My SECOND trip to Amsterdam was, by far, the very best & most memorable. And you know, I did that one alone. Just me. No boyfriend or friend or anyone to answer to. It was my 28th birthday gift to myself. (Well, to myself and from my parents – a plane ticket.)
Good god, has it been 6 years?
Well, when I say “no friend,” I mean I wasn’t stuck trying to arrange my agenda around a tag-a-long’s the entire time. I DID however, get a chance to meet Lynn. If you know Lynn, or know OF her and her website, you know that she takes beautiful pictures, capturing little details of her surroundings and of life that most of us fail to notice. So it was such a wonderful adventure, to me, to spend an afternoon with her just walking about and taking pictures. I think I drank more cappuccino in that one day than I have in my entire life…! And a few cafes… It rained some of the time, but that only made for even better photos. I also spent a magical evening with her at a local bar/cafe – and I wish I remembered more details of the conversation but I was reminded that I did talk a bit about not wanting children, I believe. 😉 I treasure Lynn, especially, because she remembers & reminds me of the incredible changes I’ve gone through over the last… well, quite a few years.
During that trip, I also walked. A LOT. I think I walked every corner of Amsterdam, alone. It was glorious. I ate lots of “Dutch pancakes”, drank a ton of cappuccino (that was my drink of choice back then), went to Artiss Zoo (can’t wait to go back and see if the gorilla house still smells of monkey poo & weed)… I went to Wagamama, of course, and bought a green “Wagamama” tshirt. I strolled through Vondel Park & wished, desperately, to live here. I went to the movies and saw Goodbye Lenin (I highly recommend it). I learned that women who travel alone need to wear armor – such as headphones, sunglasses, and a dangerous “approach at your own risk” expression. Otherwise people with either A) see you and think, “That poor girl,” taking pity upon you for being alone & not considering that maybe that’s just how you want it or B) see you and think, “fresh meat!” Whether the latter is trying to scam you or has a genuine interest in you, both are unwelcome.
Traveling alone is a beautiful thing, particularly, I think, for women. I’m glad I had the chance to do so. And I’m glad I did it in Holland.
I treasure you, too.