A Day In... Amsterdam
The morning began with a homestyle breakfast with the friends I made the night before. It was a beautiful morning outside, even though days before it was calling for rainy and overcast.
I opted out of a group tour to stroll the streets alone, wandering and getting lost in markets and walking along the Canel Belt. It's really a spectacular city with lots to do, considering that it's not very big at all. I paid a visit to the Museumkwartier (Museum Quarter) and went into the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. A dream come true. It was afternoon then, so I visited the Spiegelkwartier (literal translation: Mirror Quarter) with its gorgeous boutiques, florists, souvenir stores and pubs. I walked around a neighbourhood called Nieuwe Zijde which led me to the Palace on the Dam, and then to the Dam Square.
It was chilly out (about 10 degrees) but the sun was bright and warm and the pubs outdoor patio seating came equipped with blankets. It seemed like common culture that despite the cooler temperature, everyone still enjoyed sitting outside. A custom I think Canadians should adopt immediately. I sat for a meal and pints in Leidseplein at the south end of the Seventeenth Century Canal Ring. I people watched for over an hour and just soaked up the scenery and eavesdropped on conversations I couldn't understand. It's probably my favourite thing to do. The energy in the air was fantastic, and people just seem happy there. Everyone sat with friends, smoking cigarettes, drinking wine, having a laugh, enjoying life and all it's beauty.
The sun was starting to go down and the air got chilly so I decided to walk back to the hostel. I made new friends within minutes of settling in, at the pub downstairs, which also doubles as a popular local watering hole. I met a girl from South Africa who I had a mutual friend with in Botswana, and two best friends from Ireland. I met a guy from Toronto who teaches in London, England. I met a girl from Peru who has been traveling solo for just under 2 years. They were all amazing.
The pub started to fill up. They played good 90s music, they had great beer on tap, and just had all around super chill and welcoming vibes. After a few beverages, we decided to go for a quiet dinner before joining a bigger group of people on a pub crawl at a bar called Sugar Factory. We ended up in a gorgeous hole-in-the-wall family owned Italian dinner at a place called Tratorria Toto. It was delicious. The wine was light and flavourful, and the bolognese was to die for. We went to Sugar Factory, but only for a short while before deciding to visit a "coffee shop" and returning to the Flying Pig. By that point in the night, it was packed. Music was blasting, the disco ball catching light against the wall, I took a moment to look around and really soak in where I was at that moment. It was the kind of night you wished would last forever.