I have been to Amsterdam before when I was ten years old, so I never got to experience it in its entirety. Our plan was to only walk around and visit the Red Light District because we have not received our museum cards, which we can use to visit all the museums in the Netherlands for free. After all, we are broke college students.
I was amazed by how busy Amsterdam has become. In fact, 8 million tourists come to visit it every year, while only about 800,000 live there. It felt like we were sardines aimlessly swimming around trying to find our way through the streets.
Although, it was very packed, I still had a fantastic time because Amsterdam is so beautiful. The canals add a unique beauty to every street and people enjoying the cafes were all so fashionable!
Anyways, we enjoyed our meal at Foodhallen, which reminded me of the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It was a large building with different types of food, like American, Middle Eastern, and plenty of bars. I had a falafel sandwich, which was pretty tasty, but it was on the pricey side. After all, the prices in the Netherlands are like US prices, but luckily beers are cheaper. ;)
After exploring various neighborhoods, we went to the Smallest Pub in the Red Light District, where we drank some beer. The bar was tiny and cozy and we experienced something the Dutch call, “gezelligheid.” This word cannot be translated fully into English, but based on what our Dutch language Professor said, it can mean something like, “coziness,” or a “warm feeling among friends.” We had so much fun conversing and laughing, so I am glad I got to experience this feeling. Now, I can say this any time I feel happy and bubbly, which is quite often. :)
After our pub hangout, we went to walk through the alleys in the Red Light District. It was such a fascinating experience to see prostitutes in their rooms, while all of the people gaze at them. I did not really know how to act, so I just smiled at the girls any time I made eye contact with them. I was blown away by how gorgeous they all were -- their bone structure was unreal! It was also funny to see big groups of men walking through, and then cheering on their fellow friends when one of them would go into a room.
Anyways, we ended our night at a karaoke bar...and yes, we did sing “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
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