FOLLOW ME TO AMSTERDAM

I made a Youtube video compilation about my time in Amsterdam. If you look back at my history, you can see the blog posts I did back in December 2013. I thought you would like to see Amsterdam through my eyes. Subscribe to my YT channel: ima007ninja.

December 26, 2013: Madrid Round 2

"Travel teaches toleration." -Benjamin Disraeli
If I had not already said it before, I will say it now.  Travel is a true test of a relationship, whether it be with family, friends or a significant other.  Tensions can run high or you can experience travel euphoria.  Usually, it is a mix of the two.  I definitely think my friendship with my best friend has grown stronger through this journey.  We learned a lot about each other. We learned what makes the other one tick, makes the other one uncomfortable, and of course makes the other one laugh.

We started off with a walking tour of Madrid hosted my Sandemans New Madrid Free Walking Tour. I had gone to one in Amsterdam and thought it was such a priceless (get it?) experience and I really learned a lot about the city.  This one was not as great as the one in Amsterdam but still a quality tour regardless. After all, Madrid is not exactly the city of vice, but they do have a complicated story of succession of kings, one that I could not recall even if I tried.

After the tour we walked to the Templo De Debod which was a great FREE thing to see.  It's a very scenic attraction (one of my favorites pictures from the entire trip) and has an interesting backstory.  Look it up if you have the time.

We walked around the two squares Plaza Mayor and Puerta Del Sol again.  Eager to eat, we stopped at a little shop (and I mean little) and ordered two calamari sandwiches which I didn't know at the time was actually a very popular food item in Madrid.  They were pretty inexpensive too (flashback to all the times I payed a large sum to eat calamari in America).

That pretty much ended our last full day in Europe.  Susan, if you are reading this, thank you for everything.  I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else but you. Sidenote: How freaky is that dark cloud behind the Palacio Real?

December 16, 2013: Day Two in Amsterdam

"Maybe you had to leave in order to miss a place; maybe you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was." -Jodi Picoult

With my only full day in Amsterdam, I was determined to see as much of the city as I possibly could.  I started my day off with a breakfast provided by the hostel of two pieces of toast and a boiled egg.  But I’m not complaining.  At least they had breakfast. My first stop was De Niewke Kerk, the New Church, which was having an exhibit on the Chinese Ming Dynasty.  The exhibit was very enlightening and was full of many ancient Chinese artifacts.  I bought a gift at the gift shop to bring back for my Chinese teacher.  By this point, I had gotten the hang of navigating through the city by tram and I journeyed on to the Museumplein.  I took a photo of the famous Iamsterdam sign and went on to the Van Gogh Museum. 

The only problem with packing your schedule is that it leaves very little time to savour the museum. I had only spent about 45 minutes at the Van Gogh museum. I did this in order to make it in time for a free walking tour of Amsterdam by Sandeman’s New Europe Tour Company. They hold walking tours at most of the major cities in Europe.  Their tours are free but they operate on a tip-based service.  My tour was led by the wonderful Kendra who kept our entire group of 30 entertained for the whole 3 hours.  I tipped her a whole 5 euros for her amazing service.  I learned so much about the city that I never would have known (like why the De Oude Kerk aka the Old Church is in the center of the Red Light District) had I not gone on this tour.

As the day turned to night, I took the opportunity to wander around the Illuminade Walking Tour, held in conjunction with the Amsterdam Light Festival.  There were a few gorgeous pieces however at times it was hard to navigate.  My advice is to take the Watercolors Canal Cruise if you want to see most of the beautiful light pieces. However the compilation of lamps called “We Light Amsterdam” on the Walking Tour is a can’t-miss.  The end of the walking tour signaled the end of my day in Amsterdam.  And it was a great one.