I came. I conquered.

Waking up in the morning after a night out is always the worst. If you’re lucky enough to not suffer from hangovers, then f**k you. Despite having to wake up early and feeling like absolute crap, I still had a fun second day in Amsterdam.

(Warning: there is a photo of me on a giant penis sculpture at the end of this post)

DAY 2

McDonalds is the cure to everything. Sore throat? McDonalds. High fever? McDonalds. Hangover? Most definitely McDonalds. I am not a doctor, but I can tell you now that McDonalds will make you feel a trillion times better. Trust me.

Thankfully, McDonalds was only around the corner from our hotel so we feasted on their breakfast before heading off to the Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank House was only a short walk from there, so we actually got there a bit earlier than our slotted time. It located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in central Amsterdam.

Fun fact: They have really loud bells that ring early in the morning that gave me an ear-splitting headache; I thought I was going to die. (That might have been the hangover, though.)

The Anne Frank House is definitely a place you need to visit. It had been on my list of places to visit ever since I was in Year 6, and I missed out on the chance to visit when my school went. The fact that it is the actual house and you can retrace the steps of Anne and her family and the other people she stayed with and sort of have a feel of what it was like living in such a tiny area for such a long time is crazy. Of course, we’ll probably never fully understand what it was like, but the fact that it is open to the public and that this girl’s diary has influenced people worldwide is inspiring.

I actually bought the book from the shop there, as well as two postcards and a booklet on the house.

When we left the house, the queue was really long so I’m glad that we booked our tickets in advance.

We decided to head over to the I amsterdam letters located at the back of the Rijksmuseum on Museumplein, which ended up being a really long walk, but you can’t visit Amsterdam without going to the letters. It was worth it. Despite being super busy, I managed to get a picture in one of the letters, so I’m happy.

We then headed over to Hard Rock Café, which is located in Max Euweplein, for lunch. After all that walking, we definitely needed a hearty meal. We booked our meal beforehand online, where Hard Rock were doing a special where you get a start, main, dessert and a drink for around £19. We started with a Lil Chef Salad, which was absolutely delicious. I forgot what was in it exactly, but it had this amazing dressing and avocados. I have a thing for avocados. They’re just so good.

For my main I went for the Original Legendary Burger and seasoned fries that literally stuffed me to the brim. So, so good. The main very nearly beat me, but I totally had room for dessert which was Bakers’ Choice. It is made from scratch on the premises and so we feasted on this amazing chocolate cake with melted hot chocolate and ice cream. Jesus, Mary & Josep (As my mother would say) – it was SO good. Felt like a balloon, afterwards. Rightly so.

We meandered around the gift shop, and I got myself a shot glass because why not?

After lunch, we struggled back to our hotel where I took the longest nap on this Earth. We then headed over to the Ice Bar! Before heading over, we went to Club Smokey in Rembrandt Square for a few drinks.

Again, we pre-booked our tickets and were entitled to 3 free drinks with our ticket (do you see a recurring theme when it comes to drinks here?). We had a cocktail on arrival, and then once we had donned our extra thick jackets and gloves we were given two free beers, which were in ice glasses. The bar itself is actually quite small, but it’s definitely an experience that I think everyone should try. Even if you don’t drink, you can still get non-alcoholic ones. There are polar bear sculptures and sculpted seats, and some pretty good music. It was VERY cold (obviously). I know there is one in London, so I will definitely want to check that out, too.

Drinking out of an ice glass is strange, but kind of fun? And there is literally so much chill when you’re at the bar. 10/10 would visit again.

After the Ice Bar, we headed over to the Red Light District and decided to go to the Bulldog. There are 3 of them on one strip, so we headed over to the first coffee shop to try some of their space cakes, which are really freaking tasty and, you know, get high. When in Amsterdam. We ended up in a little pub, I forgot the name, and tried out bitterballen and had some more drinks, and also saw a little mouse shimmying its way across the floor.

Bitterballen (plural of bitterbal) are a Dutch meat-based snack, typically containing a mixture of beef or veal (minced or chopped), beef broth, butter, flour for thickening, parsley, salt and pepper, resulting in a thick roux. [1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterballen]

So, so, so, so good. Drooltastic.

Feeling like a feather, we floated back to our hotel.

DAY 3

Last day in Amsterdam 🙁

Is it bad that the only thing I’d eaten on this trip is junk food? Because I’ll tell you this right now, we had KFC for breakfast and regretted nothing.

It rained on the last two days we were in Dam, but despite that it was still pretty warm and still really nice. Can’t really complain because I live in a country that literally pours with rain at any given chance.

With a voucher from Ticket & Tours we headed over to the Museum of Prostitution. It was really interesting, and you get to see replicas of the rooms the girls work in. There is also a chance to sit in the window and see the streets from the girls’ POV.

There’s a short video at the start, which details the daily lives of the girls that work in the city. I didn’t really think of how BIG of a business it actually is, and how much work goes into it – I know for a fact that I thought prostitution was literally just having sex for money, but there is so much more to it and the implications of doing that line of work can have such an affect on a person.

It’s kind of sad, but then some people literally have no choice. On the other hand, if you’re comfortable with yourself and love sex and enjoy doing it, then who’s to judge you or stop you?

There are some bits that will make you think, some that will make you laugh, and some that will just downright shock you. I would definitely recommend this museum a visit.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Sex Museum on Damrak Street, which was only €4 for entry, and had such a laugh. You know you see those photos of people sitting on a giant penis? Yeah, that’s because they went to the sex museum in Amsterdam. You can’t NOT take a photo with a giant penis. Come on, now. They did have some creepy animatronics, but they also have some interesting pictures and facts about sex. Also worth a visit.

 

i came. i conquered.

A photo posted by Chynna Ashley (@chynnashley) on May 23, 2016 at 5:06am PDT

Our flight was at 7 in the evening, so we had a little time before we had to head to the airport. We decided to do a little gift shopping and I got a new shot glass for my collection. I’m quite proud of how my collection is growing. I’m going to be obtaining three when I go away in a couple of days – maybe more, we’ll see. We also tried a cannabis lollipop, which was absolute wack and something I will not be eating again. Might as well do the real thing, pssht.

Annoyingly, our flight was delayed by an hour BUT I actually managed to meet one of my online friends whilst at the airport. We’ve known each other for about 5 or 6 years (it’s been so long) and it was the first time we’d actually met. I nearly cried when she showed up behind me. I was like, “Omg, omg, omg, it’s you!” I get nervous about meeting people that I know online, but have never met in real life. My heart starts beating fast and all sorts of shenanigans. She’s the second online friend I’ve met, after Joy, and honestly I’m so excited to meet the rest of y’all. (Nancy – see you soon, b)

We flew out of Gatwick but returned to Heathrow, and from there back to where I live is a trek. So, after a long journey I rewarded (yes, rewarded) myself with a kebab from my local. Can’t go wrong with a kebab.

Honestly, Amsterdam is an amazing city. There are so many things to do and things to see, that you will never get bored. Everyone is so friendly and chill; it is definitely a place I will be revisiting very soon. If I didn’t have work the following day, I would have extended my holiday. No joke. I feel like because my flight was delayed it was sign that I should have stayed longer. Ah, well.

TIP: If you’re thinking of visiting the Anne Frank House, then it is best to book your tickets in advance. They have a new rule where in the morning only ticket holders can enter and then in the afternoon, you’ll be able to buy tickets on the day. Considering it IS the Anne Frank House, the queues are quite long – so, yeah… book in advance so you’re not waiting around. Or bring snacks and drinks with you if you do end up in the queue.