Hello there,
How is your day? Today is a sunny day in my city, but I kind of wish it was snowing, because it’s such a shame not to have a White Christmas...but maybe we'll have eventually.
Not long ago I was looking through my pictures because I have my Iphone storage almost full and saw the pictures I made in Amsterdam, made me miss the city, so this is why my post is about this beautiful city.
Enjoying the sun
I visited Amsterdam this summer, and I fell in love with the city vibe, so today is a good day to remember my experience here. I went with two other friends, actually we were four friends, but one of them could not join us… she got stuck at work.
So we flew from Bucharest to Brussels. After a brief sightseeing we took from there the bus to Amsterdam, this was the cheapest option, because from Bucharest there are no low-cost flights for Amsterdam. We gain some money, but we lost some precious time. I reckon for my next visit I will choose the plane, so I won’t lose time and get tired on the way.
The accommodation was a hostel boat, which offered small cabins, like really really small ones, never stayed in a room that small, fortunately I am not claustrophobic…. Lucky us, that the other friend could not make it, we were too many for such a tiny room…..joking…
The main advantage was the location, near the city center, like a 7-minute walk from Central Station and that we had breakfast every morning. The host was a super nice guy from Bulgaria, very friendly and helpful. The accommodation was quite expensive for its size, but overall we were pleased by its location and tasteful breakfast.
Advice: I recommend you to choose a city center accommodation even if it’s expensive, in this way you don’t lose time and money on the public transport.
After we left our luggage in our room, we went on discovering the city and watching an important football game in a pub, don’t remember the teams.
Science Center Nemo was like a 3-minute walk from our boat. This museum it’s great especially if you visit the city with your kids. There are some pretty interesting exhibits that are great both for the adults or children. It was a fun experience for us!
Funny story: We randomly met with other friends, so the merrier, the better, that was a sweet coincidence. We went together to a pub and has some draught beer. A draught beer costs around € 3-4.
When the night came, of course we visited the Red Light District. Just before my trip I was reading about this city and I found out Red Light District it is one of the oldest parts of the city, kinda surprising.The fame of this neighborhood is caused by the brothels, sex workers in red-lit windows, sex shops. Amsterdam’s authorities offered to the sex workers a safe area to sell their services. I realized there are a lot of Romanian females working there...
During the day it is very pleasant, there are a lot o shops and restaurants.
Advice: You aren’t allowed to take pictures of the women.
My favorite girl
The next day we visited Rijksmuesem, a museum which takes you on a journey through the art and history of Netherlands. The ticket costs € 17.50. Here I saw the biggest diamond I ever seen in my life.
Bling Bling
Van Gogh a famous Dutch painter.
A lovely piano
Another beautiful piano
Beautiful, just beautiful
One of my next year resolution will be learning to play this instrument
Advice: In order to avoid the crowds, it is better to visit before 11.00 am or after 14.00.
After walking down the streets, we reached to Vondelpark, biggest park in the city and most known Dutch park. We sat on the grass and enjoyed the sun.
Advice: You can eat your brunch in this lovely park.
I forgot to tell you an important thing: every step you make, every breath you take, it smells like weed. We didn’t experienced any weed products, not even space cakes, we are too dutiful.
I quit smoking cigars four years ago so I wasn’t attracted in trying, neither my friends, but we really enjoyed the city.
Before my trip here, I read The Anne Frank journal. Anne tells the story about her life before war, during the war and how she would like to be her life after the war is ended. It’s a heartbreaking book.
She was so smart and mature, a really remarkable girl. Unfortunately she died just before the war ended, after she succeeded hiding along 7 other people. She hidden with her family and other two families for two years, before Nazis found them. The only survivor was her father, who published her diary. In this museum you can find some of their personal belongings.
Actually this was my main reason, getting to know the city where Anne Frank lived. It was a remarkable experience to visit her house, I was so touched.
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Advice: You need to buy your ticket online, there are huge queues and you must not have large bags. Also you are not allowed to take pictures.
Koninklijk Paleis is a palace served as Amsterdam’s town hall and today it serves as a source of education on famous painters for visitors.
You can’t be in Amsterdam and miss the flower market which was first opened in 1862 and from then has gain major reputation. You can buy a lot of types of flowers, bulbs, seeds, gardening tools or essentials. Bonus it’s open from Monday-Sunday! Also there you can find a lot of souvenirs and magnets. From here I bought the gifts for my dear ones.
The city seen from above
Every city I visit, I make sure to see it from above.
As a bonus I did a little shopping in one of my favorite shops, Primark. I didn't know there is a store opened here, but I was really excited as the shop is kinda huge.
Colorful and popular pub
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I tasted a lot of gouda cheese , traditional cheese from the Netherlands town of Gouda, different flavors like Coconut cheese, Pesto cheese,Herbs & Garlic, Truffle. My favorite is definitely the one with herbs and garlic!
I even saw how it's made and learned about the history of this popular cheese.
Interesting facts:
- There are 165 canals in Amsterdam
Around 25.000 bicycles end up in canals each year.
Around 881,000 bicycles in the city.
Me and a lot of bicycles on a windy day
20,000,000 tourists and day-trippers who visit the city in a year.
There are more bridges than Venice.
- I am tall girl, but I found out that Dutch people are the tallest people in the world, so maybe it's a sign and I need to move here.
I love you Amsterdam, see you soon!
Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.
John Green, The Fault in Our Stars
Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because the regret is stronger than gratitude.
Anne Frank
Hope you liked my post.
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Thank you.
Until soon,
Xo A
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