So back in the throes of final year studentdom, already ill and therefore behind on my to do lists and self imposed schedule (yes I am a little Hermione Granger but it's fine). So I thought I'd procrastinate a little more to share my thoughts on my recent trip to Amsterdam with best friend 4eva Sam Phelps.
My second trip to Amsterdam was always going to be different from the first. Knowing where I was going, knowing what to expect and having some sort of idea of what I wanted to do, not to mention going with one guy compared with 5 girls definitely changes how things roll.
Firstly, my travel advice is to never ever decide to go for an early flight. You do not "get a whole extra day of holiday" you just arrive groggy and tired. And baring mind my travel companion is next to useless with directions, if I hadn't already known roughly where I was going, lostness would have ensued very quickly.
Amsterdam is definitely one of my favourite cities; this time a visit to the Heineken museum and undertaking a fantastic three hour walking tour my admiration for the place has increased tenfold (as has my appreciation of beer). They are definitely a vain sort of people, but the Dutch seem to have a lot of reason to think they are the coolest people in the world: naming themselves things like "Ballsack" to spite a French king? Promising Church towers and never delivering because they 'ran out of money' after building beautiful building for mail and stuff? That's the kind of humour I can definitely appreciate.
The quirkyness of the city is also fantastic. There are 600,000 bikes in a population of 800,000 and many buildings were purposefully made crooked because architects didn't click that making the bar at the top longer would actually be a more elegant solution to winching heavy goods to the top of narrow houses.
Obviously their liberal attitude towards drugs and sex is something to be in awe of. I saw awe, just because it can be put with "ful" or "some" to mean completely the opposite thing. I'm not entirely sure I agree the prostitutes are entrepreneurs, BUT I can understand the attitude that the police have biggest fish to fry, so regularly do.
All these things make me love the city, the people and food are both fantastic. Everyone is friendly and charismatic and you can buy unlimited ribs from as little as €10.
All this said... Could I live there?
In all honesty I really don't think I could. As much as I have enjoyed every second I spent in Amsterdam both years I went - I have literally no complaints, even the weather doesn't bother me, the city just isn't me. I can be free and fun and liberal while I'm there, but in reality... I like lists and hard work and rules. I'm not alternative, and I don't really think that besides the odd city break like this it's really something that factors into my personality.
I'm not saying this is a bad thing, far from it. I'm not too pompous to enjoy myself and appreciate how awesome life is there, I just think I would find it tiring and would long for a bit of British normality.
Maybe I'm just a bit boring. But, I got my unlimited ribs so I could die happy now whether or not that's true.
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