I visited Amsterdam last weekend, right as the weather in Europe was at its best. Everyone I talked to said this weather was rare and probably wouldn’t happen again til late in the summer. After flying in, I took the train to Amsterdam Central and walked to my hostel. The area outside the train station was very busy, partly since the beautiful weather convinced more people to travel into the city.

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I walked around a bit after checking in and found a Dunkin Donuts practically right outside of my hostel. Donuts are apparently as popular in Amsterdam as they are in Dublin.

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I still had a bit of time to explore the city in the daylight so I walked to Dam Square, just a short walk from the hostel. From there I explored a bit and found more landmarks and a popular place for homemade french fries. I bought some and continued exploring the city. I was surprised that almost all the signs were in English even though the language of the Netherlands is Dutch. In Amsterdam, nearly everyone speaks English, unlike in Paris where people are bothered by English.

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Amsterdam is really a bunch of islands connected by bridges, so there are canals everywhere. The land was originally all swamp, so the water had to be controlled and the islands had to be built. If you look at Amsterdam on google maps you’ll see this. A lot of people in the city own boats but even more own bikes. There aren’t many cars in the centre and there are dedicated bike lanes everywhere. There are actually more bikes than people in Amsterdam!

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I made my way south to Vondelpark, where thanks to the weather crowds were out biking and just enjoying the day out.

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I also passed by the floating flower shops. The shops in this picture are actually floating on the canal, though its hard to tell unless you’re looking at them from the other side. I didn’t get pictures, but that night I also went to see a jazz performance at Jazz Cafe Alto!

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The next day I woke up a bit early to take the free walking tour of Amsterdam and learned a lot of the city’s history of liberal policies and its place in World War 2. It was the city Anne Frank lived in, and the house she hid in is now a museum. It’s incredibly popular right now and I didn’t manage to book tickets to see it. If I ever go back, it’ll be at the top of my list! After the tour, I headed to the Heineken Experience. Its the historical Heineken Brewery that is now turned into a museum. It was interesting, but not as nice as the Anheuser-Busch tour in St. Louis.

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After the museum, I sat for a bit by the canal and planned on the next few days.

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The next day I rented a bike and took it around town. I found the museum park in the area of most of the museums and biked my way through Vondelpark (that I had visited earlier). I definitely understood why everyone bikes around the city.

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Next, I took a countryside bike tour. It started with a ferry that crosses to North Amsterdam, an area right outside of the city centre. The bike ride was a couple hours long and took me through Dutch towns, a windmill, and a lot of countryside. It ended at a hip area where an old boatyard has been turned into offices and an art space.

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After the bike tour, I decided to book another tour of the Red Light District. Before the tour I went to Febo, a sort of fast food restaurant where you put in coins and take out the food you want.

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I didn’t get pictures on the Red Light District tour because taking pictures in that area can be rude. Our tour guide told us all about the area and how legal prostitution came to be in the Netherlands.

My last day, I didn’t have much time since my flight left in the evening. I checked out of my hostel, dropped off my luggage at a left luggage stop near the train station, and used the time I had to take a cruise of the canals and see a museum.

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After the canal cruise I went to Stedelijk Museum (don’t ask me how to say it, I don’t have a clue) which was full of modern art. After the museum I walked back to the train station, got my luggage, and headed to the airport.

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This trip was amazing! While the sights weren’t necessarily better than the other cities I had been to, the city was by far the most pleasant. The city was incredibly safe, even late at night, and the lack of cars in the centre gave the city a unique feeling. It also wasn’t as crowded as other tourist cities I had visited. There were lots of cute shops and bars, plus an interesting history. I would definitely come back here for another visit!

Next week I’ll be visiting Berlin, Germany over a break I have before my final exams. After my finals I have a short trip to the UK to see some concerts, more time to explore Ireland with my family, a trip to the UK with Eric, a short trip to Italy, a stop in New York, and then it’s back to St. Louis! It’s crazy how I’m mostly done with the semester (just one week left of classes before final exams) and I still have so much left to see!