The moment Haru and Elise stepped off the train at Amsterdam Centraal, Haru inhaled deeply and grinned. "Ah.. the fresh scent of history, canals, and wait... is that stroopwafels!?"
Elise sighed. "You've been in the country for five minutes, and your first thought is food?"
"It's called cultural immersion."
Their adventure in the Netherlands had just begun. and they were already diving into its rich history albeit in a slightly chaotic way.
As they wandered along the canals, a street musician strummed a guitar while cyclists zipped past at alarming speeds. Haru and Elise stopped at a map near Dam Square, debating their next move.
"I think we should visit the Rijksmuseum first." Elise suggested. "It has paintings from Rembrandt, Vermeer-"
"Boring.." Haru interjected. "How about the Anne Frank House? That's real history."
Elise nodded. "That's actually a good idea."
As they debated, a local overheard them and, assuming they were tourists who didn't understand Dutch, turned to his friend and muttered, "Ze lijken verdwaald."
(Translation: They look lost.)
Without missing a beat, Haru responded in perfect Dutch. "We zijn niet verdwaald, maar bedankt voor uw bezorgdheid."
(We're not lost. but thanks for your concern.)
The man blinked in shock. "Jullie spreken Nederlands?!" (You speak Dutch?!)
Elise smirked. "Ja. toevallig hebben we het geleerd op de universiteit." (Yeah. we happened to learn it at university.)
Haru nodded dramatically. "Een universiteit die ons verplichtte veel talen te leren. Een marteling." (A university that forced us to learn many languages. Torture.)
The locals burst out laughing, clearly entertained. One of them patted Haru on the back. "Dan komen jullie vast niet in de problemen hier!" (Then you won't have trouble here!)
Elise rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that."
Their first stop was the Anne Frank House. As they walked through the preserved rooms, a somber silence filled the air. The diary pages on display made it impossible not to feel the weight of history.
Haru whispered, "This is different from seeing it in books."
Elise nodded. "It's a reminder that history isn't just stories it happened to real people."
After that, they explored the Rijksmuseum, where Elise gushed over The Night Watch while Haru got scolded for standing too close to The Milkmaid.
"I wasn't gonna touch it!" Haru protested as a security guard eyed him suspiciously.
Elise sighed. "You look like you were gonna touch it."
Their day took a comedic turn when they rented bicycles to explore the city like true locals. Haru, overconfident as always, attempted to cycle while looking at his map.
"Haru watch out for that-"
Before Elise could finish, he swerved into a canal bridge, barely avoiding a spectacular crash.
A Dutch cyclist passing by casually called out, "Typisch toerist." (Typical tourist.)
Elise was laughing too hard to help.
Later, they took a canal cruise, learning about Amsterdam's merchant history. Their guide, an enthusiastic older man, explained how the canals were built during the Dutch Golden Age.
"This city was built on trade and innovation." he said. "And~ of course. a love for boats!"
Haru leaned over. "I think we need a boat."
"You can barely ride a bike. You'd sink a boat in five minutes."
To end the day, they stopped at a café and ordered bitterballen crispy Dutch meatballs. Haru bit into his without waiting for it to cool.
"AH hot!" He fanned his mouth. "The betrayal!"
Elise calmly took a bite, smirking. "You never learn."
As they sat along a canal, watching the city lights reflect on the water, Elise glanced at their itinerary.
"So.." she said. "where are we headed next?"
Haru grinned. "How about Japan?"
Elise raised an eyebrow. "You just want ramen. don't you?"
"...Maybe."
Laughing, they watched a boat glide by, the city alive with history, humor, and endless stories yet to be written.