Over the rooftops of Amsterdam and my lost twin

Hello! It's currently 03:46 and I'm lying in my bed at the hostel in Amsterdam. Since I'm not tired anyways and have a lot to catch up on, I'm taking the time to tell you about my second day in Amsterdam.

First of all - during my time here at the hostel, I realized how incredibly deep I sleep. I noticed this especially because I didn't hear anything from my roommates when they got up at 05:00 and packed their stuff. Unfortunately, the two Australian girls had to leave. Anyway, I slept peacefully until nearly 10 o'clock (I always love to sleep a lot and long), but I couldn't be too happy about it because Hiral and I were supposed to join a city tour at 10 o'clock. Luckily, Hiral overslept as well and so we agreed to go to the next tour at 11 o'clock. Well, since we thought we had enough time now, we took our time - a bit too much time. To be honest, we dawdled so much that we missed the 11 o'clock tour as well. But still, luck was on our side because there was one last tour of the day at 14 o'clock. Now we really had more than enough time and so we decided to study the map of Amsterdam, check which sights we wouldn't see during our tour and then find our way to them on our own. It turned out that there was only one place we wouldn't go to, but both of us were interested in it. So we headed to the Adam Lookout Tower. It's located behind Central Station on the other side of the water, so we had to take the ferry. Adam Lookout is a pretty tall tower with a restaurant and an observation deck inside. But what was coolest for me was the fact that there is a swing on the rooftop on which you can swing over Amsterdam. So it was clear to me that I had to go up there, and so I paid 12.50€ (regular admission price for the tower) + 5.00€ (for the swing) and we went straight up. When we arrived at the top, I was able to convince Hiral to swing as well and after she got a ticket for the swing, we went on the swing. Unfortunately, it was quite cloudy and a bit rainy, but still, that one minute (yes, we really were only allowed to swing for one minute) was incredibly impressive. After that, we took some souvenir photos and since time was flying by, we had to make our way to the meeting point of the tour. On the way, we quickly grabbed some fries and then arrived at the Dam Monument way ahead of schedule. The tour started at 14 o'clock with everyone introducing themselves (I was the only German, but the tour was in English) and so I also got to know Paul, who was our guide and who will play a role in tomorrow's report, so stay tuned. Paul comes from Scotland, is an actor, does comedy, has been living in Amsterdam for 6 years, and also studied history here. So he actually has perfect prerequisites for a successful tour. The tour lasted 3 hours, including a 15-minute break in a pub, and it was truly a success. Even though it rained heavily at times and we walked a lot, I didn't get bored at all and listened attentively until the end. So if you ever do a city tour in Amsterdam, make sure to ask for Paul. My new roommate had done a tour with the same provider the next day and was super disappointed because her guide was apparently really bad and it just got boring because of that. But now something really cool. Through the tour, I met Alex from California. If you know me, you probably know that ever since I was in California, I left my heart there and so everybody who comes from California is automatically even more likeable to me. Anyway, Alex and I realized that we have a lot in common and from the beginning, we got along absolutely great. Funny enough, Alex is also 18 years old, staying at the same hostel, and traveling alone. Even funnier - Alex's last name is BECKER (that's exactly my last name, in case you didn't know that yet) and throughout the day, we actually heard more and more often that we look and act like twins. Yes, Alex and I really connected with each other, especially because there is really more that connects us than expected. Alex, Hiral, and I spent the rest of the day together after the tour, including strolling around, taking a walk in the park, and having dinner together in the evening. Unfortunately, it was Alex's last night here in Amsterdam and he flew back to San Diego the next day. But for us, it's clear that when I come back to California, we will do something together and continue our twin life. Later, we all sat together in front of the hostel again (Yomi, Sam, Anthony, Alex, Hiral, and I), listened to some music, and let the day come to an end. Oh - Hiral and I are no longer alone in our room because we got our new roommates. We have Maria, 32 years old, from Australia, and Roxy, 25 years old, from China. The two are really nice, but rather quiet and a bit introverted. That's all about my second day here and oh yes, Amsterdam becomes more beautiful with each day and I have still only met super friendly people. (Speaking of super friendly people - I'm already looking forward to telling you about my day today tomorrow!)

See you tomorrow, beautiful person!