Amsterdam

What a weekend! I just got back from Amsterdam earlier this afternoon. It was an awesome trip and Amsterdam is completely different from what I expected. It all started last week when I decided last minute to book my flight there since a lot of people I knew were going. I figured why not since it was some place I had never been.

We left at about 10 am from Rome, and arrived around noon at Eindhoven, which is an airport almost 2.5 hours from Amsterdam. At the time I bought my tickets, I had absolutely no idea that we were that far away. We bought bus tickets at the airport, and 3.5 hours later we were in Amsterdam. The snow really slowed us down. Once we got there, everything was great! We ate burgers at a place called Los Toros, and let me tell you, that burger was AWESOME after 3.5 weeks of nothing but pasta, although I am definitely not complaining since I love Italian food (however, there is not a lot of food options other than Italian in Rome). After that we checked into our hostel which was in the Red Light District, which is actually a great area to stay. We were right next door to lots of restaurants, pubs, and other similar establishments.

The city is actually very clean and all of the people we met were super nice. It is a great city and I would definitely love to come back some day.

Most of the trip, we just hung out, ate, and explored the city. It was very cool just to chill for a couple of days. We did get a good amount of sightseeing in, however. We visited the Van Gogh Museum, which was cool to see some of the original paintings of one of the most famous artists to have ever lived. We also went to the Anne Frank House, and actually walked through the rooms where her and her family hid from the Nazi's. It was an amazing experience and it was cool to be somewhere that I have been learning about my whole life.

We also went to the Heineken experience, which was the coolest tour I have ever been on. Lots of interactive stuff, and lots of free beer! Definitely a must do if you are ever in Amsterdam.

It was a great first trip of the semester! Next stop: London!

Part of the scenery in Amsterdam...so much more beautiful in person 

The building where Anne Frank & her family hid from the Nazi's in WWII

Traditional Dutch Meal- Potatoes and carrots with gravy and a meatball. So filling and delicious!

Saying "cheers" after our beer tasting lesson at the Heineken Experience

This place has over 100 different types of pancakes! So delicious. I had the Greek Pancakes, which was basically like a giant gyro.