Amsterdam, March 2014

Hey there, fellow travel enthusiasts. I’m back from my second trip to Amsterdam, the land of weed and waffles. As this is my attempt at a travel blog, I’ll try to give you an insight into what this utterly cool city has to offer. So, on with trip tales!

Getting to the city centre

From Schiphol Airport, head straight to Amsterdam Centraal Station. In my experience, trains in the Netherlands are clean, comfy, and pretty damn punctual. National Rail, take note! Then, once you step out of the station, the exciting buzz of the city hits you immediately. There are trams and people everywhere, and even more bikes – as in where we have multi-storey car parks, Amsterdam has its own multi-storey bike park next to the station. Bizarre. Oh, and be warned about the bikes and trams – they’re lethal! The buildings are incredibly skinny, everyone has perfected that casual ‘I just threw this on’ chic that I can never achieve, and the smell of weed lingers everywhere. Yep, you’ve definitely arrived in Amsterdam.

Where I stayed

On this trip I stayed at the Acostar Hotel, about a 25 minute walk from the station. I recommend walking around Amsterdam where possible – it’s the best way to explore, and you can save yourself euros by not taking the tram - just don't forget your map! This relatively basic hotel is just around the corner from Leidseplein, a popular shopping and eating district (more on that later). Sure, there was a Coffee shop and a Sex shop next door, but hey – you’ll see these all over!  Mind you, the room I stayed in is better described as a bed with a room rather than a room with a bed – yup, it was kinda small. But the staff were pretty helpful, it’s not expensive and everyone speaks great English, so don’t stress if you don’t speak Dutch.

I’ll quickly mention the hotel I stayed in the first time I visited Amsterdam – The A Train. This is directly opposite Centraal Station – although you’ll have to weave your way through the deadly trams to get over there. The clue’s in the name; everything here is train-themed. In other words, if you were Sheldon Cooper, you would adore it! Again, a good little hotel if you’re trying to save money, and the breakfast is pretty nice.

What to eat
If you eat any Dutch cuisine while in Amsterdam, try Stroop waffles. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, these are absolute heaven and are found in almost every shop. For everything else, Amsterdam offers all the usual things – try eating from bakeries if you’re on the go to save money. And even though it’s not exactly local cuisine, one of my favourites is the Hard Rock Café. Situated in Leidseplein, it’s a bit like a much cooler version of TGI’s. The Hot Fudge sundaes are absolutely beautiful, and I got one for free using a token from the hotel! (At hotels in Amsterdam, you can pick up loads of different discount/free food tokens for different places, so I made use of a ‘Free Hot Fudge sundae when you buy a main course’ token for the Hard Rock Cafe. Get loads of them).

One of my favourite places to eat 

Never say no to a free sundae!

What to do
If you’re a culture vulture, Amsterdam won’t disappoint. For art lovers, there’s the famous Reijksmuseum or Van Gogh Museum, amongst others. Going along the canals on a boat trip is also a must – it’s a great way of seeing city highlights and learning about its history without taking a step! Some other places to stand and marvel are Dam Square (there’s the ultimate souvenir shop here), and Bloemenmarkt – the floating flower market where cannabis seeds for sale are abundant. But probably the most important and most memorable attraction is the Anne Frank House, at 263 Prinsengracht. It’s interesting, moving and everyone should see it. Obviously, not a place to have a laugh – which some people on my latest visit didn’t seem to understand. Upon arrival, you are specifically told NOT to take photographs (apart from anything, it just seems a little disrespectful to me). Yet, once I stepped into the first room, there was a woman snapping away on her iPhone, while her two daughters ran around giggling and smiling for the camera. Unbelievable. Luckily, she got a warning from the security guard (after I said how insensitive she was). But aside from folks like that, it’s still absolutely worth a visit. Just watch out for the staircases.

Yep, I could walk in these no problem...

Okay, now I know what everyone’s thinking – have I been to the Red Light District? Yes, I have. But no, not for that reason! If anything, it’s the sort of place to look around and say, “Well - it’s not like England, is it?” It’s surreal. But it’s part of Amsterdam’s history and culture, so take a walk around if you have time – just don’t be shocked to see all the prostitutes sitting in the windows. It’s normal.

Finally, the main reason for my latest trip to Amsterdam was of course, to see The 1975. To say they were phenomenal isn’t enough. I think I had a smile on my face for the entire gig when I wasn't singing along – which, considering some of the themes they sing about, might not have been the most normal thing to do – but I’d been desperate to see them for ages. So yes, they were definitely worth the wait. If you ever get the chance, go see them. I’ll be going to see them again for sure!

Paradiso

The gig was at this place called Paradiso, a renovated church in Leidseplein. Among various Dutch artists, it plays host to some quite big names – The Lumineers and Haim had performed recently, and Azealia Banks and Nina Nesbitt were due there towards the end of this month. So, if you can’t get tickets to see your favourite band in the UK, be sure to check out if they’re heading around Europe and/or Amsterdam at all and see if you can make a city break out of it. Speaking from experience, it’s definitely a good idea ;) even if you're not heading over to see a gig, Amsterdam is undoubtedly one of the coolest places I've ever been - be sure to go one day!

Georgie