Since I travel a lot these days due to discovering this weird thing in space, I often end up in conversations like this: “Whereabouts are you from exactly?” To which I usually answer: “From the very southeast of the Netherlands.” And then I get replies like: “Oh I love Holland.” (!) Or: “Amsterdam is such a nice city.” To which I usually reply that I indeed should see it one day…
That one day, became two days and nights in this summer break, as I more or less spontaneously decided I’d be a tourist in my own little country and finally go and see Amsterdam properly myself. And it is lovely indeed. Besides the beautiful buildings and canals, I experienced I liked shopping (for a change), people are even friendlier here than I’m used to (there were two guys who gave me compliments without also giving me the idea they were just saying it to get into my pants) and in case you haven’t been for yourself: English seems to be the local language as everyone assumes you’re a tourist.
I’m doing an astronomy related event here soon, and I have been before, but I never saw the typical sights you see on TV. I had also not realised the city is only a half an hour train trip from the beach and so I decided at six in the evening even, to go for a walk and have dinner with an ocean view. I love travelling on my own; you’re free to do whatever you want and you often meet interesting people. Having dinner on my own, with just the company of a book I’ve been reading (more on that soon), did mean I gave the nice people at Restaurant Leuk the idea I was a critic reviewing their place though! I can seriously recommend it by the way.
So since I also meet a lot of people who often say they will visit Amsterdam soon, I’m turning this blog post into a tourist information one; if you ever need to stay in the capital city, the Amsterdam Amstel Apartment is the place to go. Of everything I did on this trip, I probably enjoyed having this nice place to go home to the most. Their free Wi-Fi tempted me to do some work in the living room area, while the marvellous view (the picture above) invited me for a stroll along the Amstel canal. It’s in the middle of the city, but without the noisy teenagers under your bedroom window: ideal.
Since I was on my own, the lovely hostess called me during the day to ask if I needed any help with anything. The day before, when I arrived, we had talked about why I’d be back in Amsterdam soon (I will explain more about the astronomy event here too) after which she enthusiastically introduced me to her husband, who I recognised from this TV show I watched as a kid, explaining why I was so famous (!). They’re lovely. And these days ‘in the life of a Voorwerp discoverer’ here, made me want to come back very soon indeed.
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