Amsterdam is probably the city I had heard the most about from others before beginning my trip into Denmark and the Netherlands. The Netherlands most popular city is also the birthplace of our wonderful tour guide Floris, who spend the first 22 days of the trip hyping his home city up! We took a speedy 30-minute train from Utrecht to Amsterdam and then we proceeded to our hostel and collected our bikes. I got the cutest blue bike which had a basket on the front and I was so sad to part ways with it. I do plan on buying a new bike in Eugene when I arrive back at home so this can serve as some inspiration for now! All was going well on our first day in the highly anticipated city, but then tragedy struck. COVID struck the group! Four people on the trip tested positive, including my best friend, and we were all pretty shaken and anxious (as it was our last week). We were also incredibly devastated to be missing such a large portion of our group on our last week. We began testing and masking everyday (following all COVID guidelines), however the Netherlands now has a far more relaxed approach to the pandemic. They do not offer PCR tests as easily anymore and no one wears masks. Rapid tests were also only $3 at the local grocery stores (which are on every corner). Anyway, I did not test positive during my time in Amsterdam meaning I was one of the fortunate ones who got to experience some of the culture there! 

On our second night in Amsterdam, we went out to dinner at a super cool vegetarian Asian-fusion restaurant. I noticed that Amsterdam was the most vegan and vegetarian friendly city we visited. Many of the other cities we visited (and lots of Europe from my understanding) eat a lot of meat, cheese, and bread; And while I do love cheese and bread alone, I missed food with good flavor and from other cultures. In Odense, when we found a super good Thai restaurant, we went three times! Now, to give these cities some credit, I am sure as a foreign tourist, I also did not know where to look for cultural foods, but overall Amsterdam seemed to have the widest variety of cultures and inclusivity. After our vegetarian dinner, we ventured on a sunset bike ride (at 10:30pm) and saw some of the city center! It was cool to see the cycling scene in the center, but also the cultural and social scene. The city center is very touristy, which is something I found I did not enjoy. It is also summer and peak traveling season, which adds to the crowds. When I asked Floris, our Dutch guide, how he felt about all the tourists, he said he did not mind at all and actually enjoys having them so he can ride past them on his bike really fast and scare them. Amsterdam’s beautiful canals, amazing restaurants, nightlife, activities, and more are extremely attractive to visitors! Though all the tourists and crowds stressed me out, I am glad I got to experience the tourism on a busy evening as I feel like it has become a part of Amsterdams culture. 

Here are the pics from our canal ride:

While in Amsterdam, we were lucky enough to have a private tour of the Anne Frank house. I read Anne Frank’s diary when I was younger and like millions of others was extremely moved by her beautiful writing and heartbreaking experience. Visiting the Anne Frank house is something I have always wanted to do and it was not underwhelming. I have not read Anne’s book in quite a while, so the refresher on her story was appreciated, but I also learned so much more about Anne and her experience, which I think is only possible to understand by being there. Of course, our tour guide explained many interesting facts related to Anne’s life in Amsterdam that are not included in Anne’s personally diary, but by being in the space where Anne and her family were in hiding for over two years was unreal. The entire museum feels like a scrapbook to me, with the remaining photos, magazine articles, etc that were found after the war displayed along with memorials of all those in hiding. Not to mention, the beautiful display of Anne’s original diary and writings. Beyond these physical aspects, being in the space and seeing what they saw everyday for over two years and picturing the group carrying out their daily routine was truly something I could not fathom. I am so grateful I got the chance to experience the Anne Frank house and get a better understanding of such a valuable story. 

On a lighter note, our second cultural experience was a canal boat tour with our Floris narrating and telling us all about the city, which though I may be biased was the best way to have a tour in my opinion. We all packed our snacks and beer into the boat on a sunny Saturday evening and embarked on our tour! Most of our ride consisted of all of us saying “hey Floris…what’s that building” and having him explain things to us, but I would not have it any other way. Now, though there are definitely canal tours that are very touristy, boating on the canal is definitely an important aspect of Amsterdam’s social scene and culture! Floris told us that growing up he had a boat that him and his family would take out on the canals. I also saw groups of friends out on smaller boats drinking and having a good time, a group of college aged students having a potluck on a boat, families with kids jumping in the water, older couples out on houseboats, and more! The vast canals that run through Amsterdam are truly enjoyed by everyone in the city. They are universal! Though I loved exploring Amsterdam by bike, I can confidently say that the canal boat ride is the BEST way to see Amsterdam in all of its glory.

That is all for my reflection on some of the little cultural experiences and things I noticed while in Amsterdam! I am devastated that COVID hit our group, but we made the most of our time! I hope you enjoyed this slightly different blog post! 

Yours,

Macy