Non-Dutch people always seem to think that everyone from the Netherlands lives near Amsterdam and that we all are very familiar with the gay capital of the world. Truth is.. when I'm in Amsterdam, I'm just as much a tourist as most of the foreigners visiting our capital. :P
So, last Friday, it was excellent weather and I was meeting my friend Bianca Holland to stroll around the city, visit a museum, have tea/coffee and good food.. and just to catch up in general. And what was even better, Bianca is pretty much an expert on the history and culture of Amsterdam, so I couldn't wish for a better city tour guide! :)
During the afternoon, I had some lovely fresh mint tea and after walking for hours in the museum and through the streets of the city.. we sat down for a plate of salmon, stir-fried spinach and chips. My portion was quite big, so I could not finish it all! A girl's gotta watch her figure, am I right? ;-)
Since we were doing a lot of walking, I wore comfy ankle boots with a sturdy 8 cm heel (about 3 inches). And since it was sunny, but not that warm.. I opted for a casual jeans/top/leather jacket outfit. So yeah, that's two casual outfit posts in a row. Hope you don't mind!
We visited the Amsterdam Museum, which gives a nice overview how Amsterdam transformed from a small village surrounded by water to one of the most important and influential cities in the Netherlands and arguably... in the world (said with a Jeremy Clarkson voice).
They even made a replica of a typical small pub inside the museum. They modelled this one after a pub that was probably one of the first lesbian bars. Care for a drink? :P
On a beautiful day like this, we of course also visited a few monuments outside. On the left, the National Monument on the Dam Square. On the right, me posing on the Rembrandt Square.
Finally, I had to see the "Maagdenhuis", where the board of directors of the University of Amsterdam resides. In 1969, students occupied this building in order to demand more influence on university policy. During the last months, so February/March 2015, students again occupied the Maagdenhuis. Again, to demand more influence and to protest the current corporate thinking in the academic environment.
All in all, I had a wonderful day and many thanks to Bianca for showing me the beauty of Amsterdam. I had a great time! :)
(no video of this day, so enjoy the last two!)