Amsterdam!

Amsterdam was absolutely my favorite city so far. I haven't felt more immediately comfortable in a  city since I went to New York the first time. The city is built around rivers and canals, so you're constantly walking down wide streets and sidewalks bordered by water (which I did not know before going there). The houses and buildings look straight out of a dollhouse. And, the best part, everyone bikes there! I could totally see myself going there for an extended period of time when I'm older. It was totally freezing, but I like to think I'm adaptable.

I went to Amsterdam with Hannah, Olivia, Grace and Laura and it was a really nicely sized group. The weekend ended up being super chill. We spent a lot of time just walking around the city, which was pretty easy because Amsterdam is actually pretty small. We drank a lot of tea as we sheltered from the cold in coffeeshops, and, most notably in my opinion, I found speculoos! First time this semester, and obviously it was a hit with everyone else. For those who don't know, it's a gingerbread/graham cracker/cookie in a jar, and it is wonderful. Go buy some.

Citrus tea

SPECULOOS ("Biscoff Spread" in the States)

On Saturday we got a bit of a slow start so obviously we ended up being really on top of our schedule, and we missed both the Van Gogh museum and Heinekein experience closing by approximately 10 minutes each, whoops! But we ended up going to both of those on Sunday, so it was okay. The Van Gogh Museum was amazing, he's an amazing artist and I learned a lot about him. (For instance, did you know he was really interested in Japanese art?) Then the Heinekein Experience was a lot of fun too– it was a self-guided tour through the factory and the beer making process, and we got 2 and a half beers for free.

The Heinekein Experience

Laura with her Heiney

Hannah and Grace

It ended up being just the weekend I needed, and it was a great final trip with NYU Florence people! Next weekend I'm off to Vienna to meet up with Rachel and spend some time with her finally, which I am beyond excited for. Until then, I'll be sequestering myself in the library studying for finals and writing papers, because even though I forget most the time, I'm actually here for school? Crazy. Also, 17 days til I come home? Wut? Say it ain't so, I'm not ready to get back to reality just yet.


Too many new things to count