This week started out uneventful, but I went to Amsterdam this weekend and it was beautiful! Read all about it.
- Monday, November 8th
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My first class was canceled today, but I already had a gym appointment booked for 9 o’clock, so I woke up at the same time I usually would and went to work out. I decided that my best move for the morning was to get my grocery shopping out of the way, so that’s exactly what I did. Then, I went to a coffee shop for a couple of hours and got some work done. When I came back home, I cooked some chicken and broccoli, ate it, and did more work. Then, it was time for Mediterranean Politics, after which I went to the library and then to International Business. After class, my roommate and I went to get dinner at our local favorite restaurant, and then I finished the book “It Ends With Us.” I finished it in a day, which is a testament to how great of a book it is. Overall, it wasn’t a super eventful day, but it was still a good one.
- Tuesday, November 9th
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This morning I went to the gym, and while I was there I received a notification that my first class of the day was canceled again. After the gym, I went to a coffee shop around the corner and worked for a couple of hours, like yesterday, and then I came home to eat lunch and relax. I went to my Intercultural Communication class, and after that, one of my roommates and I went on a nice stroll around our neighborhood. We went to purchase umbrellas because Barcelona has been quite rainy, and then we went to eat pizza for dinner. The place we went to brings out syringes filled with spicy oil for people to squeeze onto their pizza, and it makes it 10 times better. After dinner, we came home, and I worked on a presentation for a little before I went to sleep.
- Wednesday, November 10th
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Today started with the gym, a coffee, and class. After class, I headed down to the center of Barcelona in search of a hat and a carry-on suitcase, since the upcoming trips I have planned require more clothing, and that means that I need a larger bag than my backpack. I found a hat, but there were no carry-ons within my budget, so I just ended up stopping by a place near my apartment and buying a cheap suitcase that will do the job. I did some homework and completed my tasks for my job at CU, and before I knew it, it was time for my next class. I usually have three classes on Wednesdays, but International Business was optional today, so I did not go, as I had quite a bit of schoolwork to get done. I also packed for my upcoming weekend trip to Amsterdam, and then I had my weekly therapy session. After therapy, I studied for a final exam that I have tomorrow, and then I got ready to go to bed.
- Thursday, November 11th
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This morning I decided to sleep in instead of going to the gym, which was a good idea, and then I treated myself to coffee and headed to class. After class, I worked and studied for my exam, and finished packing for Amsterdam, as I had to leave right after my next class. Speaking of, it was time for class and the final, which I’m glad to have done! It went well, I think. I stopped by my apartment to gather my belongings, and my roommates and I hopped on the metro to the airport. We boarded our flight to Amsterdam, and we were off! Amsterdam was decorated for the holidays, so the airport was really pretty and there was even a Christmas tree, which got me really excited for the holidays. We ended up taking a Tesla taxi to our hotel, which I don’t personally understand why you would be a taxi driver if you have a Tesla, but whatever. We safely got to our hotel, settled in, and went to bed.
- Friday, November 12th
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Amsterdam is amazing. This morning started with a coffee (of course) and banana bread, followed by a nice walk to the city center along the canals. We stopped on several bridges for photos and walked in and out of shops for a while. For lunch, we stopped by a popular cafe where I ate tomato soup, which was perfect for the cold weather, and Dutch croquettes. Then, we made our way to the Sex Museum, which was nothing short of entertaining. If you are ever in Amsterdam and you want to laugh, I recommend visiting it. After the Sex Museum, we were all freezing so we decided to go back to the hotel for a bit. COVID cases in the Netherlands have been rising, and it was just announced that there will be a new lockdown tomorrow, so everything was packed and the streets were crazy tonight. It took us forever to find a place to eat dinner, and when we did, we had to sit outside in the 40º weather, but it’s okay because the food was good. We went to a bar after for a drink, which also took us forever to find, and then headed back to our hotel, showered, and went to sleep.
- Saturday, November 13th
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Today was another great day. My roommates and I booked tickets for the Rijksmuseum at 11 a.m., so we decided to eat breakfast at the cafe there. It included a croissant with some butter and jam and was a bit small and overpriced, but overall good. We proceeded to spend two hours walking around the museum, where there are thousands of paintings and artifacts that showcase Amsterdam’s history, so two hours was not nearly enough time to see everything, but I can only look at art for so long. My favorite painting was “The Night Watch” by Rembrandt, a famous Dutch artist. After the museum, we went to an extremely popular pancake place where I had the most delicious pancake I have ever eaten, and I still can’t stop thinking about it. It had bacon, brie cheese, and honey on it, and I added syrup to eat it “the Dutch way”. My stomach is gurgling as I write this because it was that good. Anyway, we walked around for a while longer, and then we went on a canal tour, which was interesting, but we couldn’t really see anything because it was dark. After the tour, we went to a highly-rated Thai restaurant for dinner, and our experience was not amazing. The service was so slow and we practically got kicked out of the restaurant due to the new lockdown, which states that restaurants have to close at 8 p.m. We got there with more than enough time, too, so it was annoying. On top of that, when we were getting ready to pay, they told us they don’t take Visa or Mastercard, and none of us had cash, so I had to stay at the restaurant and wait for my roommates, who were accompanied by a waiter, to find an ATM. Basically, I was being held hostage for a restaurant bill, but it all worked out. It was just unexpected and annoying. On the way home, we stopped by a shop that sold Stroopwafel, which is a Dutch dessert made of two thin wafer waffles filled with caramel in between. I got one for dessert with brownie pieces on top, which was fantastic. Then we came back to the hotel and went to sleep.
- Sunday, November 14th
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This morning we had a bit of a later start to the day, and it was kind of hectic. We had no obligations until 1 p.m., so we wanted to go to a pancake place for brunch, but the line was really long so we found another restaurant, where the line was also really long. Eventually, we were running so low on time that we had to stop into a cafe and get some pastries and coffee instead because it was past noon at this point and we had no food in our systems. At 1 p.m., we had tickets to the Anne Frank house. This is where the Frank family (and others) hid for over two years during World War II and where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary. When I was walking through the house, I felt so much emotion and sympathy for the Jewish families that had to hide during the war, it’s hard to describe in words. It was such a moving experience, and I am really glad that I got to see it. After that, we took some more photos, walked around, bought Stroopwafel to take back to Barcelona, and got some fries that we had been wanting all weekend. We had tickets to the Van Gogh museum at 4 p.m., where most of Vincent Van Gogh’s art is showcased. It was interesting to see the progression of his art from the beginning to the end of his career, and also to learn about his personal life, including when he cut his ear off. After Van Gogh, we headed to dinner at a place that specialized in Bitterballen, or Dutch croquettes. It was amazing, and probably my second-favorite meal after the pancake from yesterday. When we came back to the hotel, I worked on my presentation that I have tomorrow morning, packed my things, and went to bed since we have to get up early tomorrow.
As always, I am so grateful to be able to travel all the time and gain new experiences! Thanks for reading and come back next week for week 12 (crazy!).