I love traveling because there are always so many possibilities and an opportunity for the unexpected. Things have a great way of coming together when you forget about a schedule and just let your feet guide you. Like my visit to Andorra in November, I had not imagined traveling to Amsterdam when I was in the USA and thinking of possible travel destinations. Amsterdam was conveniently between Berlin and London, two cities I wanted to visit over the Christmas break, I wanted to add a third country to my holiday travel and flights to London were not terribly expensive. I really had no idea what to expect and the only place I knew I had to visit was the Anne Frank House. I figured that at worst I would spend my trip walking aimlessly and admiring architecture, while at best I would stumble across fun and different buildings, shops and bars. My only requirement was getting there in order to make my flight to London on the 28th of December.
There is a daily overnight bus from Berlin to Amsterdam. So, a couple of days after getting to Berlin I figured that if I was going to be by myself on Christmas Eve, I might as well be on my way to a new city. I slept (terribly) on and off for most of the 10 hour trip. At one of the stops, a young German got on the bus and sat next to me. We started chatting a few hours before arriving in Amsterdam – he was friendly, traveling with a buddy to visit old college friends, and was amused that I was traveling solo, knew no German or Dutch, and that I was pretty much going decide what to do when I got there. I talked about living Spain and in the US and how much I missed drinking craft beer. He immediately gave me the name of two places I should visit during my stay. I now had three places I wanted to visit.
First order of business was getting from to the hostel to drop off my suitcase. Thankfully, I remembered to bring written instructions so I was able to get on the right tram line. Physically finding the hostel was a little trickier but I eventually got there. The streets around the hostel were pretty quiet; locals and tourists alike were taking an easy day since a lot of the city was closed on Christmas day. I got a map and figured out how to get to the center of town and the Anne Frank House. In my enthusiasm to explore a new city, I got off the subway a stop too early. After initially panicking because I had no idea where I was, I walked onto a cute street with bars and nice buildings and decided to walk the rest of the way thorough the vibrant and slowly bustling streets. I even stopped for a late lunch at a cheese shop selling yummy quiches. It sounds ridiculous to say this of now, but I had no ideas there were so many canals in Amsterdam. I quickly become enchanted with the cute bridges, architecture and small shops. Stopping in Amsterdam was turning into a fantastic idea.
I arrived at the Ann Frank House only to discover I had an hour plus wait and even then, I would be cutting it close for admission. I decided to wait, a decision I initially regretted as the day began to wear me down, the temperature dropped, and it started to rain. Luckily, I had an umbrella, and, though I waited over an hour (entertained by the conversation of a group of Americans waiting behind me), I was one of the last ones granted admission. I was finally visiting the secret annex. It is hard, even now, to describe the visit and my resulting feelings and emotions. The house is small, though a little bigger than I imagined, shadowy and so empty. I felt like an intruder; somehow disturbing history with my presence.
The next two days passed way too quickly. I started early each morning to enjoy the quiet streets and see some locals during their morning routines. I roughly sketched a route each day, mostly to not have to back track, but even then, I mostly let my feet, eyes and stomach lead me to my next stop. I had a pleasant morning drinking a dirty chai latte and pão de queijo (cheese bread) at a Brazilian bakery, was bummed to discover the Saturday market was closed for the holidays, visited local vintage shops, and enjoyed a green smoothie and Greek food at a natural foods shop in the Grachtengordel West (West Canal District). I also got frustrated by walking quite a bit to a museum only to discover it was closed, became delightfully surprised at stumbling into Begijnhof, a secret courtyard I thought I would not get to see, and had a good laugh after inadvertently walking onto a set of streets I had been told to avoid. As for the craft beer, I two good pints at each of the places the young German recommended. I only wish I had planned for another day or two in Amsterdam, especially after feeling that I spent too many days in Berlin. I hope to visit Amsterdam again, with friends next time and enjoy another unplanned adventure.
Gabi's Footprints 