Welkom in Amsterdam

During my last visit to London, Mariam and I had already agreed to go on holiday together for our Bachelor's degree. Amsterdam was almost exactly in the middle. And so we met at Amsterdam Centraal Station at the beginning of June to explore the city together.

Our Airbnb was in Utrecht because Amsterdam is really overpriced. But you forget that very quickly when you stroll past the little canals and fairytale houses. And there are so many vegan restaurants and cafés!

On the first day, we took a leisurely stroll along the little streets. Since I had laid down in the club in the mosh pit the week before, I was walking a bit slower again. Never-ending-foot-story.

Dinner was at Maoz, a vegan pita place that I can absolutely recommend! We watched the sunset over the canals and spent most of the way home dodging cyclists.

The next day we treated ourselves to the famous Dutch Pancakes for breakfast, which definitely deserved their reputation. We wandered through the jungle of flea market stalls, enjoyed the tranquillity of a bookshop and sipped Coke in a Spanish café.

The next day we treated ourselves to the famous Dutch Pancakes for breakfast, which definitely deserved their reputation. We wandered through the jungle of flea market stalls, enjoyed the tranquillity of a bookshop and sipped Coke in a Spanish café. central campus, but buildings dotted around the city.

In the afternoon, we left the city centre for the spacious streets of the outer ring. There were super many cute little shops crammed with clothes, plants and decorations. Actually, we were only busy eating and strolling.

On our last day, we took a trip to Rotterdam because the city is only about 40 minutes away from Amsterdam. I was still secretly hoping for an acceptance letter from Erasmus University Rotterdam, which is why we drove towards the campus after a hearty breakfast at the Old Town harbour. The admission letters still needed at least two weeks before they were announced, but it never hurts to have a look.

The EUR campus is a mix of super modern buildings and industrial buildings. I was immediately in love. There were trees and seating areas everywhere, bicycles were parked close together and there was a different café every 5 metres. As we walked into the Bib, I knew that while Amsterdam was a good plan B, Rotterdam was the better choice. The Bib was built high, the walls were mostly glass so the huge reading rooms were flooded with light. The perfect place to study.

In the afternoon we went back to Amsterdam, where we visited the red light district and the main canals. The 3 days went by so quickly that I didn't know what to do with myself. Mariam had to catch an early train the next day, so I did a little tour of Utrecht on my own. The city is definitely worth a visit, similar to Amsterdam, but with a character all its own. I picked a café by the water, chatted with the waitress and started reading "The Girls I've been" by Tess Sharpe. A perfect end to the trip. Even though the return trip felt like it took 10 years.