Amsterdam, Netherlands

When I booked my Europe trip, I was expecting Amsterdam to be full of activities and I will be filling up my schedule for the 1 week here, however 3 months prior to my trip and I do some research on things to do here, I was rather underwhelmed and there were blank spaces as far as my monitor can squeeze in.

After seeing that there aren't going to be much to do in Amsterdam, I decided to cut it short and book a weekend trip to Paris instead. Even though my time in Amsterdam is short, roughly 3 days, I feel like it is already much more than what I needed.

DAY 1:

My first day arriving in Amsterdam have been pretty much short, since it was raining and cold, I went to Dam Square as I have also pre-purchased ticket to the palace, which was scheduled to open when I bought the ticket a few months ago but they decided to close it until the weekend, which I will no longer be there. After being disappointed for not being able to do the tour, I stroll around the city and did some window shopping. Since it was really cold, and without my winter clothing I decided to head back to my Airbnb.

DAY 2:

The first item on my itinerary was to the Eye Museum/Adam Tower, since I was still jet lag and got there pretty early, I managed to catch the sunrise and eat a croissant I bought from Albert Heijn. After finishing my food, I took the ferry back to Centraal and got on the metro to Albert Cuyp market, Google told me that it opens at 9am but when I got there the stalls are still setting up, so I walk the length of the market and see some stalls that have already finish set up. As I was walking past this fried Chicken stall, the guy called me over and gave me a free chicken wing, I am not a big fan of wings but I can't turn down free food can I? Not long after finishing the length of the market, it started pouring so I got on the tram and head towards Voldelpark, which the sun started shining again and manage to have a good walk around the park. Since the park is close to the House of Bols, I hop on the tram and head towards there. The experience there was rather unique, the experience started with a self guided tour explaining the origin of cocktail and how it is being made into the liquid. The tour lasted probably under half hour as I took my time, and at the end of the tour is a voucher for a free cocktail, so I ordered a Mai Tai cocktail, there was a slightly weird taste to it that I didn't really like but overall it is a good experience and I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in cocktails. After the House of Bols, I decided to call it a day and head back to my Airbnb to pack up as I will be checking out the next morning. Half way through packing I was feeling tired and decided to take a power nap, however it turned into a full sleep that wasn't planned, but given it is only my 2nd day, I pretty much listen to my body and let it do what it wants. After 6 hours of sleep, I got up at 1am and decided to stay up for a bit to continue packing as I don't want to rush in the morning.

DAY 3:

I check out of my Airbnb at 10am, left my luggage in town as my bus to Paris doesn't leave until right before midnight. I got on the canal cruise tour which takes 1.5 hours, managed to see parts of Amsterdam that I've missed during my very quick 3 days here. After the cruise, I went into a cafe near the Sea Palace, a famous landmark left by the Chinese. I had a few hours there to get some work done, it was rather busy but a great hiding spot from the wild weather going on outside. At 6pm, I went to search for dinner, a Vietnamese restaurant I found that is under the cheap eats category,

they are near the Red Light District so I thought it is a good spot to head over after. The dinner was good but it is also the most expensive Pho I have ever had once I convert the currency back into NZD. After dinner, Red Light District is my last stop, seeing a sea of red lighting up both sides of the streets separated by a river, and being curious I went into the museum of prostitution where they have stories about women who worked in the red light district and also the mysterious murders that happened before the government provided regulation for prostitution and protection from the police. Walking along there, you can see police presence not far apart and they are a good way to ensure that workers are being protected. As I have completed all the itinerary and had another 3 hours left, I went into one of the McDonald's in the city to hide out from the cold before catching the bus to Paris.

CONCLUSION:

Amsterdam is a nice city to visit but I feel like it's been slightly overrated, being one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, where there is more tourist than residents. My 3 days in Amsterdam felt more than sufficient to have a good taste of what Amsterdam is all about, of course there are the tulips during the season or more out to the city towards the countryside of Netherlands that may have something different to offer, but with limited time and budget, most people would probably be spending them around the hot spots. Amsterdam is also well known for being drug legal, you can smell weed walking on the street, you can also see the "coffee shops" where they sell weed instead of coffee. If that is

something you are interested in, Amsterdam is the place you can do it legally. There may be other drugs that are not prohibited in the Netherlands and you may be able to get your hands on, but of course use sensibly and cautiously, and don't pack any leftovers unless you want to get sent to jail. I have been offered highly dangerous drugs through Grindr (gay hookup app) and I am not sure what the regulations here are regarding those, since you can get your hands on it pretty much anywhere in the world even if it's illegal. Would I be going back to Amsterdam, probably not without any good reason, there are also plenty of festivals going on that are world famous such as the ADE which is happening a week after I leave, and as much as I would like to attend that, I am not gonna be staying there for 1 whole week unless I have plenty of time and money to spare, but I am trying to maximise my cash which would not work for this occasion.

PHOTO: https://photos.app.goo.gl/9FNVHxbDMUJczx6s9