FLIGHT

We flew from Leeds Bradford Airport to Amsterdam Schipol Airport. It was fantastic! We were in the air for 50 minutes. How great? I would definitely suggest flying to Amsterdam. Previously, I have taken the boat from Newcastle, South Shields Port to Amsterdam Port. This took an overnight trip with DFDS, who undercharge for your original ticket and overcharge when you're onboard. £7 for a portion of chips... I expected them to come on a plate of gold carried on the back of a white steed. Anyway, I digress, getting from the airport to Amsterdam city centre is easy. Hop on one of the trains from the station which is attached to the airport. They come every 20 minutes and it costs around €4 and is very quick!

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at Hostel MeetingPoint. (The location is here). Hostel MeetingPoint is extremely close to the Station Centraal which is very handy.

We began travelling early June, the start of summer, which means mo money mo problems. We stayed in an 8 bed mixed dorm. It cost, for one night, €22 each. 

The facilities were average. I mean, it is an extremely large hostel. The bed sheets were clean, at least. We shared a communal bathroom (gross but, what do you expect?). The hostel has a bar area filled with people from all over the world. We spoke to people from Sweden, America and Japan! 

The staff were extremely helpful and they gave us free maps and brilliant advice on what to see.

We were supposed to go back to Amsterdam but, unfortunately, due to train difficulties, we had to go to Antwerp instead. When we came back, we were supposed to stay in Anna Maria II, a hostel on a boat, in the port near the train station.

THINGS WE DID

We were not in Amsterdam for very long but we did quite a significant amount of things:

• We did a LOT of walking, we wanted to get some bikes though. I would suggest getting bikes to Vondelpark as it is beautiful and gets you away from the city. You can also see one of the famous 'Iamsterdam' signs.
• We went to the Cheese Museum and we loved it. Free samples of every type of cheese! Even a cheese I had never tried before... ham cheese. Amazing!
• You can't go to Amsterdam without visiting the Red Light District. Although I find it bad that some people only go to Amsterdam for the prostitution, it is definitely something to see. 
• NEMO is definitely a must see. We did not go inside NEMO, we did however, go on top of NEMO. Up on top you can see the whole of Amsterdam from a fantastic roof terrace. It is situated just by the port and is a brilliant spot to relax. 

Steven and I on the NEMO roof terrace

• Obviously, Amsterdam is famous for the fact that you can smoke weed. If that is your thing there are a lost of cafes that you can go to. I mean it, they are everywhere! Even if you just want a cup of tea, a coffee shop isn't just a coffee shop in Amsterdam.
• All around Amsterdam there are many places to grab crepes and waffles, although I am gluten intolerant, Steven said that they are a definite must have. 
• Overall, I would just walk around and see what is to be seen. The bridges, the bikes, the canals, maybe go on a water tour if you're not poor? Amsterdam is an amazing city like no other, just take it all in.

Dress: Primark (£8)
Blue top: Primark (£4)
Trainers: Nike (£40)
Sunglasses: Topshop (£18)
Bumbag: The Yesterday Society (£3)

Go to Amsterdam, get stuck in, enjoy!

Becs x