If you read my Dolomites post (god bless you), then you know I’m not a city person. Call me uncultured, but visiting any major, international city, European or otherwise, is just not on my list. I hate crowds, concrete, and navigating tourist traps.
But alas, if you want to travel anywhere, spending at least a little time in big cities is inevitable.
Now, I can feel your confusion through my laptop screen: “If you went to Italy, then why are we talking about Amsterdam?”
Well, I’ll tell you, sweet baby.
This whole Italy trip was schemed up by my friend and me when she came to visit last year, just before she moved to…
Amsterdam.
Now ya’ know.
Using Amsterdam as our hub for this trip was a) a lot cheaper than flying anywhere in Italy b) made it easier/better to start our journey together by flying from Amsterdam to Italy c) allowed us to spend time in my friend’s new home and see her new life.
I don’t know if it was being there with locals (her partner is from there), but…
I really loved Amsterdam.
Color me surprised.
Jokes on my city-hating ass.
As someone who hates touristy shit, having someone to tell you what’s worth seeing, doing, and where and where not to go is the ultimate travel hack.
I found Amsterdam to have ~immaculate vibes~
Since everything I know about Amsterdam was from that one episode of Ted Lasso (which—surprisingly accurate and yes, we did find the bridge Rebecca fell off of), I didn’t quite know what to expect. Maybe it was having the safety net of a local guide, but I just went in with an open mind—uncharacteristic of someone who loves to research everything to death—and I think that certainly colored my experience.
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