Amsterdam/Brussels

 Amsterdam. Craziest place I have ever been to and probably will ever go to. We started the trip off with waking up at 4:30 am for a 7:00 am flight. The metro did not open until about 5:20, so we sprinted our way through Sants Estacio and el prat airport to make our 7:00 am flight. We were at the gate at 6:38 am, whew we made it. It was a short flight, under 2 hours and we were so excited to be there.

My two friends and I took the train to Damm Square and made our way to our hotel to meet up with our two other friends studying in Rome. Coming to Amsterdam, I did not really know what to expect. Things were already so busy so early in the morning and it was non-stop. We got to the hotel and put our luggage down and went for breakfast a few blocks down. I had a delicious omelette and coffee.

First major attraction was the Heineken Experience. This was easily one of the best parts about Amsterdam. We got to learn the whole background about how Heineken got started and how it stands out from other beers. We learned about the ingredients in the beer and saw the beer being made right before our eyes. The museum had a ton of interactive rooms, including a room that looked like a club and you could be the DJ. This was one of my favorite things about the museum. At the end of the tour, we had the choice of getting 2 free beers or becoming a certified pourer with one beer. I chose the latter and I now have a certified pourer certificate hanging above my bed.

After Heineken, we did a ton of walking around Damm Square and explored. We went up and down a ton of side streets and did some tourist shopping and a ton of eating. We had waffles, french fries. To say that the stores in Amsterdam are crazy is an understatement. It goes far beyond that word. We took a trip to the Red Light District…enough said about that.

If we hadn’t eaten enough throughout the day already, for dinner we went to the famous Pancake Bakery in Amsterdam. I have never seen so many variations of sweet and savory pancakes. They were absolutely incredible and one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. I split 2 pancakes with one of my friends. We had a spinach, cashews, and cheese pancake and the other one was apple strudel, dark chocolate shavings, whipped cream and cinnamon ice cream. It was heaven.

We went to a famous bar in Amsterdam that night called Bulldogs. It was a 2-floor bar with a DJ and a more loungey area upstairs. This was a really fun bar and we had a great night out.

         

We woke up early Saturday morning to go see the Anne Frank house. This was one of the most intense and heartfelt experiences I have ever had. I have heard her story for so long and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to see her house and what her life was like. I could not believe that I stood where the Nazis had guarded her house and taken her entire family. It was so an amazing experience and I will never forget it. After Anne Frank, we had a quick breakfast next door and then we went to the Hermitage in Amsterdam, which was a mini version of the Van Gogh museum. The main museum was under construction, so we did the next best thing. Van Gogh is a very talented artist and it was such a cool experience to see his work. We had another round of fries right before we left to take a train to Brussels early evening Saturday night.

We arrive in Brussels at about 8:30. I could not believe that I was in Belgium. We went straight to our hotel and were all really hungry and went for a delicious dinner. I had baked eggplant and shrimp scampi. After dinner, we went to a famous bar in Brussels called Delirium. They have multiple locations throughout the city and almost 2500 different kinds of beer from around the world. They hold the record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most beers offered.They also have a smaller bar next door called Floris Tequila and they have absinthe shots and a lot of different types of tequila from around the world.

Sunday morning was another relatively early morning, waking up 9am. We went to a cafe called Aroma and we had amazing Belgian waffles with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, ice cream. They were unreal. After major waffle eating, we explored the square and went to the Museum of Brussels and learned some background information on the city. After that, we did a bus tour of the city and it took us to see the Arenberg Theater, Rogier Shopping Center, Royal Serres, Atomium, National Basilica, Dansaert Street, Bourse (stock exchange), and Manneken Pis. Manneken Pis was hilarious. It is a statue of a little boy peeing. In the Museum of Brussels, they had Manneken Pis’ from all around the world and in a part of Brussels, they have a statue of him and his outfit changes. We had waffles a second time and they were out of control. Best waffle I have ever eaten in my life. s if we hadn’t done enough eating, we also had Leonita’s Chocolate and Belgian french fries. This trip was the most unhealthy eating I have ever done in my life. We had an 8 pm flight out of an airport an hour away from Brusells, so we had to cut the trip kind of short. We got back at about 11:30 and my friend Skye and I went right to George Payne’s to watch the Superbowl. This trip was absolutely incredible and I am so lucky I had the opportunity to go to both places in one weekend.