amsterdam, part two.
Our second full day in Amsterdam began with us moving out from the Art Bed & Breakfast studio flat to the Shelter City hostel. The hostel is actually located in the Red Light District but on a side street. So you definitely can get an eyeful when returning to the hostel at night… As we were leaving the hostel, I, being a person who can barely walk on flat ground, managed to stumble on a ramp inside the hostel. This resulted in a sprained ankle and quite a bit of pain. Just my luck.
I couldn’t let my sprained ankle get in the way of exploring Amsterdam so I kept going, not letting my day go to waste. We first walked through Chinatown and through Dam Square again. Then, we hopped on a tram to the famed Museumplein, or Museum Square.
Amsterdam’s Chinatown
Museumplein
Michelle, Leroy and I
Look parents, I used a backpack! First time since middle school…
Leroy atop the ‘I’
Michelle, Leroy, me, Houssine
After our impromptu photoshoot on and with the ‘I amsterdam’ sign, we walked over to the Van Gogh Museum. Overall, I found the museum to be quite interesting and it was so great to see certain paintings in person. I got to see ‘The Potato Eaters’ (1885), ‘Sunflowers’ (1889), ‘Self-Portrait with Felt Hat’ (1888), ‘The Bedroom’ (1888), and lots more. The museum actually houses a really cool recreation of Van Gogh’s bedroom as it’s seen in his famous painting from 1888.
Once again, we were wiped out by the early evening so we all got a little napping done, as usual, before dinnertime. For dinner, Leroy, Michelle, Houssine, and I went to a Chinese place called Golden Chopsticks and ohmylanta, it was the best thing I’ve had since I’ve been abroad. Though, I’m probably only saying that because I haven’t had Chinese food since the beginning of September and I’ve been going crazy missing it! I ordered the cha siu fan (BBQ pork and rice), which was delicious. The dish cost me 13.50 euros and that is way more expensive than what I’m used to paying for the same dish back in Vancouver. I could get the same amount of cha siu for $6. This was almost $20! Crazy.
Dinner was great but of course, a sprained ankle cannot heal itself in a day. I stayed in at the hostel that night to ice my foot while everyone else went out to check out Amsterdam’s nightlife. I would say that I was disappointed, but sleeping early that night was much needed, especially since I was feeling a little under the weather.
Stay tuned for the final part of my Amsterdam trip!