Eine kurze Reise: Amsterdam

So this post is late. Super late. I got busy, okay! Anyway, here it is now, so enjoy.

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Traveling around Europe is super weird. It’s so easy and inexpensive to book a trip to some of the world’s most notable cities, and you’re perpetually a just a hop, skip, and a jump away from a culture entirely different than the one in which you currently find yourself. Maybe that’s why everyone here is so big on taking vacations.

My first “international” trip outside of Germany was to, as the title states, Amsterdam. I went with ~10 other PPPler, so we rented out an entire apartment in the center of the city. Not really sure why Amsterdam was the destination of choice this go ‘round, but I was on board as soon as I received an invitation.

To be honest, I had virtually zero expectations going in. I mean, I expected to see old buildings and experience fresh, marine air, but other than that, I was along for the ride. I think I prefer it that way—when I’m not sure what to expect, everything is exciting once I get there. After 5 hours on a bus, arrival in the city was definitely excitement-worthy. However, one thing that really surprised me was that the outside of the city was weirdly similar to parts of Columbus, just less grungy. Until you get into the heart of Amsterdam, it could really be any American city.

From the bus, we took a train to get to the main station in the center of the city. That was where things got interesting. Stepping out of the train station, the first thing I saw was just a mass of bicycles. There were hundreds of them parked outside of the station, and people zipping by on a bikes every second. I was also confronted with a canal as soon as I stepped out of the main train station, and the smell of ocean air. It was wonderful. 

A large part of what I found so striking about Amsterdam was how obviously old everything in the center of the city is. I was gawking at the architecture for the entire trip: the elaborate government buildings, the narrow brick streets, the slightly catawampus houses—it never once got old. That, in conjunction with the sheer intensity of engineering that went into canals, makes simply pondering the existence of such a beautiful and complex place an easy way to pass the time. Then again, I am a raging nerd, so maybe only I would pass my time that way.

First night there and we happened to stumble upon the red light district. Cool to see, but not really where I wanted to be.
I guess seeing women paraded as sex toys just isn't my jam.

I was enamored with the reflections on the water. I have many more pictures of them than just this one...

The second day in the city, four of us went and rented bikes. When in Rome, right? Anyway, it was by far the best decision of the trip. Riding around the city was so much more fun than walking around it, and we were able to go everywhere. One thing that is frustrating about Amsterdam, though, is the total lack of vegetation. It makes sense: the canals and the houses make the streets very narrow, leaving no place for plant life, but that doesn’t make it any less weird when you realize you’ve been walking around the city for two hours and haven’t seen a single tree. Because all four of us that rented bikes are pretty nature-oriented, we spent much of our time biking around in search of parks. The parks are manmade, but they were created approx. 100 years ago. The trees and plants are very well established and very pretty, making them an excellent place to just chill.

Just a beautiful street in a beautiful city.

One of the parks we visited.

Eventually, we made our way outside the city where I ate one of the best sandwiches of my life. It was mostly goat cheese. 10/10. That’s another thing—the Dutch love their cheese. Especially goat cheese. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not complaining by any stretch of the imagination. My idea of a utopia has, much like Amsterdam, shops dedicated entirely to cheese on every street. I’m not really sure how much they pull in every year, but clearly it is a sound business model.

I didn't get a picture of my sandwich (I ate it really fast), but I did capture this adorable cappuccino.
I had two of them.

I did, however, manage to capture my last breakfast in the city. Worry not, I shared much of it.

And!!! We rented a boat to tour the canals. It was so pretty.

Above: The view of the buildings from the canals. Gorgeous, right?
Right: Entering the canals.

All in all, I thought Amsterdam was gorgeous. I had forgotten how much I love port cities—I remember visiting San Francisco about a decade ago, and one of the things I remember most clearly was the crispness of the air. Amsterdam’s air was no different, and it all made me really excited for my eventual move to Hamburg. Until then, though, it’s back to Cologne.

My last meal in Amsterdam. It's just a potato.