Amsterdam.

I was kind of hesitant to join my friends in Amsterdam because I am not into drugs and definitely not into prostitution (in case you didn’t know). Butttt I am so glad that I decided to go because it was one of my favorite cities in Europe! I didn’t know what a pretty city it was!

It was our first time flying on Ryan Air, which everyone raves about because it is so cheap…about 16 euro for a roundtrip flight. They fail to mention how inconvenient, tiring, and stupid the airline is. Dad, you thought Scandavian Air was bad…it’s got nothing on Ryan “Shitty” Air. You have to pay to check a bag, you can only have ONE carry on (not even an additional purse or anything), your carry on can only weigh a small amount, you have to print your boarding pass at home or pay a penalty, there is no assigned seating so you have to stand in line at the gate for a good 40 minutes before getting on the plane, AND they fly into random airports, which aren’t even in the city of where you are headed. For example, we had to take an hour and 45 minute bus to Pisa…flew from Pisa to “Amsterdam,” but then had to take a 2 hour bus into Amsterdam. So for a flight that was 1.5-2 hours, we were traveling for 12 hours. Realll fun! 

I felt at home in Holland since the fam and I took a cruise on Holland America Cruise Line this summer…hahaha I told my friends.... “I’m surprised a lot more people don’t recognize me since I sailed on Holland America!” Haha as you can see, I still have a great sense of humor :) We stayed at Shelter Jordan Christian Hostel because we heard nice things about it, and mainly because we got French toast each morning!

The first day we went to the Van Gogh museum…it was such a great experience. I remember growing up studying about him, and attempting to paint some of his most famous paintings in my art classes as a young girl. It was funny though because I think that one of his most famous paintings was “Starry Nights” and everyone was so excited to see it in person. However, one by one each of us learned that “Starry Nights” wasn’t in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam….instead it is on display in New York…go figure. I really enjoyed the museum, and I think a lot of it is because I appreciate art a lot more after taking my painting class this semester. I really liked one of his paintings and I would love to get a print of it for my bathroom.

So there I was taking a picture in a museum that didn’t allow picture taking (don’t judge me)! I used my phone, so I figured I wouldn’t be as obvious…I played it really cool, but I guess not cool enough. The guard grunted at me, so I smiled and put my phone away :) Although, it didn’t stop me from taking a picture later of THIS GUY…who falls asleep in the Van Gogh museum???

And clearly he is not just “resting his eyes” like dad likes to do, this guy found a spot and passed out.

That night before going out we spoiled our dinner with these lovely treats…this is what happens when you are living on a budget. We all went in on the most random snacks, but let’s not lie they were all delicious! Yup…that’s Nutella, peanut butter, fruit, and a block of cheese!

The next morning we woke up really early in hopes of getting into the Anne Frank House. We tried to get there right before they opened, but that didn’t work. I swear people in Europe get a kick out of making Americans look stupid. All we had to do was take the tram one stop, but managed to miss the first stop. Then we had to change trams, going in the other direction…fun times! We got right into the Anne Frank House, which made me really happy. We all learned about the Holocaust and read a book about Anne Frank when we were in middle school, so it was nice to have the opportunity to experience and enter the building where they were in hiding. It was crazy to be in the building knowing that she lived there with her family not that long ago. It was a very small museum, but nonetheless very impacting. It gave me the chills to read entries in her journal and watch videos of her family and friends. It was extremely heart wrenching, but I am very glad that I had the opportunity to experience something so significant. But then I proceeded to fall down the stairs walking to the first floor. I swear I am not a complete ditz… I just enjoy sharing these stories cause they make my blogs a little more enjoyable. 

We grabbed a bite to eat then headed to the Heineken Brewery.

As I was waiting in line I realized that a beer brewery was probably a waste of money for me because I’ve realized that I am allergic to something in beer because I start to break out and my heart beats reallllly fast. Although, being that I am not 21 yet (wrote this before my 21st bday, but now I am LEGAL), I probably shouldn’t share that with my family members ;) It was actually a great experience…and my friends were more than willing to drink my beers.

It was very interactive, lots of information, and even a place to film and email a music video (you can ask mom for it if you want to see me make an absolute fool of myself)!



We had a lot of fun, it was well worth it! After that Caitlin, Olivia, Jeff, Matt, and I went to the famous “I Amsterdam” letters. The five of us kind of stuck together during the trip because it is hard to travel in big groups.

We all were laughing hysterically as Jeff took a picture in each individual letter, meanwhile everyone else visiting Amsterdam had the honor of having him in the background of their pictures. Imagine what this couple thought when they looked at their photos! 

We went on a nice walk along the canals before meeting the rest of the group at Sara’s Pancakes. Oh mannnn where do I even start about Sara’s Pancakes. I don’t think we knew what exactly we had in store for us, but we left there with the biggest smiles on our faces. We each ordered these hugggge pancakes, about 12 inches in diameter!

Olivia and I split an entrée one and a dessert one…they were delicious! After dinner we went to the red light district. I won’t go into detail, other than the fact that it was disgusting to see so many women selling themselves like that. We had seen a few swans prior to that evening, and it was so weird that there were almost a hundred swans swimming in the canals that went down the middle of the red light district. Extreme opposites.

The five of us separated from the group once more and found a nice little pub…we sat in a quiet little corner, ordered drinks, listened to music, and had really good conversations. We found ourselves really happy, all of us really enjoyed ourselves. I am really glad that I decided to go to Amsterdam…it has been one of my favorite cities, so beautiful, calm, and lots to do. 


Hugs and Kisses
Ciao, xoxo!