I visited Amsterdam in August of 2013, towards the last leg of my three month Euro-trip. I was previously in Munich with my friend, Lillie. She had made some new friends there and decided to stay longer. I, on the other hand, was ready to move. I let her know where I was staying and then I was off.
After a long train ride I made my way to Hostel Utopia, whose reception area conveniently doubled as a coffee shop. Which is exactly why I chose to stay there, not gonna lie. I ended up sharing a room with 3 young Italian men, and a mysterious man who resembled Snorlax. He also snored, a lot. None of them seemed like they cared to be my friends, which was fine because I had just made my first special Amsterdamian purchase and wanted to make use of it.
I spent the whole next day doing nothing but wandering, sitting, watching, and smoking. I couldn't get over how incredibly aesthetically pleasing this place was. The buildings all had an old-time attraction to them. Around every corner was another cobblestone street lined with bicycles and filled with character. I made my way through the maze of canals and bridges, turning which ever way my little heart desired, no care to look at a map.
And then, as I was relaxing in my bunk bed one afternoon... who walks into my room? LILLIE DOES. I wasn't expecting her. Actually, I had just spent the last 48 hours worrying about where she was and what she was doing, considering I hadn't heard from her since I left Munich. I had no idea when she was coming, or if she even was. Her arrival was met with shouts and squeals and a lot of hugging. Luckily, the room had been deserted by the other guests before our reunion took place. The next few days were filled with narrow staircases, dutch pancakes, and coffee shops.
Our days didn't differ much. We found so much enjoyment in just walking around and checking things out. People watching, drinking coffee, and seeing what kind of trouble we could get into. We hung out at Vondle park quiet a bit, and still didn't even make our way around the whole place. The pace of life here was perfect. Everyone seemed so content with just chilling out.
Oh, and did I mention all the cheese shops? Where you could just walk in and sample loads of different cheese and other things that you can put on top of the cheese. If I remember correctly, we went into 3 or 4 different ones within 30 minutes. And then we got french fries covered with mayo, in true European fashion.
We spent a whole hour walking through the Red Light District, with intentions of coming back later for a "night out". However, we made the decision of purchasing a space cake upon arrival to the hostel.... and never made it out. We passed out, hard. I believe we both woke up at one point and decided that we couldn't possible leave, and went right back to bed.
And then I woke up with a cat in my bed. I like sprawling my clothes out among the bottom of my bed, really helps me keep things organized. So, I was in the process of waking up when I felt something soft and furry. I didn't remember having any furry clothes, so I mustered all the energy I had to take a peek at the bottom of my bed. Unfortunately, after snapping the picture below, my new friend realized I had woken up and darted away. I assume the little guy came in through the window, but I don't think he escaped that way. I wish he would have stayed to cuddle a little longer.
So there it is, a measly account of my time in Amsterdam two + years ago. That's what I get for waiting too long to write a post.
