I just returned from perhaps one of the most amazing weekends of my entire life from the dream city that is Amsterdam. Let’s start from the beginning…
Our flight was at 9 A.M. Friday morning at Gatwick Airport, so we left around 6:30 A.M. from London. After an extremely brief 1-hour flight, we arrived in Amsterdam. I love how easy it is to get around Europe! I realized when we arrived in Holland that it was the first country where I did not speak the language, but many people spoke English. After we landed, we made our way to our hostel, where the 5 of us stayed for the next 3 days. But there was no time for a quick nap, we had an entire city to explore! We saw the beautiful canals that navigate throughout the city and learned quickly how to dodge speeding bikes that are virtually everywhere. I didn’t actually think it was possible to smell the aroma of flowers in the air in a city, but it’s possible in Amsterdam.
We visited the Van Gogh Museum, which is heaven for any art lover. I was able to see Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Camille Roulin,” which has been very special to me since ever I was young. I received the book Camille and the Sunflowers when I was little, and that began my love affair with Van Gogh (I felt special there was a famous painting with my name, even if it was of a boy!). We also saw some of his most famous paintings, such as “Sunflowers,” “The Bedroom at Arles,” and “Self-Portrait with Straw Hat.” I’ve said it before, but it’s always amazing to see things that you’ve only seen in books or online.
The following day, we were quite the busy bees. We first took a tour of the Heineken Brewery, which I highly recommend you do should you ever find yourself in Amsterdam. We learned the proper way to taste beer, learned a Dutch song, and saw the Heineken horses.
Later that night, we took a sunset boat tour of the canals, which was absolutely breathtaking; Amsterdam is a beautiful city. We enjoyed the views of the water and watched the sunset, it could not have been better. During that boat ride, I truly realized what an incredible moment it was that I was experiencing. Here I was in a foreign country with four people I had only met a few weeks before, and yet it was like we were old friends. As cheesy as it sounds, being abroad together really bonded us.
Amsterdam is an amazing city and I’m very grateful I had the chance to visit there. It was a trip I will never forget!
https://www.instagram.com/p/ugrMuHGdqa/?taken-by=camille_mola
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