We decided that one trip to Amsterdam wasn’t enough. We skipped a couple of the major landmarks to have more of a ‘hang out’ day the first time. There was so much to see, honestly, two days wasn’t even close to enough.
Nothing starts the day better than breakfast from a file cabinet full of heated food. I only had a bite or two, but Neil frequented these more than any one person should. Kidding…but not really.
It was recommended to us to visit the Flower Market on the water. We made it one of our first stops of the day. I was expecting loads of flowers blooming everywhere with…oh I don’t know…something spectacular. There were lots of flowers, but the vendors were mostly selling bulbs and planting supplies. I was kind of underwhelmed, but it was still fun to check out. Maybe my expectations were too high or we went at a bad time of year.
As soon as I got to Holland I started reading The Diary of a Young Girl, the Anne Frank story. I picked it up in the 9 year old girl’s room we were staying in (this little girl had books in her room that most teenagers would read). I knew the general story, but I wanted to learn more specifics before visiting the Anne Frank House.
Although it was a tragic piece of history, I was really interested to walk through the annex that she hid in for 2 years.
After waiting in line for almost an hour, we paid the $10 and walked up the narrow creaky stairs behind the famous bookshelf. Photography wasn’t allowed, but since they cleared out all the furniture there wasn’t really anything to take pictures of. None the less, is was still quite interesting to walk through a place with such history behind it. The walls were stenciled with quotes from Anne’s diary, along with pictures of the 7 other people that lived with her in the annex. Various articles owned by Anne were displayed under glass; including her tattered red diary. Video interviews of Mr. Otto Frank and Ms. Miep Gies played on repeat as we slowly shuffled through the crowd. It was sad, but still one of my favorite things we did in Amsterdam. I’d recommend it to anyone that likes taking in a bit of history.
We found, probably, the best flea market I’ve ever seen. They had rad vintage leather coats, old school Adidas, ancient cameras and electronics along with every kind of printed shirt. If I wasn’t carrying everything I owned on my back, I would have spent all my money there.
The rest of the day was spent wandering…
The nicest McDonald’s I’ve ever seen
Clouds started rolling in and it looked like it was going to pour. We took this as a sign from God telling us to go see the Sex Museum. And did we ever…..I’ve never laughed so much. This place was hilarious! Every stupid thing related to sex was displayed, enlarged, rotated and talked. So much fun!!!
After a very enlightening visit to the museum, it was definitely time for a beer…or two.
And what visit to Amsterdam would be complete without a stop at a ‘cafe’ for a little smoke.
The Bulldog is one of the most popular hemp cafes. A few awkward tourist moments later and SUCCESS(!) we bought weed and smoked it legally while drinking a soda.
I’d have to say that Amsterdam is the first city that I visited on the trip that I could honestly call home. The people are friendly, the weather is mild, I LOVE the architecture and everyone speaks English. I had so much fun! Thanks to Sam for making Neil and I feel so welcome! This trip couldn’t have worked out better.
I was sad to leave, but excited to pick up on our adventure to Transylvania.
~Josie