Sorry for the late update. By this time, I am actually three full stops away from Amsterdam, but I am finally getting around to catching up on the blog. I left off last time with the adventure of the night bus. Chase and I got into Amsterdam around 6:30am and we were lucky that the hostel I booked was actually right next to the train station we got dropped off at. We weren’t staying in the city center because everything was either already booked or too pricey.

                After checking in we immediately parted ways to go back to bed. At this hostel we weren’t in the same room. Chase really wanted to find something to eat but I was more concerned with getting to my bed. The hostel was really nice, and it gave off more of a hotel vibe than a hostel. I was in a four-bed dorm that consisted of a set of bunk beds and two twin beds pushed together. Of course, my room was full except for my bed, and everyone was asleep, so I did my best to set my stuff down quietly and then immediately fell asleep. The bed was the most comfortable bed out of any of the hostels so far. The pillow was comfortable but honestly, anything was going to seem like a luxury after taking an 11-hour bus.

                I woke up around noon still super groggy but not wanting to miss my time in Amsterdam seeing that we missed a day by having to take a night bus (we were supposed to get in in the early afternoon on the 3^rd originally, but due to having to take the bus we missed the time we would have had on the third and therefore, only had two full days now in Amsterdam). I got up and going, and as I was walking to the train station to take a short ride into the city center, I ran into Chase who had also recently gotten up to eat and was going back to bed. Whatever the London hostel had given me had mostly gone away but it was just starting to hit Chase. His plan was to lay back down and try to sleep off whatever sickness he was catching.

                Chase is one of those people that doesn’t take medicine unless they absolutely must, so even though I offered my mini pharmacy that I brought with me, he declined. When I started getting sick, I took everything I had that would have any effect and three days later I was healed. But I wasn’t going to pressure him, so I let him miss basically all of Amsterdam because he was sick.

                Once in the city center, I was overwhelmed by the number of tourists. There was a massive crowd just about everywhere. The buildings were pretty and walking along the canals were gorgeous, but at times it was hard to enjoy because there were so many people. I walked through popular areas that are typically on the tourist radar like the red-light district (I was only going to go during the day and that was enough) and around the palace. Even though you are not supposed to smoke weed in public, the entire city also smelled like a car someone hotboxed in.

                I was honestly a little shocked by the amount of tourist families I saw. I personally would not think that the place to bring your five-year-old child is Amsterdam. There isn’t really that much to do in Amsterdam besides drink and smoke weed. I basically saw the most important stuff that first afternoon just wandering around. There are some museums like the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House (book of which were booked far in advanced so I had no shot of going to either) but if I was a kid and my parents took me to Amsterdam, I would probably be bored and complain the whole time.

                My favorite thing that I stumbled upon that first day was the floating flower market. Dozens of different vendors were set up along one of the canals selling all kinds of flowers and plant seeds, full plants, tree starters, and handmade gifts. I really wished that I had more room in my bag and that I wasn’t traveling in carry-on only luggage because I really wanted to get a bonsai tree starter for my dad who loved his little bonsai tree he used to have on his work desk before it died. There were lemon tree starters and so many different types of tulip seeds. I could have wandered around the market for hours only because my phone was dying fast, and my portable charger was dead.

                I found a Starbucks and thought I got lucky and could charge my phone only to realize I didn’t bring my adapter, so the outlet was useless; I only had the USB cord on me and there was not a USB outlet. Chase wasn’t planning to come out till much later around dinner and my phone was not going to make it till then. By this point I was on about 10% battery. I had to head back to the central station so I could get back to the hostel and charge my phone. I was really upset about this because it meant I would be missing time in the city.

                I managed to make it back to the hostel with about 2% battery to spare. I lay down as I charged my phone and fell asleep again. This was another reason I didn’t want to go back to the hostel; I knew if I laid down on the bed or even was close to the bed, I would probably fall asleep again and not want to get back up. Which is exactly what happened. I managed to get up around 7:30pm (I think) and met Chase in the lobby. Our plan was to head to dinner at this Asian tapas restaurant we had found in the city. We bought train tickets and then looked at the board and found out all the trains were cancelled due to a system malfunction.

                Our next two options were the bus or an Uber. An Uber was going to cost close to $20 and the city center was only like two miles away, so it was greatly overpriced. We decided to try for the bus which was everyone else’s idea since that was the only other public transit option. We got lucky and were able to squeeze on the bus and not going to lie, the ride was less than ideal. Chase was definitely getting motion sick and the bus starting and stopping wasn’t helping my stomach either. We did, however, get to the restaurant for much cheaper than $20 so I counted that as a win.

                Dinner was nice, the place was actually closing early due to short staff, and they also had a more limited menu than what was online but that didn’t bother Chase and I. I got my sangria which is what I really wanted, and we ordered three dishes to share. After dinner we walked farther into the actual city center and ended up at a bar that focused on big cocktails and let you smoke your weed inside. This is common with bars in Amsterdam since you are technically not allowed to smoke it outdoors in public, only in certain places. So, while yes, it is legal, you can’t just roll a joint on the street (though honestly this wasn’t stopping anyone from what I could tell).

                Another funny thing about Amsterdam is that there are many signs up along the canals specifically telling people to not pee in the canals. Basically, everywhere you went the signs said, “don’t drink in public and don’t pee in the canal,” so you could tell that clearly this happened enough for the city to put up a multitude of signs.

                The train was still down by the time Chase, and I wanted to head back so we had to take the bus again. Only we got on at the wrong time and ended up going in the wrong direction so we had to ride the bus till the end then have it turn around and go back in the direction we needed. I could tell this was not a good thing for Chase because the longer we stayed on the bus, the worse he looked. I could tell he was super relived by the time we made it back to our hostel station.

                The next morning, we slept in and had plans to do a cruise on the canal that included unlimited beer, wine, and soda for an hour. It didn’t start till 1pm so we walked around the city for a little while, enjoying the vibrant day to day activities going on. That morning I found out that Harry Styles was playing in Amsterdam for three nights, the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th. Curious, I looked on Ticketmaster and found that there were still tickets for the show that night, the 5^th. For a decent seat it was going to be around 140 euros.

                I originally shot down the idea of going because I wasn’t sure about logistics. I was worried I would get stuck at the venue late at night and the venue was a good six miles from where the hostel was so it would not be possible to walk. I wasn’t sure how late the trains ran and what routes the night bus took and if it came to venue and back to my hostel or not. Plus, Chase and I had a train to catch to Cologne the next morning. However, the more I thought about the more I thought how much of I wanted to go. I was not able to see in the States because tickets were so expensive, and he didn’t play in area near me at a good time. However, I suddenly happened to be in Amsterdam at the same time as him? That sounded like destiny.

                The booze cruise we booked was a lot of fun. There was an Irish bachelorette party that kept to back of book because they were just there to drink while the rest of us kept to the front so that we could both drink and listen to the guide give info and history about the city. This was a great way to see the city. Our guide was super fun and getting to drink as much wine as I wanted while cruising through the city is definitely my ideal way to go sightseeing.

                By the time the boat docked an hour later, I was tipsy heading towards more. Chase was still feeling bad, so he went back to the hostel to sleep while I went in search of a café that our guide recommended for more wine on a budget. The place was right on the water, and it was crowded so I ended up sharing a table with another single customer to save space and time. We ended up right on the water’s edge. After ordering a glass of wine I texted my mom my conundrum about whether or not I go see Harry Styles. She immediately calls me and tells me to do it. Her advice was basically that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I should do it for the adventure.

                Well, that was all I needed to hear. When I got off the phone, I purchased a ticket (I even got a better seat for cheaper, so it only ended up being $95). I had somehow wasted almost two hours in the café talking to my mom so I left pretty soon after I bought the ticket so that I could make dinner and head to the stadium in time.        

                Unlike other Harry Styles fans, I didn’t get to dress up in a super cute outfit because I had made the decision to go only hours before the concert, so I just wore what I had on that day. I left for the venue a good two hours before the show started because it was a thirty-minute train ride and I wasn’t sure how crowded the trains were going to be. I didn’t have any issues getting to the venue but once I was there it was super overwhelming. Thousands of people were crowded outside, and all the signs were in Dutch so I wasn’t really sure where to go. I did manage to find a bathroom and once I was certain there was no alcohol being sold outside the venue, I headed in to find a drink.

                I had selected seat, so I didn’t have to worry about trying to get a good place on the floor like everyone that had chosen the general access pit tickets. I got my drink and went to sit down and found that was I seated next to a dad and his daughter. They were both super nice and we got to talking about my travels, the US, and all kinds of things. They were Netherland locals who lived about an hour from Amsterdam.

                The concert was amazing, Harry certainly knows how to put on a good show. I will say that was spoiled getting to see Taylor Swift at her Eras Tour because I was a little surprised how short Harry’s concert felt until I realized that he played a normal set, Taylor’s is just incredibly long and not normal at all. Even though I had gone alone it was fun to sing and dance along with the people in my row. During his last song, I left before it ended in hopes of getting to the train station before most other people. It worked because I was one of the first people on the platform for my train and one of the first people on the train. This was a relief because I had been really worried about having to wait hours to get back due to public transit being too crowded.

                Overall, I was really happy I had gone. It truly was a once in a lifetime coincidence. Amsterdam itself was a great city and I would have liked just one more day there. I think if I had been able to get to Amsterdam at the original date of the 3^rd, it would have been the perfect amount of time in the city. Other than that, though, I had a great time but don’t see myself living there. Amsterdam, like everywhere else, is having a cost-of-living crisis and theirs might be worse than London.