My Life in Words & Pictures
WHO I am is based on WHERE I've been, WHAT I've realized, & WHEN I opened my eyes to WHY I do things and HOW I should live.
The first main part of my trip is Amsterdam and man, was it a culture shock for sure! Let’s start with the simple part of flying. I usually use Hopper to buy my flights. When I’ve set my mind on a trip and the dates, I log on and watch the airfare. The app will normally let you know when it’s a good time or if you should wait. It took me about 10 hours from LAX to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). At the airport, I noticed that it had a good amount of entertainment facilities such as shops, restaurants, venue for games, movies, massage & spa, sleeping spots, and spots to buy some books. The staff is friendly and helpful and it seems that the whole airport is arranged better as it flows more than the airports we have in the USA. I don’t personally like renting cars when I travel so I do my research and figure out its public transportation. For this trip, I went with the I Amsterdam City Card 3-day pass and then decided to get a day pass for the other day. I decided to do 2 days of going with the flow and 2 days of planned events so I will just work around my fare tickets. I took the train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal Station and then walked to my hostel. I arrived before my check-in so I ended up just chillen. One of the employees was busy cleaning and as she approached my side, she asked me if I could move a little bit. We ended up clicking and becoming friends. By the end of her shift, we exchanged info and agreed to meet up on her day off. Hostels in Amsterdam are pricey and I ended up going with Tourist Inn due to its central location. The receiving area is really nice but small. They served free breakfast on a daily basis but it ends at 9:00 AM. There was no curfew whatsoever but after 10 PM, you'd have to use your room key to get in. There was one shower area and 2 toilet rooms on each floor. All facilities were cramped and not cleaned as often as I would want it to be. I ended up staying in a co-ed room with 6 beds. I had one female roommate from the States who I ended up going out with to explore the night scene. There was 1 guy from Australia, another 1 from Asia, and another American guy that slept above me. We were all quiet and somewhat had different schedules so we didn't get in each other's ways. The only gripe I have is how loud the guy above me snored! He was a really nice dude but I struggled sleeping on the nights that he was there. In my opinion, if he slept that loud on a regular, he shouldn't stay in hostels. Hahaha. I guess his snoring never woke him up so it doesn't matter much to him. One evening, I sat up irritated then as it turns out the other guy across us was already staring down the snoring guy. We both decided to just semi-suffocate ourselves to sleep with pillows on top of our heads. My new friend, Noemi, decided to take me to most popular attractions of Amsterdam - the canals! The canals were gorgeous and everywhere and it’s definitely something that stood out to me. So the cool thing is that the canals weren’t merely for aesthetic purposes or as a tourist attraction, they were also meant for maritime traffic and transportation of goods, products, and people. Some parts were a bit smelly and the water wasn’t clear. However, all in a all, it’s definitely a sight to see! We also went to their gay district and the nearby neighborhoods and roamed around the maze of old beautiful buildings. If you have children under 18 years old, it is essential to have a serious conversation if this district would be a place that you would like to visit. As an adult, it didn’t bother me much and I just took the day as a learning experience and an introduction to the different mindsets of people and cities collectively. I would say that the Red Light District is not a place to visit for everyone. Do your research first to find out if it is a tourist spot that you would like to see. Don't say that you have not been warned. =) The next day, as recommended by my partner D, I visited Old Holland. It was outside the main city so it was a very different vibe. It was about a 40-minute bus ride, long but a peaceful one. I decided to visit this location because I only had 4 days in Amsterdam but wanted to see as much of the traditional Dutch culture. Some find it slightly artificial but I found it beautiful. Here, I saw smoking chimney stacks, spinning tails, clogs, wooden shoes, and small cheese shops. Zaanse Schans gave me all the windmills that I've been wanting to see. I got there late afternoon so there wasn't much crowd that I had to deal with. My next stop was to visit Muiden Castle and I enjoyed the scenery during my 20-minute walk. This attraction didn't amaze me as much so if you ask me, you could totally skip this. Additionally, I wish I had gone when it wasn't as hot though because that sun wasn't fun at all. My final spot outside of the city central was the Bloemendaal Aan Zee Beach. It seemed to be an upscale area with its long stretch of sand that had rows and rows of restaurants. I decided to have my early dinner there before heading back home. The cool wind was amazing and if you visit, I would recommend that you rent a bike and and ride around. The next day, my new friend introduced me to Kyra and we decided to tour more of the city. I enjoyed more some local snacks and checked out some museums, more canals, the millions of bikes that were everywhere and, of course, did a boat ride in the canal! By the end of the evening, they took me to check out the night scene and I'd say that it was quite typical like how it would be in the States. For this trip, I mainly used my credit card Capital One Venture since they don't charge any international fees. If you happen to have a checking account with them, it will also be to your benefit because they don't charge any ATM fees as well! If you plan on traveling internationally sometime soon, I would recommend that you open a checking account with them. Just like how I had arrived, I simply took the train from Amsterdam Centraal Station back to the airport.
Amsterdam was definitely enjoyable for its city buzz and vibe. I enjoyed the bars and restaurants that were found everywhere. Since I don't normally rent cars, I found the location of my hostel to be very near everything. Public transportation in Amsterdam is superb and quite easy to figure out. This is one of the main reasons why I was comfortable traveling out of the city for about an hour to visit its rural areas. I recommend that you also rent a bike and tour the city this way. Finally, if you have more time, make sure to take advantage of the various counties nearby. Europe is an amazing place to visit due to the fact that you can hit so many other cities within a trip. The closest place to visit would be as follows: Duisburg in Germany, Bruges in Belgium, and Lille in France. Check out the European Rail Guide website for more information! Next stop...Portugal!
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