Jessica goes everywhere: December 2017

Amsterdam was the first stop-over of my first flight to Barcelona and who would have thought that I would be visiting this city at last after 12 years.

My high school friends decided to take this trip to Amsterdam for us to reunite and visit our friends living there.

(Coche, Maria, Me, Claudia, Ale)

We've been really close during and after our high school days but started to separate our ways again because I left to study college in the Philippines. So this was a really good opportunity to cope up again.

This trip was made easier because I got my best friend, Rodney, living in the city 2 years from now and Alexandra doing her Erasmus studies there as well. So accommodation was already saved from our pockets thanks to them.

Rodney toured us around the city and brought us in cool places of the city.

I never thought that Amsterdam is so small that you can visit all the must-see-places in just one day by foot or buying their day pass.

In our case we bought our 3 day pass in their metro station/trams for 17€. It is really cheap and useful, so if you're staying in the city for a little bit long, this is budget friendly tip for you.

So let the Amsterdam city tour start:

1. Amsterdam Central Station

Here is where you can get a train and travel to another country. It is so big and looks like a palace.

2. Overlooking the Basilica of St. Nicholas

We weren't able to visit inside it and now that I think about it, I don't know the reas why.

3. The Royal Palace of Amsterdam

4. The Classic Buildings of Amsterdam

I was so amazed with their style and colors. Every sight was very picturesque that i just had to capture some with my own eyes.

5. Amsterdam Canals

The city is surrounded by canals so here's one.

Rodney told me also that in these canals there are many bikes that are thrown away (most of these bikes are robbed and they can't sell them anyway so they throw them away).

In this picture you can see this kind of transportation that digs those bikes and junk them properly.

And yes, some people also live in those canal with their boat house. I think it is really cool but a little bit terrifying in winter with their cold weather.

Tip: Try to walk through the small passages of Amsterdam cause you'll probably find hidden arts like these:

6. De Gooyer Windmill

We took the tram to arrive here but can't remember which stop was it.

7. Manneken Pis Fries

There was a long line in this french fries store so we decided to taste some and it was really delicious!

8. Red District

I was really excited to see some crazy things here but i think i put my hopes really high that it kinda disappointed me a little bit or maybe because the shop we entered is just cheap. If i'm not mistaken it we paid 3€ for a 1 minute show of a girl just doing her thing.

We opted for the cheap one since the good shows are really expensive like 50€ and nah.

Although it was really interesting to see those windows with red and blue lights.

9. In the other side of the river

We also took a "ferry" who transports people from one side of the river to the other. There was a museum out there and we had some coffee to warm us a little bit. (Can't recall the name of the place)

10. Open market

The name of the districts and everything was so difficult that i can't remember most of it. This was a place where Rodney took us to experience the open market in Amsterdam.