I randomly ended up spending a day in Amsterdam after my flight got canceled on my way back to Minneapolis. I always wanted to go and see the canals in Amsterdam, so decided to get into the city center by myself and take advantage of the situation.
I took an uber and did some quick research on a few places I wanted to check out in the canal area.
As I started walking along the canal I spotted a Japanese girl all by her self struggling with taking a selfie in front of one of the canals. I asked her if she would like to help with the picture, and then we started talking. We had a lot of common interests. We talked about many different things, but mostly the work mentality in Japan, her thoughts about the high suicidal rate there, and our different cultures. I defiantly learned a lot would I never have known if I didn’t get to know this girl.
Since we were both hungry we decided to go for lunch. She was as happy as I was to share the experience of Amsterdam with someone. We ate lunch at Lotti’s, a cafe which is a part of The Hoxton hotel. The food was delish. I ordered oatmeal, that was literally the best oatmeal I ever had. It was added chia seeds, walnuts, raisins, and agave. As well as an almond latte.
The next stop was The cold-pressed juicery, just a few meters walk. I did a green juice, but they had all kinds of different options, as well as different kind of bowls and wraps. This is more a to-go place and not really much of a seated cafe. Most of the cafes we passed are right on the canals, you can feel the pulse of the city wherever you decide to sit down. I can only imagine how magical this city would be for spring or summer. We were lucky enough to get a little bit of sun, and the weather was actually not too bad for being January.
Last but not least, this place I found on Instagram, and it was on the top of my wish list to check out. Polaberry serves homemade chocolate in all different shapes. They are probably most famous for their chocolate-covered strawberries, the unicorn chocolates on a stick (the ones in my pic), and their classic Amsterdam chocolate. This is a really cute place I recommend to check out. My new Japanese friend loved it too!
This was all I had time for before I had to get my ass back to the airport, for my rescheduled flight to Minneapolis. I definitely would love to go back and explore much more. Probably with some girlfriends for a weekend trip that would be a lot of fun.
I hope you will check out these cute places if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam.
I have just got back to Minneapolis and already starting to pack again for the all-star break. This time to some warmer place. I’m really excited to feel the sand under my feet again and listen to the sound of the ocean.
Best, Eline S.
