Amsterdam

After much excitement I finally I got the chance to head to Amsterdam and I must say it was an amazing weekend in a beautiful city.  We had three and a half days there which was the perfect amount of time.  We got to see and do just about everything we had on our list.  

After a little confusion at the airport we ended up arriving at our hostel a little later than planned but that did not stop us from wasting any time.  Of course our first stop was for food.  We sat outside at a little restaurant along a canal and got to take in the amazing scenery.  Afterwards, we walked around the area to try and familiarize ourselves in the hopes that it would make it easier to get around the next few days.  

Sunday came around and our first stop was the Heineken factory.  After being at the Guinness Factory in Dublin I was able to compare the two.  I must say I enjoyed the Heineken Factory more because it was a lot more interactive.  After that we walked around and went into a few museums, tried the famous fries and mayo and ended up in Dam Square. 

The following day we decided to venture out in the countryside of Amsterdam to see the windmills, how clogs are made, and eventually took a boat which end up at a cute little island where we had a cheese tasting and dinner.  Once we arrived back to the center of Amsterdam later on in the night we took a canal cruise all throughout the city.  Although it was dark the scenery was beautiful.  We had gotten a recommendation from a local to go up to the top floor of the Double Tree Hotel where there is a rooftop with a full panoramic view of Amsterdam, so without a doubt that was our next stop for the night after our canal cruise returned. 

The next morning we woke up bright and early to wait in line for about 2 hours to see the famous Anne Frank house.  Although the line was long the wait was well worth it.  Having been to another Anne Frank exhibit when I was younger prepared me a little for the tour of her house.

It was very obvious that we were tourists, everyone had said.  When we would speak to locals and mention all the places we had gone that was exactly what their responses were.  Although I love getting recommendations from locals, I sure do love doing all things touristy. 

With only a few hours left in Amsterdam we walked around and found a local ice cream shop that was recommended to us as well called Banketbakkery v.d. Linde.  The ice cream was made right in front of us which meant it had the freshest taste ever.  Not only was it the best ice cream I've ever had but it only cost 1 euro and 10 cents! For anyone who travels to Amsterdam I recommend this place 100%.  

After a little bit of a flight delay I arrived back in London and as sad as it is, my time here in London is almost coming to an end.