Constantly Lost in Amsterdam

Every time I step foot into a new city I get this feeling. I don't know how to explain it; it might be a desire to explore the unknown or it could just be extreme excitement. But when I stepped foot into Amsterdam, it was no different. We were lost from the second we stepped off the plane: and we loved every second of it.  From Schipol Airport you have to take a train into Amsterdam Centraal. Well, we accidentally got off at the stop before that, wandered around for 15 minutes, and finally asked an information officer for help. She informed us that we weren't at Amsterdam Centraal (good thing we are in college and still can't read signs.) After getting off at the correct train station we knew we had to take a bus towards the area of our apartment. We found the bus no problem, it was getting from our final bus stop to our apartment that took us 45 minutes and many wrong turns. But in the end, we found it and it was worth it. One of the best decisions we made for our Amsterdam trip was renting an apartment off of AirBNB. In Amsterdam the hostels were pretty expensive even to share with 10 other people so we decided to spend a little extra to have our own private apartment. It was in a really convenient area of town, had a kitchen and BIG BEDS. I got to sleep in a king size bed, much better than the twin sized beds I have been sleeping on all semester. The kitchen was also another huge plus, the food at school sucks (to put it nicely) and we don't have access to a kitchen. Being able to cook our own dinner was fantastic and also helped us save a good amount money with not having to eat out for every meal.  

However, when we first got there we didn't have any food to cook and were starving to we went to Coffeeplaza, a really cute cafe right around the corner. After that we just wandered around the Jordaan district for a little while before heading to a grocery store to pick up the makings for our dinner. It was at this grocery store we discovered stroopwafles: one of the best prepackaged desserts you will ever taste. They are salty, sweet, soft and crunchy all at the same time: perfection. 

 Saturday we really wanted to see tulips and windmills. Unfortunately, it had been to cold up to that point for the tulips to bloom (this was about 2 1/2 weeks ago,) so we decided to see some windmills instead, and got lost again. It was supposed to be a simple 20 minute train ride but we accidentally got on the express train and ended up about an hour outside of Amsterdam and way past where we were supposed to be. Luckily the nice lady checking tickets on the train didn't fine us and instead told us how to get where we needed to go. The place we went was called Zaanse Schans, and is a really cute little town with around 10 windmills, some of which are still working. You can take tours of each of the working windmills and climb up into them, we didn't go into all of them but we did go into the paint mill, which grinds paint pigments. After walking around the little town we decided to stop in a restaurant and eat some Dutch pancakes for lunch, mine was apple cinnamon sugar and absolutely amazing. After that we returned back to Amsterdam and walked around a little more before heading home.  

Walking around Amsterdam I realized what an interesting city it is. If i had to describe it in one work, that word would be: hipster. There were so many cute thrift shops (I would have loved to spend all my money in,) beautiful parks and friendly people. Everyone rides their bikes everywhere and it was (another) city I could see myself living in. Even in the rain it was beautiful and felt so relaxed, lacking the hustle of busier cities like Paris and London.  

Saturday morning we headed to the Anne Frank Museum. We got there right at 9am hoping to avoid the lines: I would now suggest to anyone going to Amsterdam to get to the Anne Frank Museum around 8:30am, half an hour before it opens. Even getting there right at the opening we still waited an hour. However, the museum itself was really interesting to me and definitely worth it. I know quite a few people who have gone and said that it wasn't worth it but I don’t agree, the history of it is really intriguing and the museum is in the house/warehouse where they actually hid. Following the museum we wandered (some more) around Amsterdam center for a while and stopped for lunch in an Indian restaurant (which we were craving for some reason.) Amsterdam, we found out, has tons of ethnic food places that are really, really good.  

Sunday we headed out for breakfast and got bagels (!!!) at a really great chain called Bagels & Beans. After that we did some souvenir shopping and headed to the flower market along one of the canals, I don't think I have ever seen so many tulip bulbs or wooden shoes in one place, and probably never will again. After that we went to the Rijksmuseum which reopened (after 10 years) on the Saturday we were there. We didn't have time to go in because we knew we would spend hours in there and we had to leave for our flight at 4pm; but if I ever return to Amsterdam it will be the first place I go, we walked by and it is an absolutely beautiful building. We then headed to Vondelpark to enjoy the rest of the sunny day before we had to head to the airport.  

It might seem like we did a lot of nothing in Amsterdam, but it is one of those cities you need to just wander around and shouldn't plan out everything you do. It was one of the greatest trips I have been on; so relaxed and the city and the people were amazing. I would really love to go back and become endlessly lost again if I have the chance. 

Cliffs of Moher and Connemara

By the time we headed to County Clare the weather took a serious turn for the better. The Cliffs of Moher was definitely one of the things I had been most looking forward to seeing before we left for Ireland. They did not disappoint. The views were absolutely breath taking. We walked around all of them but my favorite part was when we walked all the way to the right. They have a very secure walkway; but you can see the paths others have taken that aren't as safe: I believe every man feels the need to prove themselves by walking on those paths, including my father. While I was not one of the many brave souls that walked those paths or sat dangling my feet I did stand pretttttyyyyy close to the edge to get a picture. I also gathered up the courage to stick my head over the edge to see how far down it was; it was really, really far. There is actually a sign in remembrance of those who have died at the Cliffs. I could have spent hours staring at the Cliffs and would love to return someday.

After the Cliffs we headed towards our hotel, The Falls Hotel and Spa in Ennistymon. We were really excited because there was a pool, a hot tub, steam room, and any other spa amenity you could wish for. What we weren't aware of: weird European spa rules. You have to wear a swim cap. Awesome: did that every day for 15 years of my life, not trying to do it while I'm sitting in a hot tub. Also in the U.S. it is suggested that you shower before entering the pool; in Europe you have no choice. I tried walking out to the pool deck with my cloths on and holding my towel, only to be sprayed with soapy water before I made it through the hallway. Needless to say, the Europeans in the locker-room gave me some weird looks. So if you ever find yourself at a European hotel-spa, take that into consideration and don’t end up like me.

The next day we headed to the Connemara area for 3 days. Connemara is a national park about an hour or so past Galway. This was my favorite time of our trip. The first day before we checked in we drove to Kylemore Abbey. The drive to the abbey was so beautiful itself; we had amazing views of the mountains and lakes. I was really excited to see the Abbey because Downton Abbey is one of my favorite television shows, and being inside Kylemore Abbey made me feel as if I was part of the television show. Kylemore was originally built as a private residence for Mitchell Henry, his wife, and their family. The Kylemore Estate included the castle, beautiful gardens, walking trails and acres of woodland. The property has gone through many owners now, the gardens became untamed, fire destroyed part of the building, and many other things. Today it is an Abbey run by the Benedictine nuns. The entire history of Kylemore can be found: here.

After the abbey we headed to our hotel; Ballynahinch Castle. If you go to Ireland, you need to go to Connemara and you need to stay here. (Rachael Bozsik, this is your type of place.) The hotel is in an old Irish castle and is furnished as if it is still a castle with deeps reds and gold everywhere. Every room has a beautiful view of the grounds; ours overlooked the river that runs through the property. The rooms are spacious and have large bathrooms, which is extremely uncommon in Europe. All the staff was so friendly and helpful; we told the front desk we wanted to go horse back riding and they made all the arrangements for us and the manager of the restaurants came over and had a 15 minute chat with us. The breakfast at the hotel was cooked to order as well as a very large buffet and was in the main restaurant of the hotel that had floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the beautiful property. We had dinner in the pub one night and everything was absolutely delicious. The grounds include many walking trails and a private river for fishing. Needless to say: I was very impressed. Whenever I return to Ireland in the future, I will be taking the time to return to Ballynahinch.

 

When we were in Connemara we also ate out at Mitchell’s Seafood Restaurant, another fantastic seafood restaurant located in Clifden. This was the best seafood chowder I have ever had, and probably ever will have. Mom and I also went horseback riding. We went on a 2 and a half hour ride, cantered along a beach and saw some amazing views of the area. We also met a really nice donkey that I will post a picture of, he had been lost for a couple days and a bar decided to put up a fence and take him in: he acted like a dog and I wanted to take him home with me.

After our amazing time in Connemara we headed back to Dublin for one more day before flying out. We went to the National Museum of Ireland- Archeology where we saw exhibits on Irish gold, Viking Ireland and Medieval Ireland and the Treasury. I have never seen so much gold in my life. This museum was awesome and we easily could have spent two days reading all of the information in there.

I was so sad to leave Ireland. I could easily see myself living there, either in Dublin or out west. I don’t know why I was so drawn to it compared to some of the other counties I visited, but I absolutely can’t wait to return one day.

Early next week I will post about Amsterdam. I’m off to Barcelona tonight!