Ok, so the last few weeks have been... interesting.. I can't remember if I blogged about Amsterdam yet.. don't think I did, but it was fantastic! So far my favorite CITY in Europe. I feel like that was because I didn't go there with any real expectations on what it should be like, so I didn't set it up for failure! : ) As great as Paris and Rome were (ok Paris wasn't great.. it was yucky..).. I thought they would be these magical places, which they were not! Don't get me wrong, there are magical places INSIDE these cities, but the cities themselves were just.. well.. cities!
Back to Amsterdam... Everett took me as a birthday present and we went with another couple with whom we are great friends, Jonathan and Ashley Taylor!
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| Ashley and Jonathan Taylor |
We didn't really DO much, but we SAW a lot! On the very first day we were there, we got to know just how much walking we would be doing, so on the second day we decided to rent bicycles for the remainder of the trip. At first, Ashley and I thought this idea was completely stupid as we were swerving in and out of traffic, that included large trams that did NOT stop! I, of course, haven't rode a non-stationary bike in about 10 years.. and considering my past track record, which may or may not include running into a parked vehicle, I started off on the bike very, very wobbly! By the second half of the day, I got my confidence and did much better! Although whenever I had to maneuver in tight spaces my wobbliness came back!
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| Me on the bike in front of our apartment! |
Anyway, the bikes ended up being a brilliant idea. They allowed us to get to and from places quickly, which enabled us to see more! The downside was that I was unable to take pictures while riding, but I have a lot of mental images! : ) What we got to do was: go to both the Albert Cuyp market and the Flower market (Bloemenmarkt), the Heineken Brewery Experience, Anne Frank House, and the Red Light District. We didn't really DO the Red Light District, but we definitely spent a few evenings there people watching..
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| Everett and I in front of a windmill. |
We stayed in a really cute apartment in a really nice part of town. Of course I forgot to take pictures of inside the apartment, but just trust me.. it was cute! The canals there were beautiful.. no pictures could ever do it justice! It was just a really great time with really great friends! We did not get to go out to the tulip fields, they were just beginning to bloom, and we were having so much fun in the city that we didn't want to take away our time by finding a way out into the country! I did get to see one little tulip blooming while I was riding my bike and that was enough for me!
Overall, I found Amsterdam to be a very interesting city, with plenty to do, wonderfully kind people who spoke English, beautiful sites to see, and a place I could actually see myself living! I can't say that about any of the larger cities I've visited thus far! If you would like to view more photos of my trip you can do that here!
30 before 30 Page
So I installed a new page to the blog called 30 before 30. It's just a page listing 30 goals I want to accomplish before I turn 30. Now I have 4 years to do this, but as I'm sure you have experienced, 4 years can FLY BY!! Some of the goals are serious, some are silly, but I hope to accomplish all within the next 4 years!
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