Although having a tad bit of a delay with finals, I am finally able to write about my incredible experience in Amsterdam!
To start, Rachael, Sarah and I embarked to Manchester around 10 am on Thursday, November 20th, and arrived in the Dam around 4 pm. Besides the customs officer trying to joke around and pretend that we were not in fact in Amsterdam (not funny because I don't speak Dutch), everything went smoothly.
We quickly checked into our hostel called The Stayokay Zeeburg and took the tram into Rembrandtplein Square which consisted of several great restaurants to dine in, as well as numerous shops to get the must have souvenirs. We chose an Italian restaurant and I ordered a delicious spicy spagetti dish and enjoyed splitting a bottle of lovely Merlot.
Afterwards, we proceeded to walk around the city and explore a bit, stopping at some shops (coffeeshops?) that peaked our interest. In one particular shop, we encountered a man who was a little too concerned with American politics! He went on for a solid 20 minutes about political issues until we were finally able to escape... Anyway, besides that snag, we walked up and down the canals taking in the beautiful scenery, which was unlike any city that I had ever experienced. We also noted some restaurants and dessert shops to check out later in the weekend. When it started to get late, we took the tram back to our hostel and settled into bed for an early morning.
On Friday, November 21st, we got up relatively early for breakfast at the hostel and then wandered over to the legendary Anne Frank House. Luckily, we were able to book tickets in advance so we were able to skip the massive line wrapping around the building. Anne Frank's house was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Having the opportunity to see first hand where the Frank's lived in hiding as well as witness her actual writings in her original journal was a deeply sad yet spiritual time. I was thankful to have read her diary before going on the tour, as I felt that it gave me a personal connection with her unique story.
After the tour, we ventured into the Tulip Museum and purchased some nice presents for friends and family. Next, on our way to lunch, we stopped at a street vendor and I purchased an incredible watercolor of the city! We then decided to have lunch at what appeared to be a local eatery and I ordered a bacon and mushroom omelette. After lunch, we walked to the Heineken Factory, where we planned to do "The Heineken Experience" which was definitely worth it! Not only did we learn the story behind the Heineken Brewery (Fun fact: Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought the Haystack brewery on February 15th, 1864), but we also saw the process of how the beer is made and received 2 and a half complimentary pints which were satisfying to say the least! Additionally, we were able to customize our own Heineken beer bottles writing "The Dam! Nov 21st, 2014" on each of them which we planned to drink later. :)
Once leaving the factory with a few more souvenirs in tow, we decided to go on a canal tour before grabbing dinner. The canal tour was relaxing and incredibly beautiful (even some of us drifted off to sleep...). As the tour concluded, and after turning down a man who invited us out to pizza (when in Amsterdam? Ehh better not), we opted for a restaurant close to the canals with several options. I wound up getting a large caesar salad. Afterwards, we explored a bit more, getting delicious ice cream and waffles at a sweet shop we discovered on the canals on the first day. I even sampled the "stroopwafel" flavored ice cream, which is famous in Amsterdam! We then headed back to our hostel cold and exhausted from an exciting day of touring.
On Saturday, November 22nd, we also began the day with an early complimentary breakfast from our hostel before taking the tram to the Van Gogh Museum. The museum was huge! Once again, we avoided the massive line but purchasing our tickets in advance. The museum full of Van Gogh's popular works such as his famous "Sunflowers" piece as well as his other popular painting "Almond Blossom." We then went out into the square (we were blessed with two beautiful days at this point) and took the obligatory pictures at the "I amsterdam" signs. I even took one with the "D" to be particularly cheesy.
Next, we hopped on a tram to explore other central spots in the city. We even stumbled upon the Red Light District which looked more like a tourist attraction than what its actually famous for. However, we did go at 3 pm so I'm sure it gets significantly more rowdy towards the evening. We then walked up and down the canals, popping into vintage clothing stores, a head shop, and a few more souvenir shops to pick up last minute necessities. We even managed to take a great canal picture of the three of us in between this shopping excursion!
By this time, we were getting pretty hungry, so we decided to eat at an Indian Restaurant close to Rembrandtplein Square. While Holland is not particularly known for its food, they do favor Indian cuisine so we felt justified in trying this food out too! I had a vegetarian dish with fried rice which was amazing and we split garlic nan bread. Once we had finished, we went back to the hostel to freshen up and drink our customized Heineken beers before taking a tram to the Ice Bar which we had scheduled to go to later that evening.
The Ice Bar was amazing! Before going in, we were offered one mixed drink at the standard bar before going to the back of the establishment, where the true Ice Bar was located. We were then promised two mixed drinks, two beers, or two shots once we entered the actual Ice Bar. Rachael and I opted for the "Amsterdammed" which was fruity but nice! Next, we suited up in Parkas and heavy gloves and entered the Bar! Everything was made out of ice, including our drink glasses! They even had a polar bear ice sculpture inside! While it was absolutely freezing (-10 to -14 regularly), I enjoyed a Vodka Orange juice and a Heineken (call me sentimental) at the bar. Although we were only in there for 20 minutes, that was plenty of time as I was beginning to lose feeling in my legs and feet!
Once buying a picture of all of us in the bar, we walked around the canals once again (Amsterdam's regular temperature outside didn't seem as cold anymore) and walked across Amsterdam's famous "Magere Brug," better known as the "Skinny Bridge." Decorated with 1,200 lightbulbs at night, the bridge is a tourist attraction because of its popular tale. According to the story, the bridge was built in 1691 by two wealthy sisters who lived on opposite sides of the Amstel river and wanted to be able to visit one another every day. The sisters, although wealthy, were not quite wealthy enough to afford a bridge of adequate width for general use and so built a very narrow bridge, hence its name. After crossing the bridge, we took the tram back to our hostel, knowing the very early morning flight back to Lancaster was quickly approaching.
Once safely back at my dorm in Lancaster, I was able to truly reflect on the great experience I had while in Amsterdam. This trip marks the last trip that I will be taking until my parents arrive on December 13th! It was definitely a great way to end my independent travels :) Until next time, when I write about the end of term (can't think about that... went by waaaay too fast) as well as my trip to London and Paris with my family!
P.S. I also had a wonderful thanksgiving all thanks to my amazing friends!! We all decided to do a potluck dinner which turned into a huge success! (I brought the brownies) It was also many peoples first thanksgiving which made it all the more special.
