Back from Amsterdam
I spent a few days in the Netherlands visiting friends and family last week and it really reawakend the travel bug inside me. Packing my back-pack and getting my passport and plane ticket ready got me in the mood for my trip to Thailand, though it still doesn’t seem totally real. I keep having to remind myself that there are still a few things I need to sort out before then; insurance, vaccinations, finding someone to take over my room, so I need to get myself in gear!
Anyway, the first few days in NL were spent in the small village and town where my family and friends live. There’s nothing much to report on that except how I noticed how small the distances are compared to London. Walking to my friend’s local pub takes 2 minutes whereas in London I regularly travel an hour to go out. I went to Amsterdam the day before my flight home and visited the Rijks Museum looking at some Rembrandts, including the ‘Nightwatch’. In the evening I went out to a club with some people I had met at the hostel I was staying at. A quick side note, on the way back from the club I was surprised to see that there were many small galleries displaying contemporary art in the city centre. The lights were left on in most of the display rooms so we could have a look at some of the pieces on display.
The funny thing about the hostel was that it had a smoking room in the back where people could smoke pot and listen to the Doors all day long, and I believe some people actually spend most of their time in Amsterdam doing just that. I do hope some of those people do manage to stagger outside to discover some other aspects of the city, even if it’s only to satisfy their munchies!
I’m not against people taking drugs and partying but I’m glad I’m not one of those people whose memories (or lack of them) of Amsterdam boil down to: ‘Man I was soooooooo wasted!!!!’ In stead just think of the endless possibilities the city provides and imagine in years to come telling stories that start with: ‘I was looking at a self-portrait by Rembrandt… and I was soooo wasted!!!’
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