November 11th, 2016

It’s hard, but I think I’m confident enough to say that Amsterdam is my favorite city so far. As soon as we got there, something about it was just so incredibly beautiful. Although we only got to spend a couple hours in the city, I totally fell in love.

After a torturous bus ride with Mad, Tommy, and Jon, we finally arrived and headed to the Centraal (only Dutch word I know)Station. Kayla and two of her friends from Berlin let us put our backpacks at their AirBnB which was THE CUTEST. The girl that owned it had such a great sense of style and although it was tiny I would’ve moved in in a heartbeat. After hanging out for a bit we headed out to brunch and then to the Van Gogh Museum. Who knew Van Gogh had so many paintings??? I prob would have if I had paid closer attention in high school Art Appreciation class but it’s cool at least I know now! The museum was really interesting and I feel like I’m an expert on this guys super sad life now.

After the museum, we went straight to the IAMsterdam sign. Unfortunately the ice skating rink was still in the process of being set up but we did get some awesome pics with the sign. It was hilarious to watch everyone climbing on the letters and getting up was definitely harder than it looked.

Just when I thought the city couldn’t get prettier, the sun set and the white tree and bridge lights all came on. It was so beautiful. The canals lined with boats and the streets with bikes gave it such a quaint yet happening buzz. I’m guessing most people actually were buzzed based on the fumes but hey it was still incredible. I would go back right now if I could.

After getting pho, Maddie’s uncle Thomas (Gina’s younger sister Katie’s husband) picked us up and took us back to their place. They live in Den Haag (The Hague) which is one of the four major cities in Holland. Their house was super modern and comfortable and we really felt at home right away! They cooked us delicious and healthy meals, showed us around on the bikes, and the girls loved hanging with us. It was ideal to be in a house that felt like a real home for the weekend. Our apartment isn’t terrible but it was so nice to be able to stay with them.

ILY Amsterdam, I’ll be back soon!