The first time I went out of the country is a moment I will never forget. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about the experiences and growth that accrued while I was away. I remember seeing an add for a company called EF College Break (now called EF Ultimate Break). It is a company that encourages young people to travel the world. They had many different tour options to choose from. They all sounded amazing. I knew I wanted to visit Germany but I wanted to get the most out of my trip so I choose the European Road Trip tour. It was 7 countries (The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, and the England) in 16 days. I wasn't sure how it was possible to go that far in such a short amount of time, but I was eager to find out!
I landed in the Netherlands where I found the rest of the group in the meeting spot that we were told to wait at. I was so excited to meet everyone that was going to be traveling with me for the next two weeks. I was traveling solo, but with strangers. I thought it was a good option since I had never been out of my home country before. Everyone was super nice and I felt like I fit in well. The Amsterdam airport was nice but I didn't care to much for exploring airports at that stage of my life. I was eager to explore the country! I remember when I walked outside I saw the grass and I stated, " Well, the grass is still green, It cant be too different from home." To my surprise it actually wasn't very exotic as I had imagined. It was quite normal but a way cooler normal. The streets were much older and the amount of history packed into every little crease of the rivers, and houses, and sidewalks ached my heart in such a nice way.
We stayed at the Stayokay Amsterdam Vondelpark Hostel. It was my first time staying at a hostel. Luckily we only had people in our group staying in our rooms. I got to know everyone very well by staying with them. Hostels were so cool because it gave such cool environments to stay in. Most of them had a bar and games to play. This hostel was super cool. I even remember the bar tender gave me and some other girls free shots then showed us around the city to a local night club. That night was so much fun. It was my first time for many experiences.
Amsterdam was a perfect party location. I remember after the club we heard music playing very loud in the streets. We followed where our ears lead us and we soon found a street party. Everyone was dancing and having fun. It was such a cool experience.
In Amsterdam we went to the Anne Frank Museum, took a bike tour, took a boat tour, ate lots of yummy food, visited the Van Gough museum, and saw a floating flower market. I along with some other girls went to the Red Light District to a few shows and had an amazing time too.
While there one of my nails broke. Looking back I am sure there were nail salons closer to the city center, but I found one on my GPS and was set to find it. Luckily I had a off and on boat pass and used it to get around. I went way out of the city and was able to talk to some locals. It was a nice time away from the tourist spots and group of travelers I was with.
Amsterdam was such a laid back and chill city. I would recommend to anyone and everyone, young and old, family or solo travelers, to visit this amazing city. It is generally safe and was a perfect place for my first country ever to visit. I will come back to the Netherlands soon to explore the rest of the country. I want to see the country side where the windmills and clogs are. I'd love to stay on a farm and experience life in The Netherlands like a local. There are many options to do that through a website called WorkAway.com. Either way if you come on your own or through a work program or through EF you will have an amazing time while you are in The Netherlands!
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