When, at the beginning of 2003, I was told that I got
into the European exchange program called Erasmus
and that my destination was Amsterdam I was at the
same time really excited and a little frightened by
the idea. I had never been alone in a big city and the stories I collected about the city were all related to the free consumption of drugs you can experience there and wild nightlife! It is not that I don’t like nightlife but I had the idea of the city being beautiful but kind of dangerous…I was imagining a tough place and I was feeling my trip as a big challenge that I might not be able to overcome.
After a week of living there I immediately realized how I was wrong!! The city is just amazing and it is the opposite of wild! My University life was very well planned from the moment I got there and my accommodation was provided to me by the University. I resided in a group of apartments where only students were living: I was immediately immerged in a very fun student life, with lessons during the day and parties during the night! The most beautiful thing was that, as the University offers a choice of programs taught in English, you had people coming from all over the world to study there and you get the chance to hang out with people from across the globe! Studying in Amsterdam is a really enriching life experience.
The city also offers a great variety of contemporary cultural events, beautiful movie theatres, concerts (the Melkweg cafè and the club Paradiso host the most beautiful concerts: Buju Bantu, Gotan Project, Orchestra Baobab and other fabulous bands played there while I was living in Amsterdam!) and young people’s art performances (at the club Bimhuis every Tuesday you can enjoy the free Jazz Jam Session put on by the students of the Music Conservatory of Amsterdam!). Even if the city is old and carries a lot of history, Amsterdam is a very lively and cosmopolitan place. Highly regarded modern architects contributed to the image of the city: Renzo Piano designed the futuristic building which host the Natural Science Museum. The mixture of past and modernity is one of the most striking characteristics of Amsterdam.
If you visit the city you cannot miss the collection at the Van Gogh Museum where the best paintings of the artist are kept and made available to the public or the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. You also need to dedicate one day to go to visit the Anne Frank’s house which is the place where she was hiding with her family from the Nazis. Stepping inside of that house is an unforgettable experience.
Finally, the most amazing thing in Amsterdam is to have your own bicycle, just like any other inhabitants, and ride around the city, enjoying the view of the little and sometimes crooked old houses and of the canals, as the city rests above the water. Then, especially in the winter when it is very cold, you can stop at a small old-fashioned café, which is very warm inside and has big windows through which you can have gorgeous views. You can sit on a big couch and have some hot drinks and spend a good time talking with friends or reading a book or playing chess. When the spring comes you can enjoy riding the bicycle and then resting at the Vondelpark, the main green area in the city, where there is also a bar with a beautiful terrace. There you can have some cold drinks and try their particular fresh white beer. After spending some hours at the park you cannot help but look for some good food at one of the many open-air street markets. The best one is located in the neighborhood of Jordaan and takes place every Saturday, don’t miss their original cheeses!
into the European exchange program called Erasmus
and that my destination was Amsterdam I was at the
same time really excited and a little frightened by
the idea. I had never been alone in a big city and the stories I collected about the city were all related to the free consumption of drugs you can experience there and wild nightlife! It is not that I don’t like nightlife but I had the idea of the city being beautiful but kind of dangerous…I was imagining a tough place and I was feeling my trip as a big challenge that I might not be able to overcome.
After a week of living there I immediately realized how I was wrong!! The city is just amazing and it is the opposite of wild! My University life was very well planned from the moment I got there and my accommodation was provided to me by the University. I resided in a group of apartments where only students were living: I was immediately immerged in a very fun student life, with lessons during the day and parties during the night! The most beautiful thing was that, as the University offers a choice of programs taught in English, you had people coming from all over the world to study there and you get the chance to hang out with people from across the globe! Studying in Amsterdam is a really enriching life experience.
The city also offers a great variety of contemporary cultural events, beautiful movie theatres, concerts (the Melkweg cafè and the club Paradiso host the most beautiful concerts: Buju Bantu, Gotan Project, Orchestra Baobab and other fabulous bands played there while I was living in Amsterdam!) and young people’s art performances (at the club Bimhuis every Tuesday you can enjoy the free Jazz Jam Session put on by the students of the Music Conservatory of Amsterdam!). Even if the city is old and carries a lot of history, Amsterdam is a very lively and cosmopolitan place. Highly regarded modern architects contributed to the image of the city: Renzo Piano designed the futuristic building which host the Natural Science Museum. The mixture of past and modernity is one of the most striking characteristics of Amsterdam.
If you visit the city you cannot miss the collection at the Van Gogh Museum where the best paintings of the artist are kept and made available to the public or the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. You also need to dedicate one day to go to visit the Anne Frank’s house which is the place where she was hiding with her family from the Nazis. Stepping inside of that house is an unforgettable experience.
Finally, the most amazing thing in Amsterdam is to have your own bicycle, just like any other inhabitants, and ride around the city, enjoying the view of the little and sometimes crooked old houses and of the canals, as the city rests above the water. Then, especially in the winter when it is very cold, you can stop at a small old-fashioned café, which is very warm inside and has big windows through which you can have gorgeous views. You can sit on a big couch and have some hot drinks and spend a good time talking with friends or reading a book or playing chess. When the spring comes you can enjoy riding the bicycle and then resting at the Vondelpark, the main green area in the city, where there is also a bar with a beautiful terrace. There you can have some cold drinks and try their particular fresh white beer. After spending some hours at the park you cannot help but look for some good food at one of the many open-air street markets. The best one is located in the neighborhood of Jordaan and takes place every Saturday, don’t miss their original cheeses!
3 comments:
It sounds very interesting experience in Amsterdam where is a different city from your hometown, specially when you're young.
You can continue to write your memory
in the next Time Out CEP. This is a beginning of the story...
I want to go to Amsterdam so much! Yup, your article made me so curious about that city:)
Sandra, we definitely have to leave your feature article in Travels section. I like your work very much and I believe you make everyone who reads the article curious about The Netherlands. You mention a lot of places to go, that's great!!
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