At this time last year, I was heavily considering conducting my study abroad experience in Amsterdam. The city has always fascinated me, especially because it is a landmark in terms of art and culture. At the end of the day, I felt I had more of a connection to Ireland, but that decision has never diminished my desire to visit Amsterdam.

Fortunately for me, I had the opportunity to finally cross it off my bucket list last weekend. My friend and I flew out of Cork Airport on a 6 AM flight and landed in Amsterdam just after 10. The transportation system was extremely easy to navigate- we hopped on a train to the city centre and were there in about 10 minutes. From there, we set off to find our hotel so that we could drop our bags off before starting our exploration of the city. “Hotel” is a generous term. We stayed on a boat, which was docked in one of Amsterdam’s numerous canals. While it wasn’t the greatest accommodation, I think it made the experience a little more authentic. It was definitely an adventure within itself.

I will admit our first stop was a bit of a tourist attraction, but it was a very cool experience. We visited one of Amsterdam’s Strooperies, where the famous Stroopwaffles are made right in front of you. If you’ve ever had one of the packaged ones before, nothing compares to the real thing.

We had booked tickets for the Van Gogh museum prior to leaving for Amsterdam, so we explored the city for a while before heading over to the museum district. It was a surreal experience to see such famous works of art up close and in person, when I had only ever seen them in pictures, on screens. I couldn’t believe I was looking at such pivotal moments in art history. It’s difficult for me to articulate the feeling accurately. You learn about these works of art, you see them and study them, but it’s easy to forget that they’re out there in the world, accessible to you. It’s easy to take for granted the experience of seeing them in person, when we can conjure their images with a quick Google search. The museum had an extensive collection of Van Gogh’s work on display, including small features from other pivotal artists of the time. It was such an incredible experience, and ended up being one of my favorite parts of our trip.

The next day we took a tour of Amsterdam’s modern art museum, which featured works from several popular contemporary artists like Andy Warhol. We also searched the city for a chance to try its famous “Holland Fries,” which are regular French fries, but served with a sauce of your choice. Because Amsterdam is a tourist city, there aren’t a lot of traditional Dutch cuisine options, so it was important for us to find at least something that was important to Dutch culture food-wise.

We also went on a canal cruise, which was such a fun experience. It was amazing to see the city from a different perspective. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a few history lessons about some of the famous bridges and landmarks, and of Amsterdam itself. It was really meaningful to me to come away from the experience having learned a lot about the city, its culture, and the people who live there.

We unfortunately did not have time to tour the Anne Frank House, but we made it a point to at least stop by. It looks like an ordinary house upon passing glance, but I could almost feel the gravity of it the longer I looked. I wish we could have spent more than a short weekend in Amsterdam in order to see it properly, but I was glad that I could at least lay eyes on it.

I haven’t been to many places- domestically or abroad- but Amsterdam was definitely near the top of my list. The city was so beautiful- its canals and architecture definitely being the highlights, and I also loved learning about its history and culture in both the past and present. Two days isn’t enough to see how much the city has to offer, but I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to even spend that amount of time in such a lovely place.