Hello everyone! How are you doing?

In today’s blog, I would like to write about my weekend trip to Amsterdam with my flatmates.

Just a little information about the trip and the company we went with. We signed up for the trip through a company called Outgoing, this company does trips to cities in the UK as well as cities in Europe such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris. The package is very student-friendly. First of all, it is cheap, it includes return travel, accommodation and also suggested activities you can add into your itinerary. Basically, it is pretty flexible, many students, like me and my friends just have our own plans prepared and do whatever we like while we were there.

So what did I do there?

My flatmates and I went on a bike tour which we cycled around the city. It was really fun and you get to see many places while doing exercise! However, it can be quite dangerous as there are many other cyclists, trams and people in the streets, so please be careful if you are considering going on a bike tour too. We also did a little shopping and got a few souvenirs for our friends and family. At night, we signed up for a pub crawl, which we got the chance to visit the most popular bars and night clubs in Amsterdam and experience the night life there a little bit. The atmosphere and the vibe are completely different from the UK, so if you are interested, I would definitely recommend visiting a few. (*Please drink moderately and responsibly.)

I have to say I didn’t experience a huge cultural shock, but that might have to do with the fact that I was only there for a weekend. People there are generally very nice and friendly and most of them are very fluent in English so there is no need to worry about communication. The most that I enjoyed while in Amsterdam were all the lovely bakeries and coffee shops, they do excellent coffees and cakes! Yum! I remember having this freshly made Nutella pancake and my flatmate was obsessed with the waffles.

Amsterdam gives an image to the world where it is all about the drugs and sexual themes; however if you look at the city from a different perspective, you will find this city is very lovely and there are also lots of history and things you can explore and learn more about! And from my experience, not everyone in Amsterdam smokes.

If you want to learn more about Amsterdam, please visit: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/

If you want to find out more about Outgoing, please go to: http://www.outgoing.co.uk

Have any of you been to Amsterdam? Or any other cities in Europe? Leave a comment and let me know!

Happy Easter and have a good weekend!

Diana x