Oh Amsterdam… my sweet, sweet love! From the moment I walked out of Central Station, I knew I was home. It’s such a beautiful city with so much to see. I can see myself living here whenever I decide to sit still somewhere. The people were great and the city was generally very clean and eco friendly. The bike traffic surpasses the car traffic. Almost everyone commutes on a bicycle. I saw mom’s with kids in tow on bike’s. It was very impressive but I quickly learned to look every direction before I stepped off a curb.
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When we arrived at the airport we took a train to Centraal Station then went straight to our apartment that was a short walk from Rijks Museum. Frans was our host for our stay. We rented one of his apartments on AirBnB for about $130 a night. When we got there he helped us carry our luggage up to the second floor, like a true gentleman. We walked in the flat to a bottle of Cabernet on the table. My fave!
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We had a glass of wine and got dressed for dinner. There was a plaza with a bunch of shops and restaurants across the street from us so finding food was easy. I couldn’t help but notice it was 10pm and it was still light outside. Most places were closed so we went to Barca. It was cute but I didn’t enjoy the food much at all. Actually the only food I liked while I was in Amsterdam was the breakfast and an indian spot we went to called Taj India. I highly recommend the Pancake Bakery. After dinner we walked around the area close to our apartment for awhile then headed back in
The next day we all woke up to a devastating email from Easy Jet. Our flight from Amsterdam to Rome was canceled due to a fire at the airport in Rome (FCO). I’d never deal with Easy Jet again because of the way they handled this cancelation. This airport fire happened 2 months prior. But our flights weren’t canceled until 24 hours before departure. On top of that they had no options for getting us on another flight anytime soon and we had a wedding to get to in 2 days. DRAMA! 😯 All they could offer us was a refund in 5-7 business days. 😐 After some bitching and complaining they offered to cover part of our expense for whatever flight we found to replace this one. By the way, it took me 3 months to get that refund.
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So we ended up booking a last minute flight with Vueling airlines for €150. We were NOT happy! That was €60 more than our now canceled flight. We were really glad we stayed on a strict budget in London. This is why I tell everyone to expect the unexpected. Something like this could ruin a trip if you let it. And I almost did, but I chose to look at the bright side. Now I get to spend an extra day roaming Amsterdam! 
And so we did. We saw Wesbertem, Anne Frank Huis, Museumplein, Rijks Museum, The Red Light District, the Royal Palace and The Bull Dog!
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When it was time to leave Frans let us keep our bags in one of his closets while we got out and did some more exploring. By the time we left we pretty much knew how to maneuver through the city like pros. We hopped on the train with our bags by the Heineken Brewery, and headed on our way to meet some friends in Rome!
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Travel Tip: They offer an iAmsterdam card that lets you get into certain museums and take some tours for free. I definitely think it’s worth the investment.
Smoker’s corner: Now you know I had to visit their infamous coffee shops. The rumurs are true. You can walk into a coffee shop and order a cup of coffee and and a bag of weed no special credentials required. And they give you a menu of all the strains they have categorized by indica, sativa and hybrid! Yes! I was in heaven. I don’t think I could have handled all the UNeasy Jet issues anywhere else but here. lol The Bull Dog was my favorite coffee shop. We went to the one in the Red Light District and it did not fail us. When you walk in it’s like you’ve walked into an episode of Alice in Wonderland. Everything reminded me of a mushroom. All of the colors and furniture were so trippy! I wish I had pictures but they weren’t allowed. Please go see it for yourself!
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