Weekend Trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands

Weekend Trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands

It doesn’t happen to me very often, but it seems to have hit me this weekend.

Holiday blues.

It may be because I spent a few days with some of the most awesome people I know, and it happened to be in Amsterdam, which was in full autumn bloom,  in its absolute glory, showing us what we are missing in Cyprus.

I know what you might think. Hard life. Living in Cyprus and mooning over Amsterdam.

Let me tell you one thing. No matter how good or hard life gets, you will always strive for something better. Because the grass is always greener on the other side. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as it doesn’t make you miserable and ungrateful. Which is exactly what happened to me this weekend.

It might be the colour of the trees, the romance of the city or the litres of alcohol that we went through during the 4 days in the city. But it reminded me of one important lesson I learned the hard way – your state of mind is a switch and you are holding the button. =)

Now I got that out of the way, let me tell you about Amsterdam.

It was absolutely AMAZING. One of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited and had an amazing time with our friends, whom I have not seen since my wedding day.

The purpose of the trip was to catch up with my and my husband’s friends, so we did not do any planning on purpose. We ended up visiting just one museum (The Sex Museum – awesome value for 5 eur spent if you ask me!!) and did only a couple of tourist attractions – the ride on the canals and the Heineken Experience.

So for the boat trip, there are quite a few options, but we chose the one that included an open boat and a bar service. At 11 am in the morning, drinking to the glory of the city with a native Heineken can. Truly, a local experience.

We learned a lot just on the one-hour boat ride and as a bonus, we met a gang of super cool guys from the US who we ended up having lunch with. By lunch, I mean a rather loud affair with a lot of laughter, drinks and memories that will last a lifetime.

The trip lasted for only 4 days, but it felt like I’ve been there for weeks. I even got the first taste of rain when we were running back home after missing our tram stop. I mooned over every single autumn tree, stunning houseboats on the canals and the reflections of the light in the water.

As much as I thought I should bring you some tips for cool places to see, I honestly did not give this a second thought and made the trip about celebrating friendships that matter. And last. And that’s more important than anything else.

PS: Amsterdam I Love You!

******

Some recommendations:

Canal cruiseFlagship Amsterdam – the experience is awesome, they serve drinks through the whole ride and give lots of interesting info about the city. We bought the tickets on TripAdvisor the night before and boarded the next morning by the Anne Franke House museum.

The Sex Museum – not as naughty as you might think. A lot of fun for a few euros.

Coffee Shop – with a C, not a K. Get the proper Amsterdam experience.

Heineken Experience – if you like your beer, you will love this place. I was in love with the horses who were almost all asleep by the time get there for the last time slot. Interactive experience with free wine tasting and cool underground bar.

Accommodation – featured at the beginning of the post – this is a very cool AirBnb place which had access to this spectacular garden complete with a chapel, just a few minutes away from central Amsterdam. Beautiful place to stay.

******

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Barbie art for sale at 200 eur each
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Southern Spain Travel Tips

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Hi, I'm Lucia

At Viva La Vita, I will help you to discover Southern Spain like a local!

I've been living on Costa del Sol since 2020, and fill these pages with first-hand insights, personal experience and practical tips that will help you plan a wonderful trip to Spain.

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