Welcome to Amsterdam, the bicycle capital of the world (bikes outnumber people and bike lanes were the same size as the car lanes) and where I nearly died at least 4 times because of them. It was actually kind of funny seeing the infamous "prostitution windows" right in front of the oldest church in Amsterdam while also being right next to a kindergarten. I guess Amsterdam really does want to advertise itself as an extremely liberal city.
It was impossible to take a good photo with everyone swarming the letters...
Walking around the city was actually one of the most entertaining things to do. Their biggest museum, the Rijksmuseum, was incredibly impressive. There were hundreds of not thousands of priceless paintings that were all based on Dutch history and traditions. Public transportation was available, but in the tiny city of Amsterdam there was no need as I could walk anywhere. The number of canals pretty much matched the amount of land Amsterdam has, so I was always walking right next to canals. The architecture of Amsterdam had to adapt to very narrow (and sometimes tilted strategically) buildings. Centraal station was extremely well located (right in the center of Amsterdam) and my hostel was a 2 minute hostel ferry ride away from the station. The city is beautifully realized in the perfect combination of the canals and unique architecture.
Walking alongside the canals in this beautifully designed city was amazing.
Food wise, I think I tried most of their famous foods such as stroopwafel (two crispy waffles holding a delicious sugary filling), fries, cheese, and pancakes (basically as thin as crepes). One thing I have to lovingly mention was that I got pretty addicted to the cheap and fresh smoothies from their supermarket stores, Albert Heijn. Those were easily my main source of vitamins and fluids on the hot summer days. Sadly, I wasn't able to try the infamous raw herring. Maybe next time when I train my stomach beforehand.
Since much of Amsterdam consisted of water, I had to take this boat (ran every 5 minutes) every day to and from my hostel.
I could see the true face of modern day Amsterdam at night. After meeting some Australians (very loud and hilarious), a Irish guy (whom the entire group made fun by mixing him up as either Scottish or British), American, Danes, and some other Europeans, we went out to go check out the night life. Walking alongside the canals, I could see travelers stumbling out of "coffee shops" and bars smelling uhm... very Californian. The night was quite entertaining as I learned so much about Australian pride and humor.
Weed shops. There were so many weed shops, you could smell the dankness from a mile away. And also the prostitutes.
I very much enjoyed my time in Amsterdam. It felt like a city that I wanted to get lost in because around every corner, street, or alley was something fascinating to explore and learn about. I spent most of my time just wandering the streets and seeing the intersection between its very liberal policies and its vital historical sites.