Last updated on January 26, by Shannon. The constant movement of moving for nearly 10 months on my round the world trip caught up with me in Amsterdam. My time in Europe the previous weeks had been an opportunity to slow down and sink into a slower pace of travel.
Instead of racing through sights as I did in Southeast Asia , I wanted to see the best things to do in Amsterdam, but I was also keen to delve deeply into one place. Staying in Amsterdam for weeks instead of days—trying out Amsterdam as a local vs a tourist—was a practical way to combat the weariness that had crept into my travel days. Getting to Amsterdam was a bit of a debacle. Although I had intended to stay a couple of nights, I cozied into a cute hostel and stayed for a week while I ate my face off and rafted down the Vltava River.
The day before our flight, I realized that I had booked the wrong day. After a scramble to book another night at our hostel , I knew it would be nice to settle into one place for weeks and dispense with the time-consuming travel planning aspect of a round-the-world trip … at least until it was time to move onward to the UK!
What a gorgeous city and a true treat that my cousin had a friend who just-so-happened to need a house-sitter so she could visit family in the states over summer break. In exchange for feeding her two cats we had: two bikes, a gorgeous flat, two museum cards, and the opportunity to truly dive into Amsterdam and travel the city like a local. The house-sitting flat served as homebase for my time living like a local in Amsterdam. Juicy red currants had just come into season when I arrived in late July and they graced my breakfast every single day.
Other gorgeous carrots, beans, zucchini, and tomatoes made for a delicious chili one night. I ultimately spent much time uncovering the best things to do in Amsterdam as a traveler, and the food aspect is one of the best ways to actually see what it feels like to live in a city. Few Dutch people eat in Central Amsterdam every night of the week—instead they shop for food, cook, and enjoy the bounty of locally-grown foods. So while I did heavily explore Central Amsterdam and the iconic sites, I also cooked my meals and ate like a local whenever possible.
