random household items. It was a neat place to go.

Brussels

The capital city and the biggest city. Completely different than Brugge. The central train station is in the heart of the city and we walked around there for a bit. It really felt like I was in a big city back in the states. Our hostel was in a sweet location. It was in a street right by the main square where all the tourists gathered. We were a few minuetes away from the peeing statue which is a popular site to see in Brussels. It had its nice big buildings and cathedrals like all the other big cities in Europe do but in a way it had its own uniqueness. I guess you'll just have to go there yourself to know what I am talking about.

Swim Camp

My daily job is running a swim camp for 6-10 year olds. It's two 4 hour sessions 8-12 & 1-5 pm Tuesday-Friday. My favorite part is going outside and playing games.

I have only 2 weeks left and I would be lying to ya if I said I wasn't counting down the days. No matter how fast I want these last 2 weeks to fly by I know they won't and I learning to be patient and content. The experiences I have had here will be with me the rest of my life, mind as well make them enjoyable ones.