Narrative #3

After missing our 6:25am train from Paris Nord to Amsterdam Centraal, Elizabeth and I were in low spirits, imagining that our late night of partying with group members at a bar in Montmartre would ruin our long weekend. Fortunately, after buying new train tickets and arriving in Amsterdam later that evening, we felt we had reached the promise land. Wandering through the streets of the Leidspien district was like nothing we had ever seen before. Everyone was laughing, embracing and the clinks of pint glasses toasting could be heard all around. We met a few locals, as well as some police officers from London who said they loved Amsterdam so much they came here almost every weekend. They also told us Amsterdam had an amazing venue where musicians from all around Europe came to play. The next morning we awoke very early to catch breakfast at our hostel and get going. That Saturday was an absolute whirlwind. We started at the Van Gogh museum, which included 4 expansive floors of his sketches, paintings and many of his authentic painting palettes  After spending a few hours there, we visited the Diamond Museum, observing crowns and royal jewels. We then went on the Heineken Brewery tour which felt like a an interactive ride at Disney Land. That night we went on the Leidspien pub crawl and met locals from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and visitors from South Africa. I really appreciated the time we spent in Amsterdam because it was such an outstandingly different experience from Paris. It was extremely interesting being able to observe and interact with a culture that is so close to France, yet so unlike it in it's nature. Though we were sad to leave Amsterdam, it made us both grateful and excited to return to Paris. I was unsure if I felt I belonged in Paris, or that I could consider Paris "my home", but after traveling to Amsterdam I feel it cemented my sense of belonging to this unique, lively city.