Amsterdam! an old adventure; an old flame.

I was thinking about what to write in this weekly blog for the whole week. I had some ideas, but I could not make up my mind. Then, yesterday, browsing old photographs, I stumbled into those pictures I took a thousand years ago in Amsterdam. At that time, I didn't have doubts anymore, and I had to tell you something about that city.

Like every memory, I still remember it and treasure those memories like the most precious ones, not only because Amsterdam is one of the most interesting and cute cities I have ever visited, but because it holds still the memory of my very first travel abroad.

At those times I was frequenting the Art Institute, and together with the teachers we decided that a trip to Amsterdam was a must considering the richness in art production (and a must for us students for the legalized cannabis).

Ah! The good old times when the Wandering Writer was just the "Maybe" Writer. At those times, I had no idea about what my life would have been like. I think that just like the vast majority of the students, I was living day after day, without bothering too much about the future. Yes, 18 is not just the age of responsibility, it is the age when you have all the freedom to experiment and see the world with your own eyes, accepting all the responsibilities. At 13 years old, you start to stretch your wings and see whether they might be strong enough for your first flight, from 15 on you start to fly, knowing that for every fall there is still someone else who will take responsibility for your actions.

Now, we reached Amsterdam following the cheapest route, the train... it took two days, and we were all exhausted as we arrived. The first thing we noticed was the dramatic difference between the places we were used to seeing every day and our first taste of the outside world.

Something is fascinating with the way the houses are built, and we were quite amazed at how different the architecture was, then respect the one we were used to seeing daily. I fell immediately in love with those old houses, and my mind started to race about how would they look like from the inside.

Amsterdam is an amazing place, rich in history, arts, culture famous for the incredible development of its tolerant society. Its history started as a humble fishing village in the 13^th century and developed into what it is now, a center of commerce, tourism and culture. Romantic and beautiful with its Canal Ring, a network of waterways, which originally allowed the city to grow beyond the fortified walls to evolve into the city’s typical canal side’s houses. And it should be no wonder that it was added to the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Another thing you don’t want to miss is a tour outside the city to the tulips fields, believe me, you will love it. Perhaps you never thought how beautiful those humble flowers might look like, but centuries of hybridization created so many different species with so many colors that will surely grab your attention. Not to mention what Holland is famous for; the windmills. Immediately it came to my mind the book of Miguel Cervantes, Don Quixote (you remember the dude fighting against the windmills… LOL).

But there are so many things to see and recommend, the museums; almost 100 museums all worth a visit, then the cafeterias, monuments... You might need a whole month to see everything, and yet I still consider it a tight schedule, if you don't want just to visit, but to enjoy.

My favorite place was the Van Gogh museum, as a lover of his paintings, this was for me a real must, and it grabbed my heart to see from real those paintings I have admired only through the images of books. 

If you ever have the chance, visit, visit, visit Amsterdam. You will thank me!