I’ve been wanting to go to Amsterdam for a while. Perhaps its the Scandinavian and Norse in me, that has been called to it. My boyfriend has family from the Netherlands, so after he finally got a new passport, we booked a trip there.
And I loved it. It was a wonderful time, and I would definitely go again. It was a beautiful place, with all the canals and trees that lined them, with cobbled streets full of hidden places and wonderful things. It had delicious food, excellent coffee, and I really enjoyed a walking food based tour we did, to try the street food. I also loved cruising down the canal, seeing the city and relaxing by the water. Water really calms my mind and helps with meditation, and Amsterdam was perfect for that. Its also why enjoyed a quieter day at the beach, just being with nature and forgetting my worries. It also had a horde of museums for just about everything, with easy to read signs in most places. The best for this was the diamond museum, a little place just outside the Rijks museum, which had more audible features than I could name, and I had fun learning. Our trip also had some wonderful events, as we found a brilliant jazz concert happening one evening which had one of the best drummers and saxophone players I’ve ever heard, and a fun comedy gig another evening. It also had an excellent tram service, taking us to where we needed to be, always on time, that announced every stop. It also had friendly people, who were always happy to help.
And it was super accessible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much tactile paving in my life. It was included on every tram stop, and the islands they stood on. It covered every road crossing, every platform on the train, and even through stations and into the streets on either side. It was even on the steps for the canal boat, and it was lovely to see. When I came home, I was baffled by the fact that here, we are still fighting over this, particularly with the underground, when Amsterdam shows it clearly can be done. It was also well lit at night, super easy to navigate, and I didn’t even need my cane although I brought it just in case. The museum signs were a good size font, as were several restaurant menus, which was a nice change. I even had one server offer me a large print menu, in a pizza place, when he saw I was struggling. The bikes were happy to ring a bell or announcing they were coming with battle cries, which was great for me.
All in all, it was a great trip, and I would absolutely go again.
