This trip was completely unplanned. My friend that was living in Belgium, had his parents stopping by in Amsterdam for the weekend and I somewhat just tagged along.
So we hopped on a train and got off in Amsterdam, arriving there in the afternoon to meet up with his parents. After saying our hello’s we were off to the grocery store to get some food to make dinner. There we realized people return bottles, for money in the store, and you personally can put oranges in a machine to make freshly squeezed OJ to take home. Boy were we off to a great start!
That night, after dinner we headed to the Red Light District. It’s not as bad as it seems, while there are different streets, there are also shops and bars along the way. Once my friends parents left back to the airbnb, we went to the Leidseplein area for the rest of the night, before making our way back to the airbnb as well.
The following day we woke up and got ready. They had plans for the trip, including pre-booked tickets to the Anne Frank House (pictures below). So I just did my own thing for the most part of the majority of the day.
I checked out the Amsterdam sign, which was PACKED…It would be impossible to take any sort of picture with the sign in it. But I spent some time around the water, which was super chill. Especially since there were a bunch of performers around due to it being Art Square. A short distance away were all the art museums, including Van Gogh!
Next to the I Amsterdam sign, was the Royal Coster Diamond Museum, which gives free tours! Just go to their site, sign up, and show the confirmation when walking in. This was a great compliment to my London trip since Royal Coster has been a go to for many Royals, including Queen Victoria. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like history like that!
After having a diamond and art filled midday, I went walking around P.C. Hooftstraat, which is a street of upscale shops like Dior and Chanel. The street was just two streets over, and was a nice change from a museum/art filled area. From there I met up with my friend and his parents again, and we went to check out the Openbare Bibliotheek, Central Public library. While the views weren’t anything too special (contrary to reviews), the library was on a whole other level! I’d suggest just go for the library. The library is on the same street as the major train station, which is next to a parking garage for bicycles. Yes, bicycles! Which are EVERYWHERE! Word to the wise: be careful with the trolleys. They do not stop for anyone! Literally on a set schedule. My friend has seen someone get hit by a trolley while trying to cross the street on their bike. It’s no joke!
The weather wasn’t too bright at that time, as it was raining for majority of the afternoon, so we just stayed in for the rest of the night and played games.
The following morning we woke up and went on a hunt for an outdoor market… We didn’t find a market, but we found another I Amsterdam sign, where we were able to take pictures at! Then we were off to the train station, back to Southern Belgium, with a quick stop in Antwerp first!
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