To Love a Wild Thing

Our first port of call was of course, Amsterdam. After leaving the ferry terminal we had to stop and park up immediately; one, to work the sat nav and two, to work up the courage to set off on the wrong side of the road. (Nick has been doing amazing so far by the way guys so there is no worries there at all and hopefully they won't be any at all!) That was the moment it became real for us, and I knew that we really needed to be cautious on this trip, with there being so many new experiences happening at once it can be a bit overwhelming. Arriving outside of our Airbnb apartment, we were a few hours early but our host, the lovely Sonia, came to meet us early and sat us down for a cup of tea and a chat, even though she was having a super busy day. For it being our first Airbnb experience, as well as our first day, it was so comforting to be greeted in such a British way, and I would like to thank Sonia for the greeting because it really did put me at ease and helped me to settle! If anyone knows me well enough, they'll know that I am a highly sensitve individual, and that isn't always a good thing. (it isn't a good thing a lot of the time really) The first few days of this trip have been tough for me, I've been really missing home, especially my Mam who is basically there and has been there for me every day of my life, so seperation is a bit painful. However, I am getting better, and I know I just have to give myself time, which I do every holiday and then I never want it to end! (Though something tells me I'll be glad to come home at the end of this trip)

Most cities I have visited have surprised me, and they've been different to what I imagined, but Amsterdam turned out to be exactly as I imagined it would be. When people say there's a lot of bikes, there's a lot of bikes. When people say its watery- it's dam watery. (excuse the pun I'm sorry I had to) Our first day was sunny and even quite warm for January, we stumbled across the flower market and the nearby stores. There is a beautfiul Japanese store next to it selling items ranging from traditonal art tools to pieces of art and chopsticks, to fans, outfits and trinkets. It's worth having a look! I bought my first postcard to send home and the next day we sat outside of a cafe on the edge of a canal to write out our message home. If you're wanting to send home a postcard from the city bear in mind that the postboxes are strange looking. They are a kind of sideways barrel shaped container with two thin horizontal slits, one for post within the country, and one for post to outside the country. Postage stamps can be bought from corner stores for about 2 euro second class. I would recommend that if you're on a budget, you get one of the free maps that the information centres provide. You can usually find these centres near the edge of canals offering canal cruises and other travel related offers. Walking around the city is fairly easy if you know which direction you're going, I suggest you use the canals as a way of making your way from the north to the south if you aren't to sure. Food is cheap and good, there was no shortage of places to eat and rest for decent prices, FEBO is a great place to quickly grab something filling and cheap to eat while walking. For places to visit, the Anne Frank House is a must, it was an incredibly interesting place. The sex museum and the red light district is also an aspect of the city you've kind of got to explore, it's certainly eye opening. I can't wait to come back on my way back home!