Amsterdam
In October I had the pleasure of stopping over in Amsterdam, Netherlands for a few days.
On my first night I arrived just in time to eat a quick meal and then head out for a night of heavy drinking (lol). We started with a canal cruise which featured red wine, shots, and good music. The city was really beautiful by night.
I didn't expect Amsterdam to be as pretty as it was. It's a very charming, clean and safe-feeling city. I never felt scared walking around Amsterdam at any point. Even in the Red Light District when randoms kept asking me to buy cocain. LOL. It's the least threatening place. The Red Light District wasn't what I had expected either. I loved the night life, loved the coffeeshops and how friendly the whole culture is. One of the highlights for me was sitting on the top level of this tiny little coffeeshop around a table with a nurse from Australia, an engineer from Ohio, and another random Vancouver dude I met. We all shared a bowl and drank coffee together into the wee hours. Then we wandered into the city and ended up buying a bunch of sweets, hitting up several more bars, and snorting chocolate powder.
I didn't find the pot to be as strong as people made it out to be. Everyone was telling me it is nothing like the stuff here in Vancouver but that simply is not true! In any case, it was a fun and laid back experience. One of my favorite things about travelling is how quickly you can become close to people you probably would never have approached in your "real life". The group I ended up with was a mish-mash of different ages and occupations and countries. So many good stories and weird but awesome personalities.
For the rest of my time in Amsterdam I mostly spent hours exploring the city by foot and wandering through the shops and food vendors. I have seriously never walked so much in my life lol, even in Venice. I should have rented a bike (next time).
Amsterdam is such a cool city. We came at a great time too. There was an organized run going on and lots of activity on the streets--food, music, and good times. Next time I come back I want to stay longer and I also want to make sure I get out to see Anne Frank Huis. I regret not going to see that but the lines were ridiculously long when I went. I ended up going to the Van Gogh Museum instead.
This was only a taste of what Amsterdam had to offer but I enjoyed every second!
On my first night I arrived just in time to eat a quick meal and then head out for a night of heavy drinking (lol). We started with a canal cruise which featured red wine, shots, and good music. The city was really beautiful by night.
I didn't expect Amsterdam to be as pretty as it was. It's a very charming, clean and safe-feeling city. I never felt scared walking around Amsterdam at any point. Even in the Red Light District when randoms kept asking me to buy cocain. LOL. It's the least threatening place. The Red Light District wasn't what I had expected either. I loved the night life, loved the coffeeshops and how friendly the whole culture is. One of the highlights for me was sitting on the top level of this tiny little coffeeshop around a table with a nurse from Australia, an engineer from Ohio, and another random Vancouver dude I met. We all shared a bowl and drank coffee together into the wee hours. Then we wandered into the city and ended up buying a bunch of sweets, hitting up several more bars, and snorting chocolate powder.
I didn't find the pot to be as strong as people made it out to be. Everyone was telling me it is nothing like the stuff here in Vancouver but that simply is not true! In any case, it was a fun and laid back experience. One of my favorite things about travelling is how quickly you can become close to people you probably would never have approached in your "real life". The group I ended up with was a mish-mash of different ages and occupations and countries. So many good stories and weird but awesome personalities.
For the rest of my time in Amsterdam I mostly spent hours exploring the city by foot and wandering through the shops and food vendors. I have seriously never walked so much in my life lol, even in Venice. I should have rented a bike (next time).
Amsterdam is such a cool city. We came at a great time too. There was an organized run going on and lots of activity on the streets--food, music, and good times. Next time I come back I want to stay longer and I also want to make sure I get out to see Anne Frank Huis. I regret not going to see that but the lines were ridiculously long when I went. I ended up going to the Van Gogh Museum instead.
This was only a taste of what Amsterdam had to offer but I enjoyed every second!