A different perspective of Amsterdam..?
Amsterdam. The place of drugs,
sex and the red light district, right? Well, maybe for some people. I, on the
other hand, had the pleasure of experiencing a very different side to the city
in September. I'm not going to sugar coat it and say that I didn't find myself
stumbling upon the red light district once or twice, but there were far more
memorable findings. There is quite a lot to write about so I'll do my best to
get to the point!
If you're ever going to 'the
dam', and enjoy a bit of cultural experience then there is nothing better than
the Anne-Frank House. The atmosphere is simply indescribable, one that can only
be felt rather than read about. The building itself remains fairly empty by the
wishes of her father- Otto Frank; which is what I later discovered in one of
the many readings. However, it is not entirely empty, there are quotes written
on the walls, miniature room models of how it had once looked, and even pieces
of the diary itself. Even if you're not a history fan, it's not a place to be
missed.
For those more
interested in arts, there are several museums and galleries to visit. My
favourite would be the Van Gogh Museum, which is situated near an open grass
area- perfect for Summer picnics! It is a 'what you see is what you get' kind
of place, it is filled with a variety of work from the artist himself, and a
gift shop for those special keepsakes. Upon arrival, your bags must be kept in
the luggage area, so prepare yourself to take the responsibility of the luggage
card holder or I'm afraid you may leave the building bagless!
I could talk about
the typical 'shops and restaurant’s' located in the city but I feel as though,
there were none that particularly wowed me. Although, I didn't get a chance to
go to Sephora so maybe my opinion could be changed on my next visit..
The highlight; or one of
many, would probably be the chocolate store-
chocolátl that we visited.
Being a chocoholic, I can say that it's heaven on earth. As they have a large
selection to choose from, it's a little hard to not buy everything but
thankfully the owner was very friendly and allowed us to taste a few flavours that appealed to us, making it a bit easier to decide which one.. or two that we wanted to buy. We decided on caramel chunks and a mandarin chocolate square and were filled us on all of the details of where the chocolate came from and how it had been made. I particularly loved the patterns on each chunk!
There are plenty more
features that I could talk about, like the canals, Vondell Park, the constant
risk of death caused by a speeding bike.. or twenty! But I've already said
enough, if you're lucky to visit the beautiful city, I'd recommend all of the
places that I've mentioned and many more!
Emma :)
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