Hey There Amsterdam

December 2013 Christmas break was the first time I stepped foot out the country. My family blessed me with the best graduation gift, a passport and trip to Amsterdam! Now in 2015 I had another opportunity to explore even further in the city of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, Netherlands will forever be our second home after we met Edgar Lintang and his family. He was in service with my uncle John, so it was nice to meet a friend of John’s that lived in the area. They welcomed us to their home and family, giving us a tour of their home town Zwolle. This is where I found a new treat that I’ve grown to love called stroopwafel.

A WAFFLE COOKIE WITH CARMEL SYRUP-LIKE FILLING↓

Our first trip to Amsterdam was made more personal because we had natives guiding us through the cultural side of Amsterdam. Our new friends showed us the windmills of Holland where I learned that cheese is a big thing in this country and tried a variety of different kinds of cheese. We were exposed to the inner city nightlife as well, but on our own my family visited:

THE HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE

THE HOUSE OF BOLS

THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT

FLEA MARKETS

Now, in the summer time, me and my grandma were the only ones traveling to Amsterdam and we made it our mission to see as much as we can in the short period of time we were here. She’s the best traveling partner because she’s is always ready for an adventure. This is why it did not take us long to conquer transporting around the city Amsterdam, even with the language barrier and the differences in transportation. Amsterdam has a tram, bus, and train, but that didn’t stop us from finding our way around!

AMSTERDAM STREETS X MY GRANDMA AND I

OUTFIT DETAILS

SHIRT→ GIFT FROM BESTFRIEND

SKIRT→ $3.49 VALUE VILLAGE

SHOES→ $6 U FINE CONSIGNMENT​

We accomplished our very goal and in 3 DAYS we manage to visit:

MADAME TUSSAUD WAX MUSEUM

THE ICE BAR

THE JEWISH HISTORICAL MUSEUM

THE PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE

ARTIS ROYAL ZOO

THE PROSTITUTION MUSEUM

THE HASH & MARIJUANA MUSEUM

OUR EXTENDED FAMILY IN ZWOLLE

ESPRIT OUTLET.

We didn’t make it to any malls, but we found Esprit outlet by our hotel and they had a sale going on. I found these comfortable and cute heels for a thrifty price of 15 EUROS!

Check out my trip to Amsterdam in a nutshell ↓

FUN FACTS ABOUT AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam is 6 HOURS ahead of the US

Large windows are common in architecture

There is a separate road with traffic lights just for bikes

You can plant up to 3 plants of marijuana on your porch

A raccoon is considered zoo animals

Mercedes are also used as Taxis

There’s an IKEA in almost every city

Children ride around in wagons like this ↓

This trip was a positive get away from school and work. I stepped out my comfort zone and tried new foods. I bonded with my grandma, while learning about the culture of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is a great place for self expression because over there everything is laid back. They have a low on crime rate, speeding is okay, prostitution is legal , and drinking and smoking marijuana is legal at 18. All these factors make this city unique and envious because people there are more happy. Less restricts, less worries. The dutch people are so helpful and very fluent in our language. Their humor and accents are cute and I haven’t ran into one who was rude.

There is always something to do for all ages so you will won’t ever be done exploring Amsterdam. All the attractions are close to the city and the city buses and trams run every 5 to 7 minutes, but walking and biking riding is highly promoted in this country. Having sidewalks and personal roads just for bikes will persuade anyone to get a bike and travel down the beautiful streets of Amsterdam!

I LEAVE YOU WITH SOME BEAUTIFUL PICTURES OF THE CITY!

HAPPY TRAVELING!