When in Amsterdam

So it’s been over a year since that post about setting off on a trip around Europe.. and I figured, better late than never, I'd write a post on each country!

Most inter-railers would start their venture by train, but we took the slightly easier, and actually cheaper (you can’t use your interrail ticket within your home country), option to fly from London to Schippol, Amsterdam. Flying also eases you in, as you come to find that 70% of the trip is spent on trains!

Shock number one? The bag. Oh my I had way over packed. The thought of having to lug the beast around with me for 3 weeks filled me with dread, and we hadn’t even got out the airport.

TIP: Make use of launderettes - pack for 3 days/nights and wear everything 7 times!

First stop: Amsterdam

First impressions

Despite its controversial reputation, Amsterdam is one of the nicest cities. It's so pretty and aesthetically it was actually my favourite city, and one I will definitely go back to. Canals run through just about everywhere in the centre, there are plenty of green spaces, and little streets with quirky looking houses surround you. Needless to say, it was a relaxed atmosphere and the people were pretty friendly, quickly learning the difference between a café and a coffee shop! 

We used the first day to wander around and get our bearings. The good thing with Amsterdam is that everyone is either walking or biking, so we walked.. everywhere. We chose not to cycle because the huge volumes of 2-wheeled traffic meant you had to be some sort of expert, or at least have a bike licence, to navigate the streets.

Main attractions

TIP: Walk everywhere - it's a small enough city to do so, and you never know what you might stumble across.

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     Museumplein - the walk through the streets to get here was nice in itself, and then the pretty buildings and cafes/bars dotted around were worth it when you arrived.

    The infamous signs - we didn't realise there were 2. Definitely worth the 'climb awkwardly and take a picture quick before I actually fall' just to say you've been there done that. 

Museumplein: Rijksmuseum

Vondelpark

-   Vondel park - basically a huge space with lakes, woodland, fountains cafes etc. People generally chilling out, walking, sunbathing, cycling. Loved it. 

-      Anne Frank House - we queued for nearly 3 hours, and on a hot day, but it was worth it. You can't really go to Amsterdam and not come here - it's a massive part of history (setting us up nicely for Berlin). Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside, but it was surreal to see where the family lived and get even just a tiny feel for how it must have been. I would highly recommend, no actually insist, that if you go to Amsterdam you go here. 

Anne Frank's House from the outside

    Red Light District  - again you can't really go to Amsterdam and not go there; I wouldn't exactly put it in the same category as Anne Frank's house, but it's worth a visit. I didn't take any pictures but yeah, it was a bit of an experience. You won't feel out of place, I mean there were families with small children walking along like it was your average high street. And there was me looking at what I thought was a manikin 'oh that's a nice bikini', and then she moved. We experienced it for all of 5 minutes - that was enough. Another been there done that excursion.

Accommodation

I think the term 'hostel' has some pretty negative connotations, but in Europe a decent hostel is more like a 2* hotel, and this one was nice and modern.

Amsterdam was one of the 2 places we were in a mixed/shared dorm, mainly because the budget was tight and Amsterdam, alongside Berlin, were most expensive in terms of accommodation. 

One of our roommates was a chatty New Zealander, the other chap didn't speak at all and the other was a Canadian who was into 'trying new things' that didn’t end too well and kinda ruined our stay. Obviously much depends on your budget, but I would rather have spent a bit more and had a private room - but that may have been because our first night was tainted by the Canadian throwing up all over the place. Yeah, nice. 

We couldn't walk to the centre from the hostel, but because the station was only 100 yards away and trains were regular so this wasn't a problem in the slightest.

TIP: If there's the option to, then always have breakfast included - that way you can fuel yourself to last all morning, and take the bread/cheese/meats with you = lunch sorted! We did this at every single place and it saved us so much money.

Food & Drink

The first night we stumbled across some cobbled back streets that were full of little restaurants and boutique shops. Sometimes you come across the best finds when you’re not intentionally looking. Sorry no foodie pictures, but I remember having a veggie bean burger and I remember it being good.
Although known for its nightlife, the bars are filled with big groups and stag do's - I think everyone will have a different experience of Amsterdam by night. 

Second night we saved some penny’s and opted for a Chinese take-away-in-a-box and ate it on the steps in the main square. The rest of the time we fuelled ourselves with regular waffle/coffee/beer stops (warning: the coffee is v strong) which kept us going!

TIP: Take regular drink stops to just take in your surroundings - it's a unique place!

Seeya again Amsterdam!