Amsterdam Adventures

We spent another night on an airplane last night! It’s really not that bad except for my fear of blood clots. I slept pretty well, I think I’m getting good at this whole airplane sleeping thing. It’s only easy because I have Bailey’s shoulder available to me at all times! On the other side of Bailey sat a Dutch guy who we befriended. He had just spent the week in Dallas for work and it was really interesting to hear his view of America. It was his first time in America and he thought it was so expensive! But he had lots of fun line dancing, eating barbecue, and buying a cowboy hat haha. He was super friendly and gave us some recommendations for what to eat in the Netherlands, though he warned us that the Dutch are not known for their food at all!

We landed this morning and headed straight to our Airbnb. The walk was AMAZING! Everywhere we turned we saw cute buildings, beautiful canals, or people on bikes trying to run us over. It was so different than anywhere we have ever been, so even just walking was a highlight of our day.

Bailey loved this car!

The best Airbnb hosts are the ones who let you drop off your bags early! She let us go into our room even though it wasn’t ready, and change. Oh my gosh, getting out of those clothes felt great! 2 days and 2 nights in the same clothes is a little much, even for me!

We left the apartment and quickly realized that a canal cruise was not a great option for the day. Oh my gosh. This place is FREEZING! Bitter cold wind and freezing temperatures is not a Madi-friendly climate. So we went straight to the Museum Quarter. We took a few minutes to eat and enjoy our first stroopwafel! We were in heaven! Somehow, I didn’t know that there would be caramel inside, so you could imagine how pleasantly surprised I was upon first bite.

We then walked over to the Rijksmuseum, which I was super excited to see!

I am a fan of the art of the Dutch Renaissance, and was looking forward to seeing some Rembrandt and Vermeer. I was not disappointed! Van Gogh’s Self Portrait (at least, one of his many) was an exciting surprise, but I think Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” really took the cake. It is MASSIVE.

I had no idea that I’d see the following sculpture today and I freaked out when I did! We are learning about these Nataraja statues in my non-western art history course this unit. I didn’t think it would be so huge! I had fun telling Bailey every single thing I knew about it and it’s symbolism, haha.

We spent a lot longer than planned at the Rijksmuseum. There’s just so many beautiful things to see!

Afterward, we went straight to Primark. My friend Rachel served her mission in Germany, and told me that I have to visit a Primark if they have them in Amsterdam. Well, they do and I did! And I am obsessed! It is basically a cheaper H&M. We came so I could buy some leggings and a scarf, but we have plans to come back on our last day and buy pretty much everything they have. Anyway, on our way to Primark we accidentally passed the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. It was crazy windy, but an awesome sight!

The night ended with some falafel for me and some kapsalon for Bailey.

We are absolutely exhausted, but we enjoyed our first day in Europe!