Amsterdam
A couple of weekends ago I had the chance to take a quick trip to Amsterdam. With my semester abroad coming to an end in exactly one week, I was so happy that I could squeeze in a weekend in Amsterdam. My friend and I booked the trip last minute and on the weekend of Kings Day (a national holiday for Holland), so it was a little more expensive then expected - but totally worth it.
Day 1 we arrived at our hotel and immediately headed to the center of the city to get in line for the Anne Frank museum. We waited for two hours with freezing winds whipping at our faces, but eventually we made it. It was a very surreal experience, seeing the rooms Anne had to live in for 2 years. The museum also had many pages from her diary and samples of short stories she had written. I had read her diary while in middle school, but it took on a deeper meaning after the visit to her hideout. I would highly recommend no matter how long the line is.
After, we walked around Amsterdam doing a little shopping, but eventually made out way to the Heineken Brewery. We had gotten tickets for the Heineken Experience, which in a nutshell is Disney for beer lovers. You are able to walk through the brewery and see the whole process of making Heineken beer. I was expecting it to be very touristy (which it was) but it was 10x more fun then I thought it was going to be. That evening we decided to have drinks at Ter marsch & Co and dinner at La Margarita.
Day 2 we started our morning at the Rijks Museum, which had a beautiful collection of Dutch art. We then decided to take a boat tour of the canals. It was about an hour long, and it was a different way to explore Amsterdam. We finished the day by wondering through the many little streets of Amsterdam (we also stumble across the Red Light District). We finished the day at a seafood restaurant called Lucius. This was probably one of the best meals I have ever had, and we were so lucky to get a spot because we didn't even think to make a reservation. If you are ever in Amsterdam, go to this place!
Day 3 was our last day and our flight was at night, so we wanted to make the most of the last couple of hours. We had bought tickets to the Van Gogh Museum ahead of time (highly recommend doing this, the line looked like a 2 hour wait), so we headed directly there in the morning. It was an amazing collection of Van Gogh's work, I had never seen so many of his paintings in one building. Next we made the hour journey to Keukenhof, a beautiful garden with all the bright and colorful tulips Holland is famous for. It was a beautiful day as well, so the gardens were pretty crowded but it was still worth it. So many of the flowers looked fake with their bright colors! After a tour of the gardens we headed to the airport to catch our flight! I am hoping to get back to Amsterdam this summer to visit with my mom and sister - the plans are in the works!
