A few friends from Sevilla and I arrived in Amsterdam late Thursday night, so we headed to our hostel to get to sleep, so we would be well-rested for the next three days!
First thing Friday morning, we headed to the Anne Frank house. This is something I've wanted to do since I can remember (I think I've read The Diary of Anne Frank about 6 times). We weren't able to take pictures inside the secret annexe, but it really isn't what you see that's important. It's more of the feeling you get walking through and imagining how it must have felt to hide there for two years without knowing if you would be discovered.
Inside the Anne Frank house, they had quotes from her diary written on the walls throughout the tour. It's amazing to me how a 13-year-old girl under such unimaginable circumstances could express her thoughts so eloquently.
"I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains."
After the tour, we went to this lovely little café next to the Anne Frank House. Bagels-that's all I can say.
And of course we had to have a little photoshoot at the I-Amsterdam sign!
Later on, we made our way to the Heineken Brewery to take the "Heineken Experience." It was soooo much fun! If you're ever in Amsterdam, it's definitely something to see. There are lots of simulations and taste-tests along the tour and at one point there was even a simulation room where they brewed us into beer. Even my non-beer-loving friends had a great time!
We did check out the Red Light District later that night and it's definitely an experience. When people talk about Amsterdam, sometimes it's hard not to imagine craziness going on everywhere, but all the underground kind of stuff is really sectioned off. So, it's there if you want it (I got the jist from one walk-through) and you can avoid it if you don't. Be prepared to see lots of naked ladies!
On Saturday, I met up with my cousin Chris, who lives in Amsterdam. It was so great to see him and catch up and he gave me a great little tour of the city. It's so amazing to be able to see a city from the eyes of a local rather than just as a tourist. We saw the beautiful Vondelpark, the Royal Palace, and Begijnhof. He also took me to get some famous Amsterdam french fries (delicious)! Thanks so much for showing me around, Chris!
Fun fact! I asked Chris why many of the buildings in Amsterdam are crooked and he told me that the houses used to be taxed on their width, so the stairways are all very narrow and steep (we found this out at our hostel...). It's really difficult to move things into the houses, like furniture, since the stairways are so narrow, so most of the houses have hooks at the top (which you can sort of see in the above picture). When they wanted to move something into the house, they would pull it up through the window with a rope attached to the hook. The houses are leaned forward so that whatever you're pulling doesn't scrape against the house the whole way up.
Here are some photos from the rest of my exploring!
The Dutch like pancakes, so I like the Dutch.
Exploring the floating flower market!
Saturday night, we went on a canal tour. I've decided I want to live in a houseboat on the canal. I'm coming back for you, Amsterdam!
We attempted to go to a brewery/bar that Chris recommended, Brouwerij 't IJ, but we got a little lost. Instead, we stumbled upon a different bar near our hostel (I should've written down the name), that had beers from all over the world. It was a great little place and we got to sit outside under heat lamps at a picnic table next to some Germans and enjoy our beers. I tried Punk IPA, which was from Scotland, and Triple Karmeliet, from Belgium.
Overall, it was such a great weekend and such a great city. I've decided that out of all the places I've been so far, I can see myself living in Amsterdam or Sevilla the most.
Thanks for reading!
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