Absurdly Awe-Inspiring Amsterdam

Welcome to post number 5! Thus far, we've traveled to 4 delightful cities in the United States, but I thought for a special half way point in our adventure we should fly over to the other side of the pond for a spell, and visit Amazing Amsterdam, Holland!

Fifth Stop: Venice of the North, Jamaica of Europe, The Happiest City on Earth

I was especially excited to write about this post, as I've been to Amsterdam twice and it is one of my favorite places to visit. My older sister Claudia spent her spring semester abroad there last year, and I swear she talks about it everyday; it's one of those cities where when you leave, you leave a part of your heart there because it is that special to you. Everyone is so nice and welcoming and everything is clean and safe.  I envy those insanely beautiful Dutch people for being able to be there everyday. Picking just three places is an insult to the perfection that is the entire city. Honestly, you can just walk around for hours and I swear you will find something to keep you entertained for every moment. However, for the sake of consistency, I will pick destinations that if you only have time for three things, these are a must!

1) Keukenhof: Amsterdam Tulip and Flower Festival
The first stop in the best city in the world is actually about 30 minutes south of Amsterdam (by bus), in a small town called Lasse. There from late March to mid May, this gorgeous festival alone is worth the trip to Holland. Since its official opening as a Spring park in 1949, this park boasts of 800 different varieties of tulips alone (not counting all the other types of flowers they have) from 100 royal suppliers, meaning they are of the finest quality. With 10 gardens, not including an indoor pavilion, you can get pleasantly lost for hours in the sea of beautiful colors. 

Unfortunately, I came early in the season, so most outdoor buds weren't blooming, which is why the above pictures aren't as vibrant as they should be. However, the indoor pavilion was breathtaking. I wish I could add in all the pictures I took, but instead of putting in 200 pictures, I will choose the few that best describe the feel of the enormous greenhouse. (It is important to note that the smell of thousands of flowers followed you everywhere you went, which was AMAZING!!)

 

2) Auschwitz Monument in Artis Park 

This is such a great park to sit by a canal and eat lunch or relax on a nice day. However, the most touching thing in is it a monument on the right that looks like it’s made of glass. It’s actually a beautiful story-after World War II, the countries that were occupied and sent Jewish people to Auschwitz were allowed to go to the camp to collect an urn full of ashes. The ashes were originally laid in a cemetery, but since there were so many visitors, the city decided to build a monument in remembrance. If you look down at the ground, there are panels of the mirror with broken glass. The artist who designed this monument did that on purpose for this reason: the sky above Auschwitz might always be blue, but it will be forever cracked. It’s a really beautiful monument that most people walk by, but it’s definitely worth knowing about it. Also, if you look on the top of the monument, you’ll see little pebbles. It’s a Jewish tradition to leave small rocks on top of places of remembrance out of respect. This is definitely not a touristy location, it is quite and off to the side, but it is so serine and respectful that you leave with a profound sense of peace. 

3) Food

I have to be honest, I was a little iffy about Dutch food, I mean, it's not like they're really known for their fine cuisine! I wasn't expecting much, and being someone who eats just about everything, I wasn't too worried. But boy, was I wrong- the Dutch know how to cook!! And since they don't have a main type of food, they have had time to work on perfecting every other type of food in the world. Unfortunately, a lot of the names of restaurants got lost in translation and I can't remember them, but I do remember the charming area where each of these places are located. Called 9 Streets because of the 9 streets (called 1st street- 9th street, simply enough) that make it up, this area is full of amazing restaurants and stylish boutiques- perfect for lunch and a day of shopping! One restaurant that is hard to forget is called 'Pancakes! Amsterdam'. They had the best pancakes ever, I'm even comfortable saying they'd put IHOP out of business. It was constantly packed, but if you time it right (the best time is Wednesdays at 12) you would have a life changing pancake expierence. Other mouthwatering foods include:

Mint Tea: available in most restaurants and perfectly refreshing

Fries-in-a-Box: perfectly crispy, these fries are pared with a tangy marinara sauce that makes them a perfect snack

The most perfect burger I've ever had, I miss it everyday

An out of this world crepe with cheese, pepper, onion, spinach, and mushrooms  

A bagel from a small unassuming shop- with turkey, brie cheese, pesto, nuts, avocado and lettuce