A WEEKEND IN AMSTERDAM

One of the positives of being in Bremen is that there are lots of surrounding cities which are fantastic, and also, they are not too far away. One of the ones that I am going to talk to you about today is Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands.

We spent a whole weekend in Amsterdam, a decent amount of time to visit the city. We took a bus at 3 in the morning on Thursday in Bremen, something that I would recommend considering the day and the place where the Flixbus stop is located. But, well, there were a few of us so there was nothing to fear. The bus was quite delayed, or at least it seemed that way to us, as we really noticed the low temperatures in the city of Bremen in the early morning which went right through to our bones. Finally, we saw our bus arrive and we relaxed a bit.

The bus cost us less than 20 euros, so you could say that it is quite an affordable trip for students. The journey took around 5 hours. At first, that can seem like quite a long time, but if we bear in mind that we got it at 3 am in the morning and half the trip we spent fast asleep, it seems a lot more pleasant.

Finally, at 8 in the morning, more or less, we arrived at our destination: Amsterdam. We went to the hostel which we have reserved; it was a room for 6, the exact number of our group, so we were lucky enough to sleep in a room with just us.

Another option, if you want to go there and back more cheaply, you can get to Groningen for free with the semesterticket and from there take a bus to Amsterdam. The negative is that it takes a lot longer to get there, but if you want to save a bit more money on your trip, this is a good alternative.

Accommodation and transport

Before explaining our activities here, I would like to give you some advice about Amsterdam. We stayed in a hostel called WOW which I recommend 100 per cent. It is a bit far out from the centre, but this wasn't a problem. The offer in terms of quality vs price was one of the best in the city, since for 15 euros a night you also got breakfast too. This was not anything out of this world, it was basically made up of toast, jam and juice, but hey, for being in a country like Holland, it was more than perfect.

In terms of transport, I would advise that if you are going there in a group of 5 people or more not to travel by public transport and go for alternatives like Car2go or Cabify because they work out a lot more affordable. As for Car2go, the cars that this company offers are two-seaters. It is true that you have to be approved before, so that the application can check that you definitely have your driving license. The cars are located outside of the centre, and we took advantage of this platform to get from the hostel to the centre. If we wanted to do it the other way round, so from the centre to the hostel, we went for Cabify. It is not that I am into this kind of disloyal competition, but when the difference in price is so big it doesn't really leave us with another option.

One of the advantages of Cabify is that you don't need to speak to the driver, you just put in the address via the app. As well as that, you do not have to keep up a conversation with the driver, something which is nice when you are not in the mood after barely sleeping at all.

Places that we visit and activities

Later, I will explain to you in detail the places that we visited during our stay there, as well as the activities which we did.

Anne Frank House

The Ann Frank Museum, as you can imagine, is a museum which is dedicated to the history of the Frank family, and particularly to the youngest daughter, Anne. It is a museum with a huge demand, so I recommend that you reserve your tickets months in advance. However, I had to say that we were really lucky, since we reserved the tickets only a day in advance. The most likely thing is that some other group cancelled their reservation, because otherwise it would have been impossible to enter.

In my opinion, it is not a museum that I loved; or rather it is a museum that if you are visiting Amsterdam you need to see, but only once. I was really expecting something else; in the museum you can see photos, letters and videos from the time when the Jewish population were persecuted, something which is very moving, but I expected to see something more centered on Anne herself. Something that tells you more about her life in the house.

I also have to say that we went around using the audio-guide, so maybe the video would've been a lot more interesting with an in-person guide.

Moco Museum

Despite not being a huge fan of museums, I really liked the Moco Museum in Amsterdam, particularly the section on Banksy. Also, the museum offers the opportunity to download an app with which, when you point the camera at certain pictures, they will become animated.

The museum offers collections centered on modern art which, in my case, I loved. I recommend it 100%.

Also, in front, there is an artisan market, jewellery, postcards, etc., all hand-made. We visited it on Sunday, so I suppose that it takes place every Sunday.

However, I am sorry to tell you that the letters which spell out "Amsterdam" are no longer available; so forget about taking the classic photo with them. They decided to get rid of them a few months ago because of the huge crowds which formed and for the tourists' security.

Buddhist Temple

I didn't know that there was a Buddhist temple in the city, Fo Guang Shan Holland Tempel, but, thanks to a friend who had visited it before, we were able to visit it. It was my first time in a temple from this religion and I was left quite impressed by the decoration since I wasn't sure if I was in Holland or even in China itself. Entry is free, so it is a good option to visit if you are on quite a tight budget. In addition, if you bring 50 cents with you, you have the option to take a fortune cookie. Like good tourists we did it, and we realised that there were only three phrases inside (well, it was a scam, but we we were excited by it anyway).

Van Stapele Koekmakerij

I am sure that the name Van Stapele Koekmakerij won't ring a bell, but what if I tell you that it is the most delicious cake in Amsterdam? I had the chance to try it and I can assure you all that their fame is well deserved. And this shop was solely dedicated to making this said cookie; it is a chocolate cookie filled with more white chocolate (what more could you ask for?). The cookie cost around 2-3 euros, and the box, which I think 7 came in if I am not mistaken, cost 10 euros. In my case, I bought two boxes to give to my family who love them.

Reypenaer Tasting Room

Reypenaer is an artisan cheese shop in the city where, apart from selling cheese, they offer a tasting of them with some wine. The tasting, if I remember rightly, cost 21 euros, but it was very much worth the price.

In the floor below the shop there was a small room with desks where they started explaining the name and origin of the cheeses, their smells, where they were made, etc. You, as a taster, should go round noting down all the information and then at the end, rate the cheese. Also, according to which type of cheese it is, they fill up your glass with a different wine. You can eat as much cheese as you like and sometimes, they give you the option to pour yourself another small glass of wine, but from experience, I'll tell you not to overdo it or you'll end up like your parents with two glasses of Marianito (a vermouth cocktail drunk in the North of Spain). To finish off, they award you with a certificate which says that you have completed the tasting, I suppose that it doesn't mean anything but it's exciting nevertheless.

I'll also tell you that a way to taste cheeses for free, it's a bit stingy so why deny it, is to go in any cheese shop and go around trying theirs; they don't offer you wine but hey, you could bring it with you (I'm joking).

Typical food

The typical Amsterdam food that I tried was the Hutspot A quite big bowl of meat, served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. I really like it, but each to their own, since quite a few of my friends weren't keen on it. Saying that, go to eat when you are really hungry because you can't escape the indigestion afterwards.

Condomeria

This famous shop is dedicated, like its name implies, to selling condoms. And in the condomeria they sell condoms with characters (such as the Simpsons, animals, etc. ) even though these are not made for your use; besides, they sell postcards with jokes which are a bit risqué. I particularly liked this shop for its uniqueness.

Coffeeshops and more

Let's see, who are we going to fool. One of the attractions in Amsterdam are, as the students call them, coffee shops. The price is quite high if you compare it to Spain (and it isn't that it's from a drug dealer) and the price is higher if you buy them pre-rolled. The environment is very chilled and they control the age of who buys it, so everything is very regulated. Surprisingly, you can go to a coffeeshop and just have a coffee, so don't think that they are just some dodgy place. One that we really liked, of which I can't remember the name, is one that is located quite nearby to the cookie shop, in the same street in the corner.

As for the mushrooms, I at least didn't see them in any coffeeshop; they sell them in souvenir shops and in dedicated shops for them. The shop staff are usually quite nice and they usually can give you advice if you ask for help. Depending on your experience with them, they will advise you some over others; for example, if you tell them that it is your first time, they will recommend you less strong ones.

Tours

A really easy way to get to know the city would be through the Free Tours; we did one which took us around most of the attractions in Amsterdam.

We started our journey Dam Square and they explained to us the history of the Royal Palace, a very pretty building, which also, when we visited, had an explosion of tulips in front which made it even prettier. We took photos with the New Church which was also situated in the square. Later, we visited the Obelisk of the Second World War, which gives you goose-bumps when finding out the sad history which is hidden behind it. Later, we went to the flower market, where you can find seeds to plant different kinds of flowers, including tulips, amongst others. Around the corner, on this street you can find the cheapest souvenirs, so if you want to take something back as a memory, I recommend that you buy it in this area. We also visited the Begijnhof, where you can visit chapels with simple decoration.

We didn't do a tour around the Red Light District because it didn't fit with our morals; however, I would advise you to go around at night, with an open-mind and without taking photos of the women, who have the legal right to break your camera if they see you taking photos.

I also recommend that you go around the canals, rent a bike and go around the city like a local.

So do I recommend Amsterdam? Without a doubt. It is a different city, modern but with its own personality.