Amsterdam!

This past weekend my friends and I went on our first trip by ourselves to another country! We went to the one place I really, really, really wanted to go this semester: Amsterdam!!!

My friends left London Friday morning but I had class so I had to fly by myself in the afternoon. My flight got delayed an hour and a half which was kinda annoying. I slept the entire flight which was only 50 minutes. I took the bus from the airport to the hostel and got there around 7 pm. To say the least, the hostel was an experience. It was not what any of us were expecting. The common area was really nice and our rooms were mediocre. Where it went wrong was the people in our room. Each room had 8 people and we got split up so my friend and I were in a room with 6 middle aged men which was weird and uncomfortable. But the only time we had to be in the room was to sleep so it was fine. Once I got settled in, we went to dinner at Foodhallen which was a big warehouse with a bunch of food vendors. It was the 5 year anniversary so there was lots of people, decorations, and music. I had an amazing falafel sandwich and frozen yogurt.

Saturday morning we woke up early to try and get last minute Anne Frank House tickets. Usually the tickets are sold out months in advance but at 9 am everyday they release 20% of the day’s tickets. Although we were 800th in line for the online queue, by some miracle we ended up getting the tickets! We went out for brunch near the Albert Cuyp market then walked through the market. Then we went on a canal tour. The boat was open air and we had a live tour guide which was definitely the way to go. We got so lucky with the weather today; it was sunny and blue skies, but still chilly. The canal tour was the perfect way to see the city. Before the Anne Frank House we got Dutch Apple Pie – so yummy! The Anne Frank House was the highlight of the weekend. It was so interesting and moving. We got to go into the annex where she and her family were in hiding for two years, see her actual diaries, and learn in depth about her life. The museum was put together really nicely. I bought her diary and I am looking forward to reading it. Then we went to dinner and got poffertjes (Dutch mini pancakes) for dessert. Saturday was a perfect day.

On Sunday we got brunch at the restaurant Blue Amsterdam which had an amazing view of the city and the best french toast ever! Then we walked through Bloemenmarkt: a floating flower market. I got some cute delftware bowl for my jewelry. After this trip I am obsessed with delftware. Unfortunately today we were less lucky with the weather as it rained most of the day. Then I went to the Van Gogh museum. I really enjoyed this museum because I learned so much about Van Gogh that I never knew before. Then we went to the Rijksmuseum to see some Northern Renaissance art. We went back to the hostel to pack because we are leaving super early Monday morning. Then we had dinner and Stroopwafels for dessert. Stroopwafels were the perfect way to end this amazing trip.

We had to leave the hostel at 4 am to catch our flight at 7 am to get home before classes on Monday. As you can imagine, I was exhausted. Right when I got home I took a long nap before class at 1 pm. Although this trip was exhausting, it was truly an unforgettable experience. Amsterdam exceeded my high expectations. Also I’m pretty proud that my friends and I planned this trip and travelled all by ourselves. I can’t wait to do it all again next weekend when I got to… it will be a surprise 🙂