AMSTERDAM, Netherlands!

31 March 2015

Ok so I got to Amsterdam after a few hours on the train. Initial thoughts: wow there's a ton of people here. I was truly on my own now, no friends or family to help me find my way around so I kinda just stood in Amsterdam Central station for a few minutes trying to figure out which way to go first. I didn't have data on my phone or a physical map of the city or anything. Just a cached Google map. I had a general idea of where my hostel was but I was prepared to get lost for an hour or so looking for it. After about 25 minutes, I finally found my hostel! It was situated in the dead center of Red Light District. And before you go 'Why would you choose a hostel in the Red Light District?' you should know that that area is the safest area in Amsterdam. The police station is nearby and cops are always patrolling (to keep the prostitutes safe).

The hostel was called 'Shelter City'. I'll write a review of it later. So I got there, put my stuff down and figured out what to do for the remainder of the evening. I walked around the area to try to get my bearings, visited some tourist shops to see what the prices were like and ate a snack. I went back to the hostel because it was cold plus I needed to rest. Another solo traveler was also in the room. We randomly started talking and decided to go out to get dinner. Sarah was originally from Colorado but had just quit her job as an au pair in Switzerland to travel around Europe. We ate at a restaurant called Pasta Bar. It looked fancy but it was really cheap and had a great vibe! I had a huge margarita pizza and a Heineken for a mere 5 euros. After dinner we walked around for a while then headed back to the hostel.

01 April 2015

Sarah and I went on a free walking tour of Amsterdam hosted by the famous Sandeman's New Europe tours. It started at 10.30 or 11 and lasted about 4 hours. I'll be honest it wasn't that great of a tour. I didn't learn much at all and was disappointed. Along the tour, however. Sarah and I split up in an attempt to meet new people. She met a guy (who's name I forgot) also from the States. I met a sweet girl named Wendy from Hong Kong who had just graduated college and was talking time off to travel Europe as well. After the tour ended we decided to get some food (I ate out every day because the hostel did not have a kitchen....) and ended up at an Indonesian take-away spot called Kantjil & De Tijger. A box of rice, chicken and veggies for 5 euros. I thought it was a little pricey but the food was bangin' so I didn't really care. Wendy told us she was couch surfing and new a local who could show us around Amsterdam since we weren't please with the walking tour so that's what we did! At around 3pm, we met up with Claudiu--originally Romanian but has lived in Amsterdam for a few years for school. He showed us the tourist places, took us to a quaint neighborhood outside the city center. We walked along the canals and through shady streets in the city. He also took us to the flower market, cheese shops, the area where all the museums were (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, Modern Art, etc) and finally brought us to the I AMSTERDAM sign. My favorite part of that day was trying to ride his bike (because it would be a sin to be in Amsterdam and not get on a bike at least once) but ended up falling in the middle of the street. Everyone had a good laugh and the men in the truck passing by asked if I was drunk. Ha! good times... Eventually Sarah left us to visit the Jordaan area. I stayed along with Wendy and Claudiu because there was a Lidl near by and I wanted to buy snacks (Note: they don't take Visa...) At the end of the day, Claudiu gave me his Museum pass so that I could have free access to all the museums! So that's what I did the next day. Later that night, Sarah, her American friend and I, being in Amsterdam, learned how to roll an Amsterdam joint at the Cannabis College and the science behind a bong... and then visited a coffee shop to 'engage in the local culture' if you know what I mean.

02 April 2015

At around 10am or so I met up with Wendy to visit the museums. We went to the Rijksmuseum first. That museum is extraordinary. I highly recommend it. There's so much amazing art there... Unfortunately, I didn't have time to see all that I wanted because Wendy kept urging me to leave because she wasn't interested in any of it. I managed to convince her to stay an extra hour or so. Then we went across the lawn to the Van Gogh museum. The line was waaaay too long and I didn't want to wait. I wanted to visit a couple more museums but I'd learned my lesson at Rijksmuseum and went alone to the Photography museum. I also highly suggest that one. Afterwards, I went back to the hostel to meet up with Sarah who was leaving later that night to go to Rotterdam. I also had to switch hostels because Shelter City didn't have any beds for that night. So I checked into St. Christopher's Winston. I didn't care for that hostel. I put my stuff down there and then headed back out to hang out with Claudiu. We met at Dam Square and he took me around on his bike through the city. That was really sweet--zipping around the city on the back of a bike. I felt really safe, as bikers are priority in the Netherlands. While I was on the bike I wondered why I didn't rent one the days I was here. If you are in Amsterdam, please get on a bike and explore the city. Anyway, we rode around for a bit looking for a non-touristy coffee shop but he said that was impossible as the city is overflowing with tourists. We finally settled on a coffee shop and talked for a couple hours. He also taught me how to smoke properly hahah.... When in Amsterdam, right?

03 April 2015

My last day in this amazing city. I decided I wanted to take a bike tour but I'd visited much of the city and wanted to see something else so I booked a countryside tour with Mike's Bikes Tours (high recommend). Our tour guide was Alec, an American expat who fell in love with the country and decided to move after visiting. The group left at 11am and we toured around for 4 hours (25km) and learned why the buildings here are soooo skinny (the wider the house, the more the government charges you) and tall, why they're all leaning forward. We rode along the canals and over bridges (or the Dutch Alps as they sometimes call it since this is literally the flattest country I've been to) until we got outside the city. We visited windmills, statues, river boats, etc. We also made a stop at a cheese/clog factory. Not gonna lie, the people working their were incredibly strange but it was cool to see how they made 'klompen' or clogs and cheese. We also rode through Vondelpark on the way back to the city. I LOVED the tour. I didn't want it to end. It felt so good to get around Amsterdam via bike after being on my feet for the past few days and the tour guide Alec was incredibly informative and knowledgeable about the city and country in general.

My bus to Berlin didn't depart til 11.30pm so I had 7 hours or so to burn. I was getting worried because I'd already checked out of my hostel and couldn't go back to relax before finding something to do. God was obviously looking out for me because on the tour I also encountered another solo traveler who was in a similar situation. Eva, a Canadian girl studying in Tampere, Finland visiting Amsterdam on her way to Portugal, had a red eye flight the next morning but she didn't have a hostel to go back to either. Naturally, we stuck together and filled the next few hours with walking around and enjoying the city. We went to the flower market, and a couple outdoor markets where I bought a very cute watch, ate the delicious fries and stroopwafels that are synonymous with Amsterdam. We managed to stay busy the entire time. At around 10.30 or so we headed to the central station where she caught a train to the airport and I to the bus stop for my overnight journey to Berlin!

-SX