Ruthelia Dreams: Amsterdam 2016

This month begun for me with a weekend trip to Amsterdam with university friends. Amsterdam is a beautiful City and as a sociologist, it was insightful to learn all about a culture different from my own. There are many things to see and do in Amsterdam, and although I only had a day and a half there, my friends and I managed to make the most of it and cram a lot in.

Here are some of the best things to see and do in Amsterdam:

The Van Gogh Museum.

Being an art lover, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to visit the museum of one of history's most talented painters. There was an opportunity to purchase an audio device for 5 Euros, which I found really helpful! As you go through the museum, there are numbers next to paintings and collections of them, and the audio device talks you through Van Gough's thought processes behind each painting, the stage of his life during it, what the painting depicts and why he did it. I'm really glad I visited the museum and the gift shop was fabulous - I bought myself a poster of the cherry blossom painting and a phone case of his famous sunflowers.

The Anne Frank House.

The Anne Frank House was a remarkable experience. If you're going to go though, you need to book well in advance (like 4-6 weeks in advance) like I did otherwise you will be queuing for hours. My ticket also included a 30 minute introduction, in which someone talked through the history of the Frank family and told us of their experiences of living in the annex, as well as showing us some photos. The museum itself was quite an emotional experience, especially when standing in Anne Frank's bedroom. When we were in their main living room, my friend turned to me and said 'think of all the emotions that have been felt in this room', and that tore at my heart strings. The museum also includes the actual diaries that Anne Frank kept. It was a fascinating experience and of course I bought a copy of the diary as well as a book about the museum.

The 'I amsterdam' letters.

The title of this attraction says it all really (pardon the pun). But this is literally just giant letters spelling out 'I amsterdam', which you can climb. I mean I don't know if you're meant to climb them, but if it was in England then there would be warning signs telling you not to. And there weren't, so its cool.

The Flower Markets.

When walking back from the Anne Frank house, we took a leisurely walk via the flower markets. These were lovely. There were beautiful colourful tulips everywhere and plenty souvenirs to buy. I got myself a lilac wooden tulip and a fridge magnet. If you're interested in growing your own tulips. they also had starter kits to plant them yourself. It was lovely to see all the flowers and a chilled way to relax on holiday.

The Red Light District.

And finally, there is Amsterdam's famous red light district. This was interesting to see because its worlds away from the British culture I experience every day. It was a very busy area and quite eye-opening to walk around. I would advise going along in the evening like we did, as the atmosphere is busier and more lively.

Sadly, we didn't really have enough time to do a boat cruise, and February is cold so it may not have been the best idea. But if I'm ever in Amsterdam again, it is something I will make a priority to do! The city itself is very repetitive and its easy to get lost if you don't have a map. but nevertheless, it is beautiful and picturesque with all the canals with the bikes leaning on them and the narrow buildings on either side, Its a lovely place to photograph, and even to just walk around and absorb it all in. It really is lovely.