AMSTERDAM :)

I AMsterdam :)

 I have always heard that Amsterdam boasts more than just the crazy nightlife that it is so well-known for...and now I can finally confirm that the rumors are true! Amsterdam has to be the prettiest city I have seen and my favorite big-city destination thus far. I. LOVED. AMSTERDAM. The canal houses, the canals themselves, the intricate European architecture of every building from the central train station to the mall, the list could go ON! It somehow had both a big-city and small-town feel to it all at once and I loved every bit of it! I have been told that the best time to visit is in the Spring due to the ever-so-famous tulip displays around and outside of the city…which means I have to go back of course but knowing that I fell in love with this beautiful city when it is far from it’s prime-visiting time only makes me love it even more!

Hello, Amsterdam:)

THAT being said, Amsterdam definitely provided me with the biggest culture shock since being here and traveling around Europe. Don’t get me wrong, I knew exactly what I was getting into when we were on our way to the infamous Red Light District. BUT…I still couldn’t get over how casual the city is about…everything. Yes I know, I sound like a sheltered child who attended a small town high-school in Wilsonville, Oregon (which of course, I did, but that is besides the point;))…but you just can’t mentally prepare for a place where girls sell themselves in the windows and where going to a café does not mean that you would simply like a cup of coffee. At one point we ventured off to go see the ‘Old Church’ in Amsterdam, only to find out that it was closed and to turn around and see a girl in the window RIGHT in front of the church! It’s a crazy world out there, I tell ya!

Anyways! The weekend was short but productive as always. We kicked it off by having dinner at a local historical restaurant in town called Heffer (so you KNOW it’s good!) and enjoyed a beer, plenty of food, and more than a few laughs over some awkward language mis-interpretations with our waiter, who as a result thought we were REALLY hungry American girls with a serious love for miniature ketchup bottles (seriously though, who doesn’t love miniature condiments?!). Never a dull moment! My favorite parts of the trip included a visit to miss Anne Frank’s house, a canal tour (the boat clearly had to crush through some ice in certain areas...picture Moses parting the seas…but on a canal and insert ice. Okay so not quiiiiite the same but you get the idea;) I think it’s safe to say that we disturbed more than a few locals as sheets of ice bumped up against houseboats as we went by and stared curiously at the people inside), and the ‘Heineken Experience’ brewery tour.

Birthday dinner complimented with some delicious cider:)

The Anne Frank museum was SO cool and, props to Kathryn, I was reading the book at the time so it made everything about the experience that much more interesting. The craziest part was how central the location of the house was…literally RIGHT on one of the main canals in the city…(no wonder she was never allowed to open her bedroom window or curtains during the day..!). It was kind of surreal and eerie in a sense to walk through each room that she describes so well in her book. Seeing the remnants of photos and posters that Anne Frank herself had put up on her walls gave me the chills. The canal tour was informative and awesome and gave us a pleasant tour of the city and a delightful view of the canal houses, which is great because I’m going to live in one someday. I can’t get over how cuuuute they are!:) The Heineken Experience tour was a big kid’s playground in disguise. It was actually really cool to learn about the company itself though and it made me want to start supporting them via drinking more Heineken (buuuuut I will say, it definitely tastes better in Europe than it does back home..). As if that doesn’t sound like a busy enough day we didn’t neglect to visit the Van Gough museum, go on a Diamond factory tour (Amsterdam is home to one of the best Diamond industry’s in the world), and visit a famous pancake house for my birthday dinner which consisted of a dinner-plate-sized pancake with whipped cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, pineapple, and ICE CREAM. Jealous, much?!;)

First time the canal has frozen over in 40+ years!

Plain and simple, Amsterdam was just wonderful. It was an amazing place to continue the birthday celebrations that my awesome roommate had kicked off for me on Friday in the form of an ice cream cake and a surprise birthday dinner.:) Feeling pretty darn blessed these days, that’s for sure!! Hello New Year, hello twenty-four! My next destination will bring me to Cádiz in the South of Spain for a much-needed temperature-increase and a world-famous carnival festival! Not too mad about it, to say the least.;) Tot de volgende keer (I think that is Dutch for, until next time)!:) Adios!