Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Going to Amsterdam was an experience, to say the least. It was in Amsterdam that I felt like a real traveler. Our hostel that we were supposed to stay at screwed up, so our beds were not booked, so we spent a good amount of time trying to find somewhere to sleep. This is where I learned the main things to do in this situation: you have to be patient, pray you're not in a big group (as I was), and don't panic. What a couple of us ended up doing was getting a hotel room for one night and staying in the airport the second night since our flight left the next morning. We did not get a whole lot of sleep that weekend, but it was an amazing weekend, nonetheless.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city. The canals, houseboats, and the amazing amount of bike traffic are things I do not think I will see again. It was different than any other city I have ever been to because it does not have main tourist attractions like monuments and parks. Amsterdam has a lot of museums, and they have a lot of museums about a lot of seemingly random things, like bags and purses, and cats. So the few popular museums, such as Van Gogh and Anne Frank, have very long lines. Sadly, we did not get into Anne Frank because the line was about 2 hours long, but I did go into the Van Gogh museum. I was the only one interested in it, so I went in alone, but I completely recommend it. I am not the greatest art fan, as most of it flies over my head, but the Van Gogh museum was amazing. The museum brought you into his world, and into his way of thinking, and went through his life so that I could try to understand who he was. His work is beautiful, and he finds beauty in the smallest things and that is what I love about him and about the museum. So, I do recommend a stop there in a trip to Amsterdam.

However, I would also recommend buying tickets online, early, because otherwise you wait a long time in lines, as I did.

We walked around a lot, which was really cool because we were able to really see the city, we saw some street art, and normal life in Amsterdam. We also took a boat tour at night so that we could see the city lights at night, and it was beautiful. Amsterdam is so different from any place that I had ever seen before, so I just took it all in.

One final thing, if you do go to Amsterdam, a must try a dutch pancake, because they are amazing, as well as a waffle, because they are also amazing.

That's all for now!!!

Adios!