A Day in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, NL

Amsterdam. There are songs about it, plenty of pictures of it, but nothing really beats being there. The full experience of walking around and seeing all the bridges, the smell of weed, and the sight of prostitutes standing around in the Red Light District. Yep, nothing beats that.

Now, I think what I really enjoyed about the city was seeing all the buildings, all the boats, and walking around to see what there is. And what there was enough of, was tourists. I mean, I can't say that my cousin and I were not tourists, but there were so many of them!

I will say this, despite all the tourists, and the large amount of people walking around lost and confused, the city is beautiful. The buildings are like no other, and it's so crazy to think you are there sometimes! Of course, when me and my cousin went, it was cold, windy, and raining. Just our luck, right? But sometimes you forget the cold wind and the annoying rain, and can't help but enjoy the beauty of the city.

Lotta and I in front of the Sex Museum, Amsterdam

My cousin came out from Alaska to visit, and I wanted to make sure that she was able to see as much as possible as it was her first time in Europe. So, we went to Amsterdam. We first met up with my friend and roommate Lotta, who then was our tour guide of the city pretty much. We started out our Amsterdam journey at the Sex Museum. All I can say about that place is you have to have an open mind, and not be with your parents.

But besides seeing that, we walked around the city and went and saw the Red Light District. It is crazy to think that a place like that actually exists! Think of Las Vegas with all the strippers and such all around, but worse. There were ladies sitting in windows and there were signs for live shows. I really don't have any words to describe it! But it is interesting to see that a street like that is legal.

Flower Market - Amsterdam

Other than the Red Light District, the city is gorgeous. We walked to this flower market and it was crazy how many flowers and flower seeds there were. I knew already that the Netherlands has a giant collection of tulips in the spring time, but seeing it first hand is amazing. The funny part, is that the flowers are so cheap! Usually you can go to Safeway or Albertsons and get a bouquet of flowers for like what, $20? Here, you can get a bigger and better bouquet of flowers for like €6! It is things like this that bring a smile to your face.

I Amsterdam letters - Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

But after the flower market, we walked around to find the Rijksmuseum. If there is one thing I can say about it, is that it was gorgeous. I didn't go inside because the line was probably close to 3 hours long just to buy your ticket, but I walked around it to see the I Amsterdam letters. If there weren't so many dang people walking around then I probably would have been able to get a better picture with the letters.

Now if there is anything I have mentioned multiple times in this post, it would be the tourists. Amsterdam is a huge destination for international travelers. Unfortunately, all these travelers seem to make the city seem not so wonderful. Living in Breda, there are never any tourists, so it is quiet, peaceful, and the city holds its true beauty and history. Walking around Amsterdam, there are so many groups of people with cameras and shopping bags filled with souvenirs, that it makes you feel like people don't actually live there. Well, they do.

After the Rijksmuseum, we walked to what is known as "the pipe". The pipe is where all of the locals live, and you know what, it feels a bit better over there too. Near the area, there was a giant farmers market on one of the streets. People were selling everything from fresh fish, to flowers, to clothes. It was cool to walk around because there were locals buying their groceries there, and of course, the cheese. There was cheese everywhere.

By the time we walked all around the city, we were hungry. Lotta was telling us about different places that she ate at while in Amsterdam, but we wanted to try something different. We had plenty of typical Dutch food, and raw haring wasn't sounding too yummy, so we found this small Italian Restaurant called Ciao Bella.

Walking inside, it was cute and cozy, but very small. We ordered our tea's and pastas, and when it came to the table, it seems like we devoured the plate before the waitress could set it down! For only €8 I got this tasty tortellini porcini with mushrooms. I definitely recommend this dish if you happen to stumble upon this small place on Prinsengracht.

You know, sometimes a good time can be ruined with bad weather and a large amount of tourists, but I think that if you really set out to find the areas where the locals are, then your time will be spent better off. Go off the beaten path. Try something new. And take a visit to Amsterdam if you are ever in the neighborhood, it really is a beautiful city.