cobblestones and places unknown: Amsterdam

Another city down! I won’t say Amsterdam is my new favorite, but it definitely is a cool city with a unique vibe. My journey to Amsterdam began a bit roughly (what a surprise). Sey and I got up at 5:15 AM to catch the train. We’d ordered what’s called Benelux tickets, which basically meant we could leave anytime on any train on Friday, and could return either Saturday or Sunday. Well, I thought that just printing out my confirmation email with the barcode on it would be enough, so I happily boarded the very early train. I soon found out I was wrong when the conductor came around and checked my document. He informed me that I could either pay 50 Euros and buy a new ticket, or I’d have to get off in Antwerp. I don’t know if because it was so early or because I was so frustrated, but there were definitely a few tears and I think I made the conductor feel pretty awkward. Thankfully, though, because Antwerp is still in Belgium, I’d be able to print my ticket there, free of charge when I got off. I could then reboard another train headed for Amsterdam. I would be behind Sey an hour though.

I really didn’t have much of a choice, so I got off the train in Antwerp and printed my ticket. I waited in the very cold station for an hour, and was on my way for a second time. As soon as my train stopped in Amsterdam, I hopped off and headed straight to the tourist information center. This was technically the first time I’d ever travelled alone on this trip, and if you’ve been reading this blog/know me at all, you know I’m pretty useless when it comes to navigation. I soon found out that it would be pretty prudent to purchase a 48 hr Iamsterdam card, which would give me free entrance to most museums, free transportation, and a free canal cruise.

I set off feeling pretty confident for my first stop, the Van Gogh museum. I’ve mentioned before how I’m not much of an art fan, but I really enjoyed this museum. It was really well done and I actually liked Van Gogh’s art. It was fascinating to learn about the artist himself, what inspired him, and his tragic early death. I especially liked his still life’s and his pointillism paintings. After Van Gogh I planned to meet up with Sey at the flower market so we could grab some lunch. While I was waiting for her, I walked up and down the flower market and enjoyed the pretty scenery. Because it is November and not as many flowers are in bloom, it wasn’t as pretty as it could have been, but because I knew this coming in I was able to enjoy the flowers I could see.

I found Sey and we headed to a restaurant one of her friend’s recommended, a sandwich place called Singel 404. After eating there, I highly recommend it as well. The sandwiches were fabulous- all of them made with delicious fresh ingredients. Mine came with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, peppers, and herb tapenade. I finished up the meal with a slice of their apple pie and some cinnamon ice cream and left feeling extremely full and satisfied. After the meal, I decided to go and do my canal tour. I’d heard it was best to do the tour at twilight, so I headed to the harbor and hopped a boat around 4 pm. The canals were a big part of why I liked Amsterdam so much. They make the layout so different from any other city I’ve visited. I loved passing cool Amsterdam monuments like the mayor’s house and the science museum by boat.

After the boat, I checked into my hotel, where the problems began again. I’d booked a single room for myself because Sey wasn’t planning on staying the night. The room ended up being tiny and the staff were some of the rudest people I’d ever encountered while travelling. They made me feel really unwelcome (so Hotel Clemens, look forward to my review online- appreciate your hospitality!) and they yelled at Sey when she came to tell my goodbye (they have a strict “no visitor” policy). Even though it was only about 8 PM by this time, I was exhausted so I decided to head to bed in my broom closet of a hotel room with plans to wake up early and get my day started.

The next morning I was ready to leave by 8:30. The staff had erroneously told me that the Anne Frank house opened at 8, but more on that later. When I asked if they would mind holding my luggage until my train later that afternoon (a common practice for people travelling in Europe- I’ve NEVER had a problem with that before), the staff suggested I leave it in the open hallway. I smartly didn’t opt for that no-security approach. They spent the rest of the time ushering me out of the hotel as fast as possible and glaring at me when I got two cups of coffee during the ALL-INCLUSIVE breakfast. I’d had about enough, so I took all my stuff and left.

I lugged all of my luggage to the Anne Frank house, the first stop of the day. To my dismay, they didn’t have a cloak room and didn’t allow backpacks in the museum. This meant I had to hop a tram and go rent a locker at Centraal station. That took about 30 minutes, but thankfully when I got back, the line wasn’t too long. The Anne Frank house is known for having out of control long lines, so I really was lucky. Once I got inside, I was able to really focus on the museum. Like most American elementary school kids, I’d read Anne Frank’s diary. It was probably my first exposure to the horrors of Nazism. Coming to visit her actual hiding place as adult was a really strange and saddening experience. The museum was really well done, and I was able to walk through the entirety of the “Secret Annex”. I’d almost forgotten how much insight Anne Frank as a young teenager had. With excerpts of her diary placed all throughout the museum, I was reminded once more of how powerful an impact that book had upon me. I took my time going through and really just absorbed everything it had to offer. It was definitely one of the most affecting museums I’ve ever visited.

After the museum, I decided to try out the famous Dutch pancakes for breakfast. I had a discount to a pancake place thanks to my Iamsterdam card, so I ordered a delicious plate of apple and raisin pancakes. They definitely didn’t disappoint! After that, I decided to visit the Reijksmuseum, which houses a lot of the history of the Netherlands. It had everything from Rembrandt’s famous paintings to dollhouses (some cost as much as an entire house!!!) to information about Dutch imperialism. It was in this museum that I was finally able to appreciate the beauty of travelling alone. I was able to do everything at my own pace, and I’d been making my own decisions. Though I love the people on my trip, it was really refreshing to be alone for a while.

After the museum I took few pictures of the Iamsterdam sign. I grabbed some lunch at Singel 404 again (it was so good the day before, I had to revisit), this time getting a sandwich with grilled chicken, avocados, sundried tomatoes, and sprouts. Literally, I was in food heaven. By then it was around 2 pm, so I decided to do the staple Amsterdam activity and go on a guided bike tour. This turned out to be a fantastic decision. EVERYONE in Amsterdam owns a bike, and the city itself is really bike friendly. I signed up for a 3 hour city wide tour, and along with 4 other people, hopped on a bike and followed my guide everywhere. We visited a lot of Amsterdam’s hotspots, from the flower market (again) to revisiting the canals, to lots of open air markets, to this BEAUTIFUL park, and finally the river itself. The weather was beautiful, and it made the biking absolutely so enjoyable. I definitely recommend it to anyone who visits Amsterdam. Once again, it was just nice to be alone with my bike, travelling through the streets of Amsterdam. Because my guide didn’t spend every second talking, I felt like I was really able to get a feel for and absorb the city. I couldn’t believe how quickly the 3 hours passed.

After turning in my bike, I headed down to the area around the flower market, hoping to find a cheese shop. Sey had asked me to buy her some cheese, and I knew Amsterdam was famous for it. I found this awesome shop that had about 20 different kinds of cheese to sample. Needless to say I ate my weight in cheese samples. I also tried the Dutch specialty- the stroopwaffle, which is like a thin waffle with caramel inside. I made a few purchases and headed back to Centraal station, ready to head back to Brussels. When trying to retrieve my stuff from my locker, I realized that in my haste that morning I’d forgotten to grab my ticket that would actually OPEN the locker for me. I began to panic, because my laptop and bookbag with all of my clothes and toiletries AND my return ticket were in the locker, but thankfully for a wonderful 5 Euro fee (go me…not) the station was able to open it for me and I retrieved my stuff.

I hopped a train back to Brussels, exhausted but very satisfied with my Amsterdam experience. Overall the city of Amsterdam itself is super charming. It definitely still has a lot of colonial aspects- the US city I feel like it relates to would be like a type of Williamsburg, VA. It was a special trip for me just because I did it mostly alone, so I really felt like it was MY trip. I also found the city itself super easy to navigate, which was an added bonus for a directionally challenged Leah. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to go, and despite the mishaps with the hotel and my luggage, I had a wonderful weekend. Now I can look forward to next week- I leave Thursday morning to meet Mom, Hayley, and Cameron in Paris. We’ll be joined by my dad and Madison in London on Saturday, and my best friend Jake for my 21^st birthday in Brussels on Monday. I’m so excited that I can barely sit still. It’s going to be the best 10 days ever! Love to you all.