Amsterdam is all the rave

TWO AM California time, I landed safely and securely in Amsterdam for about a ten hour layover. Somehow I managed to secure a middle seat on my FOREVER long flight to the UK which was strategically placed in front on the most rude and inconsiderate people on the flight possible. So I was mighty tired when we landed but I was SET to see Amsterdam in the short period of time that I had. Luckily, my friend Alex whom I met in Nicaragua lives fairly close to Amsterdam so I had a GREAT tour guide for the day! Alex, his sister and his wonderful red headed friend Ruben met me at the train station and we set about the streets of Amsterdam. We had SUCH a blast!
First we stopped to get some famous Amsterdam "chips" which are normally loaded with mayonaise, but I got mine with ketchup which Alex thought was gross, of course. Then we stopped at a pub to get some beers and they were TINY! I ordered myself a large beer, but Alex and Jojo's we just itty bitty. The bartender said that's the "Dutch" way....small. OK? I want mine big anyways. :)
We took a MUST stroll through the red light district but it was more strange than anything else. There are women dancing in their underwear in every window. Some were actually quite attractive but most were not at all pleasing to the eye for various reasons. The coolest thing I found in the red light district was actually a vibrator that connects to your ipod and then actually moves to the beat of the music. It was called the NautiPod... NICE! They were quite expensive otherwise I may have brought one back to the U.S!
NEXT, on our way to the coffee shops that don't sell coffee at all, I was almost killed by a bicyclist. I was walking around aimlessly in the streets, totally not looking where I was going at all and a cyclist rode by me REALLY fast. This would have been just fine because he missed hitting me, except that his handle bars grasped my scarf which was double wrapped around my neck and it pulled so tight that I was really choking! Luckily the scarf was yarn and it eventually pulled through otherwise I am pretty sure I would have DIED!
Lastly with the little bits of time left, we did a boat tour because it had started to rain. The boat called "prinses Christina" took us all around Amsterdam, but honestly I didn't pay it TOO much attention because we had great Dutch beers and enjoyed each other's company much more!
I arrived at the Amsterdam airport which is HUGE and super confusing totally buzzed and VERY lost. It took a bit to figure out where I was going and to pick up some luggage that I had locked into a luggage locker but I figured it all out eventually. Amsterdam all done I set out for Scotland!!! HOOORRAY!