Happy Halloween ya trick! I surely hope your Halloween is filled with more treats than tricks; but if the trick is good, maybe you should go with the flow, feel me?
I’m finally getting settled back into my everyday routine from being on vacation for the better portion of this month. My girls and I have been country hopping all over Europe doing what we do best: shenanigating, shamelessly flirting with European men, drinking delicious wine by the bottle, eating even more delicious pastries, and becoming friends with the locals. To sum up this trip and in the words of my dear Panda “Europe is so vibey.” From the history, lifestyle, food, fashion, and people, I could not get enough of this beautiful continent. We traveled to Amsterdam, Budapest, Malta, and Madrid and had an amazing time during the process.
In the upcoming weeks, I will be posting about my trip by city and duration. For me, the hardest part about traveling is timing. I always feel like there is never enough time to see and do what the destination of choice has to offer. Stayed tuned for post on how I got through 24, 48, 72 hours in Amsterdam, Budapest, Malta, and Madrid.
24 HOURS IN AMSTERDAM
You’d be surprised at how much you can accomplish in 24 hours. Our flight landed at the Amsterdam Schipol Airport at 7:30 AM on Saturday and was scheduled to leave at 4:05 PM the following day. Not much time right? Well you’re right, but you’re also wrong. We actually got to see quite a bit of the city in a short period of time. Now of course, prior planning was a must in this case. The main objective is to establish what is absolutely imperative for you do while in the city. For us, it was important to see the city as a local. As soon as we landed, we stopped by the hotel, dropped our bags, and went straight out to experience what the day had to offer.
Amsterdam by Day
Our day officially started at the National Monument in Dam Square to do a walking tour of the city. Pros: It was a great way to seen some of Amsterdam’s main attractions such as the Royal Palace, Red Light District, Anne Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum. We didn’t actually go through the museums because of time constraints. Fortunately, I’ve been to Amsterdam before and had the opportunity to visit these Anne Frank house and Van Gogh museum (that can take up a whole day in itself). If you have the time though, it’s definitely worth checking out. [Pro-tip: buy tickets in advance. It’ll say you a ton of waiting time.] It was also FREE!!! This is one of Amsterdam’s free walking tours. For a free service, the quality of the tour is pretty good. FYI: The tour guides do make their money off of tips, so don’t be stingy. Cons: The shit was long man. LOL. It was about a 3 hour walking tour. We did a solid 2 hours before we called quits and left the group in search of food. Don’t judge us, judge yourself.
We had lunch at this super cute outdoor restaurant called Café de Paris. Not much to say here. Food was delicious, wine was beyond refreshing, and the service was hilarious.
After lunch it was only right to follow up at the infamous Green House coffee shop. This ain’t ya aunties local coffee shop. Literally everyone who appreciates marijuana even in the slightest and has traveled to Amsterdam has also been to this shop. Green house has seen everyone imaginable. From celebrities to paupers, we all stop here to experience the freedom of blazing uninhibited or judged.
Around 6:00 pm we started to slow down a bit. We did some casual strolling, shopping, and eating the best damn cheese samples and churros I have ever tasted! (Not at once btw). After like an hour, we went back to the hotel to relax and nap before touching the road.
Amsterdam by Night
Besides being known for its wonderful laws about marijuana use, Amsterdam (by night) is also known for its scandalous Red Light District. This was my second time there and well, things have certainly changed. Now whether it’s for the better or worse is an entirely different post all together. What I will say, whatever you imagine it to be, you’re more than likely correct. After what seemed like an eternity, we left the RLD, stopped for some tasty ass street food, and called an uber to Melkweg club. We got there around 1:30 am and it was alive AF. The music was dope (I appreciated the mix of top 40 and old school hip-hop and reggae). We danced, drank, smoked, and overall had a bomb time. 4 stars.
We didn’t return to the hotel until around 6:00 am the following morning. It was a long night, but definitely worth it. When we finally got up, there wasn’t enough time to head finish site seeing in time for our flight, so we packed our things, checked out of the hotel, and used the afternoon to roam countryside, take pictures, and have lunch before leaving for the airport.
That was pretty much Amsterdam for us in a nut shell. If you’re traveling to Amsterdam soon and are in need of some advice, holla at me. Depending on how adventurous you are, I’m sure you can fit in one or two more activities, but for them, we, us, this was what we could handle. I’ll be sure to leave details for everything we did below. Next up: Budapest. Until next time, xxx.
Info:
- New Amsterdam Walking Tours: Dam, 1012 JL Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Café de Paris: Rokin 81 – 83, 1012 KL Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Green House Centrum: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 191, 1012 EW Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Melkweg: Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 1017 PH Amsterdam, Netherlands
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