I was only in the Netherlands, Amsterdam to be specific, for one full day, but I made the most out of that day. Amsterdam has always been a bucket list destination for me since I was a little kid. Ever since I watched the tragic film, “The Fault in Our Stars”, I have always wanted to visit, doing multiple school projects on the city and overall yearning to visit the city one day. And the time finally came. I was so excited. The entire time I was awake on the bus there, I was grinning. When I got there, I couldn’t stop smiling and telling my friend how excited I was to be there. I couldn’t believe it. Something about accomplishing a goal you’ve had since you were a kid felt so heavy for me and just so happy. I wanted to make the most out of it, and now that the trip has passed, I have to say I think I did the best I could.
One thing about me when I travel is, yes, I can enjoy a solo trip, but I prefer not to. I think experiencing things with someone is better. So, I try to do everything I look forward to with someone. However, the money just wasn’t adding up on this trip, so the longer I waited for my friend to commit to different things, a few things I wanted to do, like the Anne Frank House, would sell out. Although I am disappointed some of the things I really wanted to see never came to fruition, I took this as a lesson to not only plan ahead like I usually do, but also gave me a purpose to return someday. To not leave satisfied, so I have a gravitating pull bringing me back.Â
Another thing about this trip was it was gloomy all week. I swear no matter what country I visited, it was just gray and chilly all week. Luckily for us, Amsterdam wasn’t too rainy. It poured when we first checked into our hostel, but other than that, I don’t have many recollections of rain. Another thing I took away from Amsterdam was it wasn’t as pretty as I always dreamed it would be. It just felt like another residential city in Europe, even though I knew the house I saw probably went for millions. Walking around felt safe and felt like you lived there, which you don’t always feel like when visiting major cities, and I didn’t really feel like much of a tourist. However, during our stay here, we met these two French girls our age who were nice and we hung out with them, so it’s always nice to meet and hang out with Europeans because I believe that’s one of the best ways to fully immerse myself in this journey and experience abroad. But other than that, Amsterdam felt like a checklist getting checked off instead of an adventure, which I slightly regret but am not upset with myself for.
What Was The Plan? I wanted to hit different key spots while here. I wanted to see The Red Light District, not that I was ever going to be a paying customer, but I feel like for such a famous area, you have to see it just to see it. I find it fascinating how it’s a thing and how normalized it was. I saw many guys leaving the rooms with embarrassment or pride, and it was so awkwardly funny seeing them flee the scene after they finished. It made me wonder whether or not prostitution in Amsterdam is legal or if it’s something that the police turn a blind eye to. Another thing I wanted to do was swing over the edge of the A’Dam Lookout – a tower with a swing that went over the edge felt like the perfect adrenaline rush for me. Although it was quick, I would say it was fun and worth my money and the 360 skyline view was very pretty. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a skyline view. Lastly, I really wanted to see the bench from The Fault in Our Stars. I felt like it was the perfect homage to the movie that made me fall in love with this city from afar so long ago and I wanted to do something that related to the film to fully fulfil the dream. It was nice exploring the city when we did, between getting Tony’s Chocolate, taking a canal boat tour and seeing the city at night, or trying the different foods. I like getting around when we do and seeing it. I wonder if I’d like it more if I looked into the party and music scene, since I heard after I left that they have a good one.Â
Where Did I Stay? We stayed one night at the Hans Brinker Amsterdam Hostel. This was an affordable and nice hostel in my opinion. Another hostel with no curtains, unfortunately, but it gave us a bed and a roof above our heads. It was very crowded when we were checking in, which was crazy to me because we got there 10 minutes after check-in, but once everything was settled, I liked it. It was in a good location; there was plenty of storage and an ensuite bathroom. I have no complaints and if and when I return to Amsterdam some day, I would most likely return to that same place.Â
Best Advice For Visiting?Â
- Getting used to paying their transit properly: tap your card both when you get on and when you leave. We didn’t realize that’s how it worked until we were practically leaving and I didn’t even want to check what I was being charged.
- Prepare enough money for this city: although they also use euros, it seemed like the food options were on the higher end, or at least the places we ended up at, so even though they’re good, it’s easy for costs to add up.
- Plan ahead: A lot of the museums in Amsterdam are highly sought after, so make sure to plan ahead the places you know you want to see to ensure you reserve your spot and can actually go see them.
Other than that, I liked Amsterdam. It wasn’t what I expected and I left wanting more time to see the museums and local towns I wanted to see, but I also left happy to even be there in the first place. This was a very long time in the making but I’m just proud to continue to make my younger self proud, especially with visiting this city. I would rank Amsterdam an 8/10 for everything considered.