Europe

Time in Amsterdam, Netherlands

From Bus to Bike to Paddleboard…

Tackling several different forms of transportation, I happily took on Amsterdam. There were several rocks I left unturned only because there were red curtains and questionable women behind them. However, I think I was offered many one-of-a-kind chances, such as driving a boat in the canals that make up for it. Hopefully, I sound like someone who knows what they’re talking about in this post. If not, it’s back to the windmill for another craft brew and a quick visit to a coffeeshop…

Day 1: Having just arrived on a 9 hour bus and quick train ride, I hunkered down with my overflowing backpack and waited for the shuttle that would take me to Lucky Lakes Hostel. This hostel was a collection of mini-campers and completely adorable. Living outside of the big city was very relaxing and rewarding! Conversations and friends were easy to make as the night went on and the overall feel of the place was Cool, Calm, and Chill.

Day 2: All I can say is RENT A BIKE. That was the first thing I did and I have no regrets. My travel companion and I peddled to a small town just a few miles away from our hostel. We found a farmers market for fresh strawberries and biked around the winding streets. These “Amsterdam” style bikes were a lot of fun and let you blend in with the locals. Everyone bikes here! Coming back to the hostel, we rented paddleboards and went around the smaller canals. After all, how many people can say they paddled the canals of Amsterdam?! Napping in hammocks with the sun shining down followed, as well as another bike into town for groceries.

Day 3: At the early hours of 8 am, I was able to manage a relatively good spot in the mini pancake line. Covering them in powdered sugar and the strawberries from yesterday, I was ready for a delicious breakfast. That was until… a French family set next to me! I offered them and their small son the rest of the strawberries and we had a feast and wonderful conversation. Catching the shuttle and metro into town, my companion and I headed to the Artis Zoo. It is huge! We saw everything from a baby baboons to actual elephants. Up next was the Van Gough Museum, which in my opinion was a little pricey. 17 Euros and they didn’t even have starry night! The poor guy did have a pretty rough life, so I learned the valuable tragic tale of a troubled artist. 

Day 4: Deciding to tackle the big city on my own, I hopped on the metro and caught a tram to De Gooyer Windmill, one of the older windmills in the Netherlands area. Conveniently, there was a microbrewery underneath of it. I truly think this country was made for me to move to! Grabbing a De Koninck APA, I sat under the huge windmill and thought about how far my travels had taken me.

After my delicious caramel beer, I easily hopped on another metro line and went to possibly the best cake shop on the entire planet… except for my mom’s cake obviously (Love you mom). De Taart gave me a slice of Monkey Business (banana and cinnamon/nutmeg cake), which I will always recommend to any of my traveling friends. This city’s metro system is incredibly easy to use and the numbered maps provided by the hostel made travel with out data on my phone actually do-able. 

Hopping off the metro, I stepped off with the intention of touring the Anne Frank House. Realistically, tickets had been sold out months ago. So, I waited in line at 2 to be able to do open tour hours from 3:30-9:00 pm. Two girls from Colorado and I passed the time and strolled through the doors at 3:45. Personally, I thought this experience was like nothing else. I walked through the warehouse and up the stairs, behind the secret bookcase entrance that led to the room that hid the Franks and company. It was a larger space than I had imagined, but still incredibly tiny for all of the people who stayed there. Walking through Anne’s room which was covered in pictures of famous movie stars to the toilet they couldn’t use because it would alert someone that they were hiding, I felt moved. While only  Anne’s father survived, he published Anne’s journal, which I actually got to see (the original). I teach this novel to my 7th grade students, and I took what I learned back with me to talk to them about. 

Next, I walked past the national monument and into the Red Light District. There were people everywhere. No, let me specify, there were drunk people everywhere. One man even fell into the canal. Women hid behind curtains with no camera signs on their windows. As a stranger rolled in the curtains would close. They were a lot older than I thought they would be…

Grabbing a quick pizza and dessert waffle, I made conversation with other travelers eating and the man behind the counter, who as I was leaving, offered me drugs. What a different experience than I would have back home on the streets of my very small town.

Now for my favorite part of this trip. I hopped onto a canal tour boat and it must have been lucky day because no one else but the captain and a friend were on it. I actually got to drive the boat in the canals and under bridges for a time. What an awesome experience! Who knew I would thank my stars for rebellious tour guides who want to allow a newbie to drive and hopefully not crash. I passed the oldest boathouse in Amsterdam (built in the 1860s), learned how to tell the difference between a Protestant and Catholic church (the roosters on top), how to tell what houses on the canals have wooden beams (the ones pitching forward because they’re rotting), and that the three crossed pillars on the bridge represent Amsterdam’s three fears: fire, water, and the black plague (There used to be four during WWII: bombings).

After a wonderful few days in this city, I boarded an overbooked train to Berlin. I missed the biking paths and easy atmosphere of Amsterdam. Not to mention all the wild things I saw in the Red Light District. I think I liked Amsterdam so much because at the end of the day I was able to go back to its outskirts and relax with friends. Until next Sunday my traveling friends! And remember, when asked to buy drugs you can always fake having asthma as an excuse. At least, that’s what I did…

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