We had an early start to the day of travel. Our cab was picking us up at 4 AM to being us to Cork Airport. I need to emphasize CORK AIRPORT, this was a beautiful thing. The Dublin ride is so long and boring that flying out of Cork was such a treat. The flight to Amsterdam was a very short one, only an hour and fifteen minutes. It was also super easy to navigate the Amsterdam Airport and make our way towards the hostel. We were off to a great start!
The hostel we stayed in, Stayokay, was a very large one with many locations around The Netherlands. It was really nice, a huge upgrade from Hostel Elf in Prague. After dropping off our bags at the hostel, we stopped for lunch at a pancake place, De Vier Pilaren. Dutch pancakes are kind of like crepes but a little thicker and not folded. I had a banana and chocolate one, it was super delicious and so filling. After lunch, we walked around the city for a few hours and checked out the shopping area around our hostel. The hostel was in an awesome location and centrally located in the city. Also, very close to many great shops :)
After shopping for a little while, we went to the hostel to check into our rooms. We cleaned up, made our beds, and unpacked a little bit before heading out again. Jane, Nicole, and I decided to explore the city a little more while the other girls took a nap, we were in dire need of coffee. It was a gorgeous day out, and I did not want to waste one minute on my last trip! One of my favorite things to do in new cities is to seek out some small, local cafes. The one I found for us to try was Sweet Cup, right by the hotel. It was such an awesome place, and even better because their was an adorable basset hound greeting you at the door! We also discovered some great street food stands, and I tried a raisin dutch doughnut. For some reason, I have seriously been craving Dunkin' Donuts doughnuts lately, which is weird because I am not an avid doughnut eater at home, but this treat definitely hit the spot. Amsterdam is a beautiful city. It is intertwined through lots and lots of canals, and almost everyone bikes there. It was so different from every other city I have gone to thus far. I was loving it so far!
When Julia and Chelsea woke up from their naps, we went to the Heineken Brewery to partake in the Heineken experience. It was a really fun tour, with lots of free beer tastings (always a plus)! Included in this tour was a canal cruise. It was a really neat way to see the city on the water, and a fun way to kick off our weekend.
After the brewery, we stopped at a pub for a quick bite to eat. We were all really exhausted from our long day of travel, so it was going to be an early night.
So far, I was really enjoying Amsterdam. Be back soon with more details of the weekend!
XO,
Caitlin
Amsterdam streets
I loved this little guy at Sweet Cup!
Afternoon walk with Nicole and Jane pictures:
Me, Jane, Nicole
The Heineken Brewery
Well, I do love free samples.
Cheers!
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