The first trip I took outside the UK was to Amsterdam, Netherlands. My friend wanted to go and since I had not traveled outside Scotland, I decided to go. I was not worried about a language barrier because English is spoken in Amsterdam. We planned to visit so many tourist attractions there including the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank’s house.
We were unable to book tickets for Anne Frank because tickets sold out about 2 months prior. Fortunately, we were able to book tickets for Van Gogh plus a canal cruise. Canal cruises are a must in Amsterdam because there are various canals in the city. Upon arriving in Amsterdam, I was struck by how modern it looked. it looked extremely futuristic and I was fascinated.
The canal cruise was the first activity we did. The canal cruise was awesome because we were able to see more of the city and its beauty.
After the canal cruise, we went to the Van Gogh museum and spent quite a lot of time there. It was my first time learning Van Gogh’s personal history in depth and I was surprised by his struggles. Amidst his own paintings, there were paintings by artists who inspired him. Pictures were prohibited but we were allowed to take a picture of one of his works that was reproduced.
After the museum trip, I craved Nigerian food and so we went to a Nigerian restaurant close by the hostel at which we stayed. I was so excited to eat Nigerian food and the food was as delicious as I was used to. That was one of the highlights of my trip to Amsterdam.
The following day, we went in search of the infamous Dutch apple pie. Our walking route took us past Anne Frank house, which was easily noticeable because of the green door.
I was slightly disappointed by the Dutch apple pie because I was expecting a soft crust but it was hard. It tasted as if it was a day old. But apart from the crust, the rest of the pie was delicious. Eating the apple pie was the last major activity we did in Amsterdam before returning to Scotland. I enjoyed the trip to Amsterdam and I hope to be able to visit other countries for new experiences.