Amsterdam: Reflection Cheese and Art

Hello!
Sorry it has been awhile but midterms really required most of my attention and energy. I also had a bit of travel troubles when my flight coming back from Amsterdam got canceled, but more on that later. I absolutely adored Amsterdam it is such a beautiful and vibrant city that is very walker friendly (besides almost getting hit by a biker on multiple occasions. The city gets a rep of being a place just to go and smoke weed. But take it from someone who has zero interest in that kind of stuff, there is so much more to the city.

When I first got to the city I met up with a friend and we did some exploring. We checked out the Amsterdam Museum which gave an interesting history of the city as well as showcased some art. We also checked out the Royal Palace and walked around to all the shops nearby the main area. To end the night we ate at an Indian restaurant where I gorged myself on curry and naan. Surprisingly since being in London I have not had Indian as much as I would have liked so this was a treat. Since I had to get up so early for my flight that morning after dinner I went back to my hotel to enjoy some free shortbread cookies and Netherlands Netflix (they had the DuckTales Movie, which I honestly did not even know was a thing!)

The next day was jammed packed full of activities. I started at the Anne Frank Museum/House which was an amazing experience. They did not allow photos inside but it was such a enlightening and solemn tour. You simply walk through listening to the audio guide and it is defiantly a worthwhile tour. Afterwards I realized I was near the Tulip Museum and the Cheese Museum. Both are very small and right next to each other and while I didn't go inside the Tulip Museum I did step inside the Cheese Museum and had samples of some of the best cheese I'd ever had. Most of it was goat cheese (my favorite!) so it was definitely a nice treat. Afterwards I met my friend again and we went museum hopping. Starting at the Van Gogh Museum, which was definitely my favorite we marveled at his amazing style and learned more about his life and history. After the Van Gogh Museum we went to the Rijksmuseum, which was huge and featured a lot of different styles of art. These were great places to spend an afternoon and just wander. In the evening we explored the city more, had dinner and I even picked up some stroopwaffels which were delicious.

On our last day (or so we thought) we went to the Jewish District and went through some Holacoust memorials and museums. Like the Anne Frank House this was another sobering experience but it was also very interesting and worthwhile. Also since we could not resist the photo-op we went to a bench where they filmed a pivotal scene from the movie The Fault on Our Stars (based on the still amazing book by John Green). We then both went to the airport to catch our flight. Although not long after getting to our gate they announced that our flight had been canceled and we had to transfer to a new one, but there wasn't another flight back to London until the next day. Of course my friend and I were quite upset (luckily I did not have classes the next day so it did not affect me as much.) The airline payed for our new flight hotel as well as dinner and breakfast so we were well taken care of, but it did put me behind schedule for the rest of the week. Overall though I loved my time in Amsterdam and I am so happy I was able to visit. I had been wanting to visit for years now and it definitely met (and even exceeded) my expectations.

Would you have enjoyed the museums I visited? Or take advantage of the many free cheese samples? Let me know in the comments!