Euro Trip: I Amsterdam, The Netherlands

May 26, 2015
4 min read

It's time to say goodbye to our lovely German friends. Our stay with them was really nice. After telling Jason about how amazing Germany's fast train the I.C.E. was, which I used when I went interrailing through Europe a few years ago, he was super excited to be travelling on one to Amsterdam. It got us there in only a few hours. It would have gotten us there quicker if the train wasn't delayed. Oh well! We didn't mind. After all a few extra minutes in the I.C.E. train isn't going to kill us!

When we arrived at 'Central Station' we jumped on the metro to 'Nieuwmarkt' in search of 'Shelter City,' which would be our home for the next few nights. It's certainly different. It's a Christian youth hostel and they offer prayer sessions every evening. A converted Christian? I don't think there is any hope for me! We only booked it because of the free breakfast. To be fair, the location is brilliant. It's in the middle of everything. Which is an added bonus. The people are very friendly but it's like a prison! When you want to enter the hostel you have to show a room card to get back in. In the rooms there are hardly any sockets to charge things so you must leave then in reception where they give you a ticket which you show to collect your fully charged items!

Amsterdam is such a lovely city with so much culture. It's old streets which are home to many of the streets canals, cyclists and old buildings. Seeing boats go by and being nearly knocked over as cyclists pass by is a common thing in this majestical city.

Just to be clear, 'Coffee Shops' and 'Cafés' are completely different things. Lets just say coffee shops are places you wouldn't bring your granny but cafés are fine. The good thing about Amsterdam is that there are lots of interesting cafés to visit with yummy treats. As well as cafés, it has an extensive collection of really cool bars. We found one yesterday that resembled an old saloon with sand on the floor. It was really old style with no bar. The barman would go out the back to get your drink. A very cool place!

At night time, the sleepy streets come to life particularly in the cities world famous 'Red Light District.' Lets just say its something you won't experience anywhere else. As you walk through, the windows of each building are occupied by semi naked women. As you pass by, some of them will tap on the glass to get your attention. It is crazy! Of course, we walked straight through to a bar where Jay was asked by a prostitute if he was looking for something. She was with another guy already. Plus, we were in a gay bar at the time. It's such a crazy place. We probably walked through the same area earlier and didn't realise where we were. It's true what they say about everything coming to life when the moon comes out!

Our second day in the world's most liberal city was a day both of us really enjoyed. One of the best things about travelling is that you meet so many amazing people. Els, who myself, Jason and Kathrin met in Nha Trang in Vietnam is from The Netherlands. She used to live in Amsterdam but now lives in Den Haag. Luckily for us, she still commutes everyday to Amsterdam so we were able to meet up for lunch. It was lovely being able to see her again. When we were leaving, she even had a small gift for us. She is so kind!

There was one thing that I really wanted to do if I was to visit Amsterdam and that was to visit 'The Ann Frank Museum.' The queue outside was crazy. Luckily it went very fast. We only queued for maybe about 45 minutes. Someone told us that you could be waiting for 2-3 hours in some cases. Honestly, visiting 'Ann Frank's House' was a very poignant experience. Of course, I'm glad I went. It's an amazing story of what one family was forced to do in order to survive the war. Unfortunately, in the end it simply wasn't enough. During her short life, Ann Frank dreamed of being a famous author. So what better tribute to her than her book being one of the worlds most read books ever!

There was one other thing we had to do while in Amsterdam and that involves a visit to the 'I Amsterdam' sign. The walk up to it was nice but long. We walked through the 'Rijksmuseum' which is home to a beautiful old city garden which my mother would have given her seal of approval to! The famous 'I Amsterdam' sign was really cool. In the same area, there were a lot of quirky but nicely painted bunny rabbits that really catch your eye.

Our lovely day finished with food in the amazing 'Walk to Wok.' The food there is simply amazing! Of course, as the sun comes down, the moon comes up! Let's be honest, a visit to Amsterdam and not visiting a coffee shop is like going to Australia and not visiting a beach! It's simply one of those things you can say your glad you did but you never want to go back! Or do we?

Myself and Jason thoroughly enjoyed Amsterdam. It's one city that was very high on my list of places to visit. When it comes to liberation, you will have a hard time of finding anywhere else in the world that has a legal sex industry and where not only the smoking of certain drugs is allowed, but public places are provided where you can indulge. Of course, these are not all this charming European city has to offer. For me, it's quaint streets and picturesque canals is what sold it for me! Would we ever come back? Most certainly YES!