I’ve never had the urge to go to Amsterdam, yet when at school I was obsessed with The Netherlands when we were learning about Europe. I loved the windmills and sprawling countryside, and wanted to visit. Yet Amsterdam never made it onto my travels list as an adult for some reason.
So when I saw I could go visit Amsterdam for the day with P&O Ferries for under £100 (with 2 nights on board) , I thought it would be a good way to get a taste and determine if I wanted to spend more money to visit again for longer. Well the title has pretty much given you the answer to that hasn’t it. I feel like I visited Amsterdam about fifteen years too late, as everything I encountered took me back to my younger years down the garage and grime raves and club nights I frequented as a student, luckily what I hadn’t realised was that going to those had prepared me for the turmoils of visiting Amsterdam on a bank holiday Saturday!
What I’m Wearing:
- Coat: Topshop SNO (Sold Out)
- Tee: Primark Current Season £4
- Earrings: Zara (sale similar vibes here)
1. The Streets are Laced with Weed
Of course this is what you expect when it comes to The Dam isn’t it, weed everywhere, when infact it wasn’t everywhere but there are parts where it’s like some terrible giant stag and hen do Street with pubs and the smell of weed is pungent. If that’s your thing then you’d probably love it however after knowing someone who went psychotic and was sectioned after developing a love of the stuff I’ll never go near it. So walking the streets feeling like I was back in a 00’s nightclub raving trying to avoid the smoke in the air , wasn’t what I wanted to be doing with my Saturday day time to be fair
2. Hecklers on Bikes
I get that it’s a capital city, and that we were in the centre of said capital city, however get those damn bikes out of my face (legs) please!!! It was too much trauma trying to cross the road even. Could not deal. Then I got heckled by one of them (albeit yelling ‘Dreamer’ at me as it’s what was on my top but still!)
3. Rude People
See above, foot traffic was worse with people literally barging other people out of the way! One woman did it to me at the bloemenmarkt and I was ready to get her back in the ribs when she then stood still in front of me! I had pedestrian rage- is that a thing? Anyways I got out my elbow of domb which was also developed in my 00’s grime/garage raving days which ensures a foot clearance of personal space or a jab from the elbow. To be honest I hadn’t really expected to be pulling all these survival techniques back out of my arsenal over ten years later yet there I was!
4. Queuing for Food
Again another survival technique developed in the 00’s was queuing for food when you’re so hangry you want to elbow them to death, and it had to happen when we visited Pluk. We ended up at the larger branch where we managed to get a seat but then proceeded to queue for twenty mins to make an order, then another twenty as I wanted to buy something from the shop. My patience allowance was used up in this place alone. (Was well worth it though as where else are you gonna get a delicious smoothie bowl made to look like a Unicorn.) However not enough to make me want to return I’m afraid
5. Boobs and Bum Cheeks
Finally of course we were gonna see skin. Akin to podium dancers often seen in my youth down the nightclubs dancing with their bums hanging out and all the lads you’d never go near perving on them, this was pretty similar to that. We tripped up on the edge of the red light district and it was enough for me thanks! One min I’m walking down the street to see a pretty Church the next there’s a woman in her underwear with a glazed look staring at me and smiling. I found it very strange I won’t lie, and I feel quite perturbed by it if I’m honest. Luckily Lukes the same (so he says lol) and he grew an irrational fear of window shopping for the rest of the trip in case it wasn’t a mannequin lol!
So for all it’s differences and quirks I’m really not in a rush to go back to Amsterdam. I would like to go and see some windmills and tulip fields and learn about cheese and what not and maybe that will make me love The Netherlands that bit more but for now I’m in no rush to return.
I want to know if you love Amsterdam or if it’s not your thing!?