Unfortunately, Jackie and I couldn’t get a train until later afternoon out of London on the Eurostar, and for an outrageously expensive price that I’d rather not even mention, we also had to stop in Brussels where we had to hope we could catch a local train to Amsterdam. To make the adventure even more fun, we nearly missed our train to Brussels after waiting in a line to try to get our train from Brussels to Amsterdam purchased ahead of time, and then discovered our entire train to Brussels was chalk full of Tommorrowland goers. We didn’t arrive to Amsterdam until around 8:00 p.m., where we showed up exhausted and starving. We were greeted by my dad, who was uncontrollably giggling, and my step mom who almost ran into the glass door of the hotel. I was overjoyed to finally reunite with my pops after having not seen him for a month. Though, on this journey, with every happy reunion came a sad departure, as my first night in Amsterdam was Jackie’s final night with me. We lived it up in Amsterdam for one final girls night out hurrah, and even though I was missing my other half, I thoroughly loved Amsterdam in all its coffee shop, bike riding, beautiful Nordic people glory.
Highlights and moments:
-Dinner at Le Bouf. I didn’t know what to expect of Amsterdam cuisine, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. Being the queen of contradiction, I love salad and I love French fries. Amsterdam is all about this counteractive meal choice as well! Every menu I saw featured a beautiful salad selection, and all salads came with French fries. Jackie and I split a gnocchi appetizer, which I am still dreaming about, and then merrily devoured our salads and frites, feeling somewhat healthy and somewhat over indulgent at the same time. We caught up with my dad, step mom who is also named Jackie, and my step sister and her fiancé who were with us for part of the next leg of my journey.
-Bar mini-crawling with Jackie on her last night. Though I’ve never been to New Orleans, we bar hopped on a street that reminded me of what I imagine Bourbon Street looking like- rows of various bars with loud music and live music, colorful lights, and intoxicated people stumbling and weaving. We went to a cool hole-in-the-wall jazz bar first, and then had a little too much to drink at a loud dance-friendly bar full of travelers and locals alike, all looking far younger than us. Jackie and I danced our little hearts out, simultaneously living in the moment while also trying to block out the fact that she had to leave the next day.
Jackie and I snuck onto one of the many boats lining the canals after bar hopping. We savored a final night moment on a vacant boat under the stars.
-Running through Vondel Park. Amsterdam may be one of the most active cities I’ve ever visited. There are hardly any cars, everyone bikes. I saw a woman decked out in a cocktail dress and stilettos hop on her bicycle and be on her merry way. Vondel Park runs through the middle of the city and its an endless stretch of paths, open fields, small ponds, outdoor concert venues, outdoor cafes, and benches. I’ve never seen a green space utilized by so many people all at once. It’s hard to escape the ever present smell of marijuana, which I don’t partake in, but don’t mind the smell of, so that was a unique addition to my run through the park.
-The red light district. After having been to Vegas countless times, the red light district truly seemed like nothing to gawk at. I was glad we saw it, because it’s certainly different and interesting, but on the surface, I didn’t find it drastically different from the scantily clad cocktail waitresses and go-go dancers that parade around the casinos and clubs in Vegas. Of course, when I saw a “client” enter one of the rooms and the black curtains draw to a close, then I recognized just how different the spectacle is from anywhere else in the world.
All in all, I’d really like to return to Amsterdam for a longer period of time. I loved its liberal and active vibe, and I surprisingly loved the food. 
Madness & Magic 