After getting off of the train I made my way through Amsterdam Centraal Station and headed out side to the tourist information center. I had a wait a minute for it to open, but once I did I purchased a map of the city so that I wouldnt be that lost during my explorations.
I decided that I would stay close to the station for now, so that I could go back and get my luggage and then head to my hotel. I went up and down Damrak (the main street from the station) and to Dam Square. I spent more time aimlessly wandering the streets nearby until I headed back to the station to catch a tram to my hotel.
Luckily the hotel I was able to get has a tram line running right in front of it, so transportation was going to be easy. Upon arriving at my hotel I was not happy to find out that my room was not ready yet. Following a repeat of Berlin, I decided to wander around this part of Amsterdam for an hour. Now where I am staying there really is not much in the way of canals. If you go a few streets down you will hit a huge one that runs in front of the Heinkein Brewery, however. Also, there is a good sized park across the street and it seems that besides the few hotels that are down here this is primarily a tourist free area. Except for the Brewery (which is closed due to renovations), and a large street market as well.
I made it back to my hotel and luckily my room was ready. Now, I knew I was going to get a small room, but I guess I wasnt prepared for how small it really is. I know it would be hard for some people to stay here, and everyone can see what I mean when I get my pictures online. After a quick hot shower in a shower that seems dangerous, I headed back into the central part of town. I walked around more, but this time I did not limit myself to near Damrak. I found myself in a variety of the cities districts, walking up and down the canals and generally taking many pictures. One other thing is that as walking, one can take different paths to reach the same place thanks to a system of signs installed by the local government.
As I walked around, I decided to try a Amsterdam specialty, vlaamse frites, or Belgian Fries. They are essentially just very thick cut fries, but the big difference is that the Dutch like to drown their fries in mayonayse. Nor one for the mayo, I opted for the tourist route and had mine topped with ketchup. I continued explore around more, and kept winding up in new and different parts of the Amsterdam center. Once it was dark out, I made my way back to the centraal station to catch my tram back to my hotel.
I spent the rest of the night relaxing, and trying to figure out exactly what I would do in my next day in Amsterdam. Honestly, I had not really planned anything out for this city, so I was lost in what to do. I think I finally crashed around 11pm, so that I could get up at a decent time the next day.