Meagan, Shayna, Chelsea and I went to Amsterdam, Netherlands and Bruges, Belgium this past weekend. We went with a tour company called “International Friends” which specializes in tours for international students. Our tour guide was probably the nicest guy you can meet and he was also funny and very helpful. It was a great weekend and we were able to see so much in just a few days. Amsterdam and Bruges are both fantastic and beautiful cities to visit.
It all started at 5am on Friday morning when a cab came to pick us up at Metrogate House. We then waited by the Hammersmith tube station where the coach picked us up at about 5:45am. The coach went to a few other locations in London to pick up additional travelers (all college aged American students like us). We then arrived at the English port of Dover at about 8am where we then boarded the ferry to Calais, France. In Dover we were able to see the famous white cliffs of Dover with Dover castle sitting on the top. After arriving in France we began the long drive through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The trip took a very long time and we eventually made it to Amsterdam at about 5:30pm. However it was pretty cool to say that I have been to 4 different countries in one day.
When we arrived in Amsterdam we immediately boarded a boat for a canal tour of the city. Although the sites were pretty, we would have preferred to do it before it was dark and when we weren’t exhausted. After the boat ride we checked into our hotel. The Winston is a bar, club and a hotel all in one, with the bar serving as the lobby of the hotel. The Winston was in a great location and was pretty nice but it was loud pretty much all night because of the club and bar, but it didn’t matter too much because we were only in our room to sleep. After check-in we went to a “coffeeshop” (aka pot selling place), which was only a few blocks from the hotel. We went just to see what it is all about, but it’s not really my thing since I don’t smoke, have zero desire to smoke and hate the smell of pot. Either way it was pretty cool to see what the Dutch culture is all about. We then met up with out tour guide Rob outside of The Winston for a guided tour of the world famous Red Light District which is pretty much the most ridiculous and obscene place you can ever go and it was pretty awkward to walk through. The rest of the night was free and we walked around the city and visited a few different places before heading to bed.
On Saturday morning we had to be on the coach at 8:45am to go to Zaanse Schans which is the Dutch living heritage center, 20 minutes outside of Amsterdam city center. Our tour group was able to explore windmills, see cheese and wooden clogs being made and do everything that is part of Dutch culture. The site was very nice to walk around, with the exception that it was absolutely freezing outside. Either way I think it was a great addition to the trip and it was something that my friends and I would have never done if we went to Amsterdam without a tour group. After the Zaanse Schans visit the coach dropped us off at the Anne Frank house, which is an incredible museum and a great experience. The rest of the day was spent walking around the city and exploring different museums such as the Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam is such an incredible city filled with friendly people, tons of bikes and tolerant laws. It is among one of the most unique and beautiful cities that I have been too. My only complaints about the city are that I thought it was a bit dirty and a bike almost hit me every five minutes.
 |
| Our group after the canal boat ride. |
 |
| Oldest Church in Amsterdam. |
 |
| Zaanse Schans |
 |
| Giant Clogs |
On Sunday morning the coach left Amsterdam at about 9am headed for the Belgium city of Bruges. Some of you may have heard about/ seen Bruges in the Colin Farrell film “In Bruges”. If you have not seen the movie, I would definitely recommend it. Anyway we got to Bruges on Sunday afternoon and our tour guide walked us through the city showing us all the different churches and towers. Bruges has easily become one of my favorite cities in the world and it is truly a very beautiful city. The architecture is very unique as Bruges is a medieval city, with all of the buildings from the period still in perfect shape. Without question, Bruges is the most beautiful city that I have ever been to and it is a city that everyone should visit in their lifetime. The towers, churches, cobblestone streets and canals can make any other city in the world seen a bit ugly. After walking around for a while, we eventually ate at a restaurant that had over 400 different kinds of beers. I tried the local brew,” Brugge Zot”. Bruges has numerous different chocolate shops in which I ate the most delicious (and expensive) chocolates that I have ever eaten. With Belgium beer, waffles and chocolates, Bruges is definitely a city that I want to return to at some point in my life.
After leaving Bruges we stopped at a chocolate factory near the Belgium/ France border where I bought a few things. We then trekked through France eventually making it to the ferry in Calais. On the way over to France we did not need to go to immigration, but unfortunately the British don’t have open borders like the other EU countries so we had to get our passports checked. The British government is very stubborn and does not have the same open border policy and currency as everyone else (Im saying that even though I have a British passport). The ferry ride across the English Channel was extremely rough and it was hard to even walk on the boat in a straight life, although it was a massive boat. We arrived back into London at about 10pm, and I was a bit sad that this wonderful trip was over.
 |
| Bruges |
 |
| Isn't it pretty? |
 |
| Clock Tower |
This morning I went on a class field trip to see the Chelsea Football Club stadium, but I will talk about that on my next update and you are probably bored by now (if you are somehow still reading). I also haven't opened a book since I have gotten to London and have never done any work. I am beginning to question why AU is currently allowing this.
I forgot to mention that I have a goal of going to ten different countries while I am abroad. Although I have technically been to France I am not counting it until I go to Nice this upcoming weekend since I don’t think you have “been” to a country unless you actually visited something or experienced another culture. Current country count is at 4.
-- Current Country Count--
1) England
2) Wales
3) Belgium
4) Netherlands
-Rees
No comments:
Post a Comment