Amsterdam. A place that was planned last minute to visit but turned out to be my favorite place to explore. I have never felt so at home as I did there and was terribly sad to be leaving after 3 short days. I experienced many firsts while here; first hostel, first beer brewery, first time seeing prostitutes. This city comes to life at night and I never believed that until being here for myself. There are so many authentic pubs, funky bars, and diverse restaurants, I felt as though i didn’t have enough time to explore it all. We started the trip by going to the Anne Frank House. Sad yet rich with history, this museum opened my eyes to how long ago Europe was founded and how much it experienced. Anne Frank was a true inspiration and being able to sign my name in the visitor book was an honor. I was in awe at this museum and left feeling extremely fortunate.
Amsterdam is known for their tulips, and being that they are one of my favorite flowers, I thought it was only appropriate to go to the museum and see how they came into this beautiful city. This was a small museum but rich with facts about tulips. Each year, Amsterdam has a tulip festival to celebrate spring and the blooming of their beloved flower. We also explored the canals and made our way by boat through each of them. We went through a street that reminded me of San Francisco’s more well off neighborhoods. There beautiful homes lined the streets with huge windows on each floor and chandeliers hanging within. I was unable to take pictures because we were on a boat but boy were they beautiful. And pictures don’t do any of this justice, anyway.
If you ever happen to be in Amsterdam, i recommend trying a stropwafel. They are phenomenal. They are flat waffle crackers with fillings in the middle. I had one with carmel inside. It was delicious. One thing i noticed is that within this city, bikes are a part of their day to day lives. It is said that there are just about the same number of bikes as there are people, which to me is so awesome. They give people with bikes their own street ways and bike riders basically run this town. It not only is environmentally friendly but it also is a fun way to get from one side to the other.
A Broad Goes Abroad 