berlin to amsterdam was a super short flight and we were super excited to be there. it is the city of anything goes, after all.
we got to amsterdam on halloween - which we LOVE! though, maybe we were in the wrong part of town, we didn't see anything going on. maybe like 5 people dressed up - clearly tourists though. so, we basically just had a beer at an irish pub where the bartender was dressed as zorro. that counts as celebrating halloween, right???
we got to amsterdam on halloween - which we LOVE! though, maybe we were in the wrong part of town, we didn't see anything going on. maybe like 5 people dressed up - clearly tourists though. so, we basically just had a beer at an irish pub where the bartender was dressed as zorro. that counts as celebrating halloween, right???
our first day of wandering led us to the heineken experience. we love learning about how different beers we love are made - so, of course, we'd add the heineken brewery to our list of breweries visited. it was a beautiful, modern site that showed a lot about the beer making process, but also the advertising campaigns over the last couple decades and the role heineken plays in the soccer community. AND, they gave us 2.5 free beers! (3 if you're chris hahahah). the brewery was definitely on our list of to-dos in amsterdam and we weren't disappointed :)
our next day, we started off by walking (in the rain) through some really interesting, trendy neighbourhoods. lots of cool shops and bakeries (mmmmm). we ended up making our way to the Anne Frank Haus, which was my #1 thing to see while in amsterdam. it was amazing and inspiring. i learned all about her story while in high school (i even went to a play) but nothing comes close to being in the actual building where she lived. i've never read her diary and, now, i definitely will. seeing the real diary on display, reading her entries...incredible. what a normal girl - just trying to grow up amongst all that terror. what a brave thing. i am so glad we got to stop by there...so was chris. he was really impressed as well. it was also nice to walk around the city a bit more - after going to the anne frank haus, it gave you a different kind of perspective.
later that day, we partook in the wonder known as the amsterdam coffee shops. what a strange experience. going into a shop, ordering pot from a menu (seriously, a menu!) and then just hanging out and doing your thing. we were sitting across from these 2 cute little gay french boys. one kept trying to kiss the other and they were all sassy and giddy. oh man, hilarious! we took a nice walk back to the hotel (for a nap! hhahah) and got "cool american" chips. no, not "cool ranch" (my favourite chip of all time), cool american. ahhaha. they didn't taste quite right but, considering the circumstance, we killed that bag of chips in about 4 mins. hahahah. good times!
and that evening, we decided to walk through the famed red light district. it really is as intense as the movies make it out to be. ladies in windows beckoning you into their quarters, live sex shows in almost every cinema (LIVE! crazy!) and sex shops lining the street. we couldn't believe it was actual everything we expected. hahaha. we thought maybe the movies would be exaggerating a bit - not so much. it was interesting to see though. even in the day, it was just the same. weird!
later that day, we partook in the wonder known as the amsterdam coffee shops. what a strange experience. going into a shop, ordering pot from a menu (seriously, a menu!) and then just hanging out and doing your thing. we were sitting across from these 2 cute little gay french boys. one kept trying to kiss the other and they were all sassy and giddy. oh man, hilarious! we took a nice walk back to the hotel (for a nap! hhahah) and got "cool american" chips. no, not "cool ranch" (my favourite chip of all time), cool american. ahhaha. they didn't taste quite right but, considering the circumstance, we killed that bag of chips in about 4 mins. hahahah. good times!
and that evening, we decided to walk through the famed red light district. it really is as intense as the movies make it out to be. ladies in windows beckoning you into their quarters, live sex shows in almost every cinema (LIVE! crazy!) and sex shops lining the street. we couldn't believe it was actual everything we expected. hahaha. we thought maybe the movies would be exaggerating a bit - not so much. it was interesting to see though. even in the day, it was just the same. weird!
amsterdam was a great city. after 3 days, though, we were pretty much over it. it was expensive and all the good museums were just way too much for us to visit :( we ended up walking around a lot, which was amazing for learning about the city. it boy was it a gorgeous city, with every indulgence you could ever want all in one place. we're glad we went, though. lots of good food and very nice people. yay amsterdam!