June/July 2017

So lets just be honest from the get go, okay? My twenty days in the 'Dam were just a smidge hazy. But no better way to enjoy a new place than acting like a local. Ya know that whole 'when in Rome, do as the romans do'? Well I def tried.

xxx

I am the luckiest b and got to live rent free during my visit curtesy of one of the most amazing people in my life [my dutch hubs, Laurens]. This being the last leg of my mini Euro trip, I was a tad skint so free accommodation deffo saved me. Even though my bank account was suffering about as much as my sobriety, we managed to do quite a few rad af things worth mentioning.

get cheesy

First of all, be super touristy and pop into a cheese museum. Usually they are located in the bottom of a cheese shop. Which btw has loads of FREEEEEE samples which I consumed probably a few too many of (I mean who doesn't love cheese and free things?). We stumbled into one with a photo booth area filled with amazingly lame props and snagged a few hilarious snaps like the one to the right. We also read a bit about the history of cheese making and then made our way back around the samples for round two.

Rijksmuseum

Definitely a must visit. Rijks is the National Museum of Dutch history and art. Some of the history stories were actually quite interesting and I always love peeping some art. The most well known pieces at the museum (if you ever took an art history class these probably came up) are 'The Night Watch' by Rembrandt and 'The Milkmaid' by Vermeer. Tix are around 17 euros so nothing too cray. The museum is also located in the museum square which is where the famous and obscenely crowned Amsterdam sign is located.

Moco museum

Also located in the museum square [or Museumplein if you're taking public transport] is the Moco Museum. This gorgeous little museum was featuring two exhibits, Banksy and Dali. Dali is one of my favorites so there was no way I was missing this exhibit. Its a tad cramped inside so on a busy day its not ideal. The exhibits do change occasionally, right now they swapped Dali for Liechtenstein which I'm v jelly I'm not over there so I can peep it. Tickets are only about twelve euros and even cheaper if you're a student. That goes for quite a few places so don't forget to pack your student ids kiddies. Deffo pop by if you're a sucker for the Modern & Contemporary.

boats, swings n beers oh my

Three things that I will recommend to anyone planning a trip to this magical city: rent a boat and ride through the canals, go on the giant swing and just take a wander. We chose the Fourth of July (hence the rw&b flannel) to rent a boat and spend the day drinking and smoking our way through the canals. Which was hilariously fun and quite the workout. At least for me who some will describe as incredibly un-athletic n lazy.. whateves. Do it. Hit up a coffee shop, scoop some local beers, grab some snacks (like the insanely yummy camembert and zucchini sammie I found at a tiny little shop right by the boats) and take in the gorgeous view from a new perspective.

Number two: the giant swing. Better known as 'Over the Edge' at the A'DAM lookout. The lookout has a 360 degree views and a massive swing that hangs you out over the city. Really rad photo op and a rad way to see the city.

extras

Amsterdam is magical city. It feels like a city but mixed with a quaint village. The iconic views of bicycles along the canals are something I could never tire of. The best thing to do is to just go for a wander. Walk through the city and take in all its beauty.

Just a handful of other suggestions:

Breakfast/Brunch: Ted's ; we went about four times while I was there. It would've been more but we typically slept through brekkie times. Best breakfast I've had since Straya.

Snacks/Din: Branstof ; I might be biased cos the hubs works here but the food is fabulous

Grub wif a View: De Laatste Kruimel ; adorable little cafe that has a tiny back patio that looks over the canal

Brewery: Brouwerij Troost ; beer. What more do you need?

Club: Disco Dolly ; best club that we went to.. Dutch jams downstairs, American jams upstairs and a cig smoking room in between the two floors

Gay Club: Soho, Exit & Tabboo ; hit up the latter for drag night

Nature: Vondelpark ; the Central Park of Amsterdam great place to take a not so sober stroll and people watch on the grass

Food: Kaastengels ; so these are like fried cheese sticks except not like mozza sticks more like cheese in an egg roll shell and they are heeeeeeeeaaaaven (& probably part of the reason I gained so many lbs on my visit.. but so worth it)

Must find: Strange vending machine type stores with hot food in what looks like glass mailboxes. (picture on the bottom left)

Amsterdam, Netherlands