The Wonderful City that is AMSTERDAM

My friend and I really wanted to make a trip to Amsterdam, originally planning to go for a whole weekend.  However, it proved difficult for us to find a place to stay, so we decided to only go for a day.  We left for the airport at about 3:30 am and didn't get back until midnight!  I was so tired I slept on both flights, even though they were pretty short (about 90 min, with an hour time change).

Immediately we both loved Amsterdam.  They were super nice to us at immigration, and the public transportation system was pretty good too (I totally judge a city by its public transportation.
It's not the only factor that goes into my opinion of a city-for instance, Rome's sucked, and I loved Rome- but it is important).  We took a train from Schipol airport to Amsterdam Centraal, and getting off the train I could just sense an awesome vibe right away.

Loving the canals

This was the second canal-based city I visited, and I must say, canals are really cool.  However, the difference between Amsterdam and Venice is that Venice is almost entirely canals and small bridges, which Amsterdam had a mix of canals and roads.  The cool thing about Amsterdam is that biking is very highly promoted, and driving cars is discouraged.  It was nice to see so many people riding around on bikes, which really helps the traffic (especially in a canal city).

We hadn't really eaten much of a breakfast, we we decided to find somewhere to eat.  Along the way, we passed a head shop!  I knew weed is legal in the Netherlands, but it was still so crazy to see a store so obviously selling something that was illegal in every other place I had been to in my whole life.

We passed by a restaurant called Sara's Pancake House, so we obviously had to eat there.  I've discovered that in Europe, pancake means crepe.  I now knew I liked crepes because of Paris, and was super excited to eat my nutella and banana crepe.  SO GOOD.

You knew it had to be delicious.

And it was.

We then walked around the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam, which is known for its leftist politics, music, art, food, and, of course, drinks.  It was a really cool neighborhood, and probably the most famous in Amsterdam.  In the Jordaan we went to a coffee shop.  I'll leave it at that ;)

Still can't believe they sell these!

Then, we strolled though a flower market (tulips are really big in Holland), where they sell not only flowers, but also cannabis starter kits! Crazy.  We then walked to the Rijksmusem, and took some pictures at the very crowded "I amsterdam" sign.  We had bought our tickets to the museum online ahead of time, allowing us to skip the queue.  The Rijksmuseum, also known as the Museum of the Netherlands, is a Dutch art and history musem, featuring works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and other famous Dutch artists.  It was interesting to compare the Rijksmuseum to the Louvre.  The Rijksmuseum is smaller, obviously, but has the artwork signs in both Dutch and English (the Louvre only had signs in French)!.  Dutch art isn't necessarily my favorite, but it was awesome to see some of Van Gogh's pieces, as well as De Nachtwatch, or The Night Watch, by Rembrandt, which is probably the most famous Dutch paining.  It's also huge.

My attempt at a picture among the huge crowd; the Rijksmuseum is behind the sign.

Just chillin

Self portrait by Van Gogh

De Nachtwatch by Rembrandt

We had planned on renting bikes and riding them in the Vondelpark, which is a really pretty and well known park in Amsterdam near the Rijksmuseum.  However, it was pretty cold out and getting darker, and lightly drizzling, so we decided to just go for a walk in the Vondelpark instead.
A really cool thing about the Vondelpark is that there is a metal fence around a tree where people can hang up lost and found items, like umbrellas and gloves, and no one steals them.  It says "Findfence Respect Honesty Trust" on it, and I think it's awesome that Dutch people are so honest.  I feel like in America, people might be more likely to just steal things if they saw them on a lost and found tree.  This is one reason why I like the Dutch so much- they are so open and accepting and very chill- hence the legalized cannabis and prostitution.  They were not rude to me, and I got an awesome vibe from being there.

Entrance gate to the Vondelpark

Might be a little hard to see, but this is the Findfence

After that, we went to a restaurant for dinner, and then started to make our way back to the train station.  We wanted to see the Red Light District, De Walletjes (De Wallen in English), where there are 300 one room cabins where prostitutes offer services; however, it was only about 7 pm, and the night had yet to begin, so it was mostly empty.

One of my favorite places I've been to.

We then got a train back to the airport, and flew back to Dublin.  It was a very long and tiring day, but an experience I wouldn't trade for anything.  I wish I had more time in Amsterdam, and the Netherlands as a whole, and I definitely plan to go back.  This trip even made me want to learn Dutch!  It's possible that Amsterdam may be my favorite city I visted in Europe, and I would recommend it to everyone!