AmsterDAMN!

We arrived via the main train station and headed directly for our accommodation that our friend Kristian had booked. We were staying in the Yotel Amsterdam. I would recommend the hotel, the rooms and services were very nice, but it is on the Northern side of Amsterdam over the river - meaning getting into town is about a 30-45 minute walk depending on if the ferry is there ready to go when you arrive. It was a little more expensive than we had booked elsewhere in Europe too, but from what I have heard Amsterdam is pretty expensive to book so I don't know many cheaper alternatives - especially closer to the city.

We did walk into town and explore a bit - as cheaply as we could. Skye was really keen on trying the famous French Fries, especially from Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx. They were pretty good, nothing that will blow your socks off but the sauces made the difference.

The city is really well laid out so it is so easy to walk around and through the canals.

All I can recommend is just getting Anne Frank museum tickets online early before arriving or even thinking to arrive in Amsterdam! We were unfortunate to not get to see it, and it is the one thing we wanted to see in Amsterdam the most.

We found a cool little café around the corner from our hotel that did brilliant sandwiches that I would highly recommend for a really good price aswell (considering Amsterdam). We started our day at a huge thrift store to pick up some small additions to our outfits for a special occasion the for day 3. If you want to do a bit of shopping in Amsterdam for cheap, there are some great finds here!

We headed into town and met up with Kristian, and walked our way to Riksmuseum, and through to Van Gogh Museum. We didn't explore the Van Gogh Museum - having already seen a similar museum back home - but we loved the park just outside, and caught ourselves laughing at some street performers.

On our way back closer to the ferry we stopped by a smaller free underground museum - it was honestly really strange, I can't say I would recommend it. It helped pass some time before dinner though, and we wanted to check out the famous Red Light District after dinner - much safer and more like a tourist attraction than anything else too sinister haha.

Today was the day that we were most excited about - kind of what we came to Amsterdam with our friend Kristian for. We were going to watch the Darts World Championships.

We started the day similarly having a sandwich and coffee at the café just around the corner. It was almost challenging to spend the time wisely with our activity in the back of our mind. We just hung around the city centre, and got some really nice cakes at Le Founril de Sebastien using the TooGoodToGo app again.

Then we started making our way to Rosmalen from using the train system for the darts. It sounds strange, maybe some of you will know, but professional darts is an incredible game to watch live. It involves dressing up, drinking a lot of alcohol and chanting and cheering wildly. If you are in Europe I could not recommend trying to see live darts any more highly! It will stand the test of time as one of the greatest nights of all of our lives.

We started the day checking out a local street art centre (NDSM Werf) which had some really cool pieces. A super easy place to visit and spend an hour or two.

We then put our Dutch hats on and explored further out from the city on a wonderful bike ride. The owner directed us through a really nice path through to Durgerdam.

The ride there was lovely, we crossed through some fields and along a really nice set out path off the main road. And Durgerdam is a super cute town. We stopped just outside of Restaurant de Mark - which the owner recommended getting a bite to eat - but the prices were well and truly out of our range so we simply sat in the park and relaxed.

In typical Netherlands fashion it began to rain so we jumped on our bikes and rode home as promptly as possible. WE GOT SOAKED! I can highly recommend bike riding in Amsterdam, but check the weather prior to leaving.

We were so cold when we got home, but Pasta King 020 and a hot shower was the perfect way to warm up and jump into bed ready for an early wake up and travel day tomorrow.