Shannon Mendis: Amsterdam

For my last trip before coming back home to the States, I decided to head over to Amsterdam! People always told me that it was a great place to visit, but I have to admit...I didn't believe them till I saw it for my own eyes.

Amsterdam is filled with beautiful architecture, art, museums, canals, sunshine, and bicycles.  It has an overall atmosphere that makes you not want to leave after getting there. I took a flight out early so I could enjoy every minute of exploring the city. After checking in at the Hotel Vijaya (which I later realized was in the red light district...that was interesting, hahaha), I decided to take a walk around. I went to the tourist office to pick up an I AM AMSTERDAM card. (This allows transportation, a canal tour and free admittance to museums all for one price.)

After picking up the card I decided to take a canal tour called 100 Highlights. The sun was shining and it was very peaceful. After the canal tour, I decided to head over to the Rijksmuseum. It was amazing to see all the highlights of the 17th century and the best paintings of Jan Steen, Frans Hals, Vermeer and Rembrandt.

Afterwards, I decided to take a tram to visit the Heineken Experience. I have always liked the beer, but I wanted to see how it was made. It included a mini-brewery and a tasting bar. After that, I decided to relax a bit and get some food. Earlier, I had made a reservation for the Van Gogh museum and its exhibition for 7 so I went to that. It was just A-MAZING! The exhibit was the colors of the night with painting centered around Van Gogh's theme of evening and night. To complete the day, I hit up a coffee shop and then called it a night.

The next morning, I could hear the oldest singing tower. It was so pretty, and the sun was shining on what looked like another wonderful day. After eating breakfast, I decided to hit the Artis Zoo. It was such a beautiful day for it, too. With short sleeves, my new kicks from Tiki and my jeans, I was totally comfortable. To my surprise, the museum had an aquarium, a butterfly area, a zoological museum and a planetarium. I was stoked! Afterwards, I visited the botanical gardens and then later the Anne Frank house. When I was a kid I had to read the book for school so it was an interesting experience to walk through the house and check it out.

My final day, I decided to go to the Rembrandt house, do some shopping, visit the Foam museum, which had some very interesting photography, Tropenmuseum (the museum of the tropics), sat and relaxed at the Vondelpark...it was breathtaking.  Then, I decided to walk again and sightsee, taking lots of pictures.  I ended my trip at Dam square. It was one of my most favorite trips so far and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Slide show: Shannon's trip to Amsterdam