amsterdam

Spring seems to be peeping around the corner and I couldn't be more excited for sun and warmer days. I long for the weather I had when I first visited Amsterdam in April two years ago. It was warm and sunny and made me fall in love with the city. When I went with two friends we made the bold decision to stay a good ways outside of the centre of the city. We chose to stay at a place called Lucky Lake hostel which was an amalgamation of small cabins and trailers with flamingoes adorning the showers and massive colorful animals all over the place. We ate in an old bus on mismatched china and basked in the warmth as ducks waddled up to steal parts of our toast.

We stayed for four days and had quite a mix of activities. Our first day was spent wandering the canals, exploring flower markets and eating lots of delicious food. Our second day we took a canal cruise in a boat for six people and I recommend doing that over the larger more touristy boats. We were able to snake through canals that the larger boats aren't allowed to sail in. After the boat tour we went to the Heineken factory and went for a traditional Dutch dinner. Our third day was my personal favorite day, we rented bikes from our hostel and biked through the Dutch countryside and saw windmills, cows and ate a wonderful lunch on a canal. Because the town was so small they only had the menu in Dutch and the bus boy had to try to translate for us. The day was full of sun and laughter and was so relaxing and just a general great day to be alive. Our last day we packed in the cultural sights and went to the Van Gogh museum in the morning and the Anne Frank house in the afternoon. Both were really amazing and I really recommend going to the Anne Frank house and booking tickets well in advance.

Amsterdam is an incredibly laid back city (maybe because of all the "coffee" shops?) and all the people were incredibly friendly. However, there are so many bikes. trams and cars that is worth your life to avoid getting hit by something. The food is to die for and I think it is the perfect springtime trip. Have any of you been to Amsterdam? Let me know some of your favorite things!