Amsterdam - Holland

Amsterdam, believe it or not, was another place that I was honestly not overly fussed about visiting. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not as much of a party animal as some would like to believe! 

To start off our travels in Amsterdam we found a great bicycle tour company and rode through the streets, getting a really interesting history lesson. I chose a shocking pink bike with tassels and seriously, do not be fooled. That bloody bike was by far the stiffest and hardest one to ride out of all of them! My legs literally died. This may have been because it never actually gets used until someone as idiotic as me decides to come along and blow the dust off of its bell. 

After a few hours, I was pretty surprised we weren't a) drunk or b) high in Amsterdam yet. Instead, we were actually pretty grand tourists if I say so myself! We found our way to this quaint Cheese and Clog factory / farm where we learnt how to make clogs from scratch and actually watched a man do it! We sampled the most delicious cheese I have ever tasted in my life.. and cheese and wine tastings are one of my favourite past times for obvious reasons! I think I bought have of the shop in cheese!! (hehe). 

We then furthered our education by visiting Anne Frank's house (WOW). Anne Frank's house.. I do not even know what to say. She is such an inspiration. I could have spent absolute hours there reading parts of her journal and wondering around the rickety, eerie house. It was majestic... surreal even. I think I had tears in my eyes at one point. It is spooky but beautiful at once, merged together into this strange historical place. 

I took a walk down The Red Light District too and that was an experience and a half!! There are all these windows with half / fully naked women sitting behind the glass, eating banana's, talking on their phones, enticing you to come closer... And every shop is filled with the strangest sex toys I have ever seen! What an experience! I'd definitely go back for a party again. No doubt about it. 

Of course I went into the coffee shops and café's and let me just say here that there is a HUUUUUUGE difference between what a coffee shop is and what a cafe is in Amsterdam!!!!! 

Coffee Shops are where you can find legalized cannabis, not café's. There's an awesome coffee shop called The Grasshopper which I went to but the green stuff is pretty pricey there! Even in the other coffee shops it was pretty expensive... but you're only in Amsterdam once (well no... you're not! As I said, I'm definitely going back!!!) so of course I managed to have a sneaky puff or two! 

It. Was. Awesome. 

We smoked just before we went to this crazy graphic sex show... I don't think any of us actually realized what we were getting into by going to a sex show!!! Literally watching people have sex... right in front of you!! 

The show loves to get Contiki involved as well so we were called up onto stage and had to do some pretty embarrassing things such as eat a banana out of a woman's you know what and undress a very large black man.. yum yum!! hahaha it was by far one of the craziest, weirdest but most awesome nights. You're only YOUNG once so I intend to live my days to the fullest and experience every little thing that I can in life :) 

Amsterdam was our last place we went to in Europe and it was time to say goodbye to each other which was heartbreaking and a lot of tears were shed. My contiki team has become family and to be leaving them behind was awful but I'll always remember every day that I spent with all of them.

We went out for one last lovely meal in Amsterdam and out for an insanely crazy party filled with belly-shots, dancing, puking and LOVE before we parted ways!

Then it was time to head back to London where I celebrated my 22nd birthday. I had my hair and nails done at this amazing place called Richard Ward (apparently where Kate Middleton has her hair done!?) and was taken out to such a divine restaurant and treated to the most incredible food and champagne I have ever had in my life.