Amsterdam - In 5

Flight MH17 memorial outside Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam

Graffiti

One of many canals, Amsterdam

Trying to sum up Amsterdam in 5 pictures is difficult. The first picture (RIP MH17) was taken when I was leaving, at Schiphol Airport - I was going up the escalators on the way to my gate and turned to my left and all I saw was flowers, endless amounts. Gathered around outside was an outstanding amount of people all showing their respects, and on the balloon in the image, the message read "RIP my dear Irene, Budy, Darryl and Sherryl, you'll all remain in our hearts,

love, Sonia, Edwin, Erwin" 

My thoughts are with the families and friends of those lost in the shooting of flight MH17 on July 17th.

On a lighter note, Amsterdam is interesting to say the least, despite the airport being incredibly backwards to arrive in and the trains/tube confusing - it has inspired me to travel more around Europe next summer (2015), hopefully. Hotel Not Hotel was interesting - sleeping in a bookshelf was a new and enjoyable experience, the staff were helpful and pleasant and i'd recommend the hotel to anyone who appreciates aesthetically pleasing architecture and doesn't mind shared bathrooms.

The street art in Amsterdam reminds me a little of Shoreditch in East London, with vast amounts of graffiti on street corners longing to be noticed and inspiring quotes just like the one in the last image "Don't be another brick in the wall". 

Bikes - something Amsterdam is not short of, if I'd spent longer than a packed two days there I definitely would have hired a bike. A day pass for trams/buses/tube is about €7,50 - I made the mistake of not knowing this and paid each time I got on one (€2,80 per trip), however you can hire bikes from about €2 per day, some hotels also have bikes available to rent which is very convenient. Also, bikes being the best way to get around, theres bike lanes everywhere so if you're walking about make sure not to get hit by bikes, I nearly did.. about 12 times. 

Another thing Amsterdam is known for is it's canals - I'd recommend going out at dark to see the bridges lit up as it's so atmospheric and a definite pleasant experience. 

I'd definitely recommend Amsterdam but if I was to go again, i'd stay for 3-4 days - just to allow myself to see more and maybe visit things like Anne Frank's house and some art galleries.