Amsterdam is very beautiful, the kind of city I could explore for weeks. With canals like Venice and architecture like Berlin, I could have stayed a while longer. In truth it wasn't the holiday I'd expect for myself, and I don't think it was the holiday Kim and Alanna expected either. We all compromised and did things we wouldn't usually do. But there were lovely highlights, that I'd love to take more time to explore.
I spent an afternoon in search of Amsterdam's floating housing, part of an effort to use canals and rivers as legitimate homes. I wandered off alone in the snow and wind with no idea of a location, but a sense of where the large canals were. Needless to say, I didn't find them, but instead I found a far more residential side of Amsterdam, reminiscent of Berlin's beautiful modern housing. I wandered across a highway and tram lines and enjoyed the most warming coffee of my life in what must have been a museum cafe. I took pictures that were of no interest to anyone but me; sprawling warehouses, cold skylines, trams and trains and boats. Just my little adventure really.
Since I was 18 I've been having adventures abroad by myself, just because. I never really thought of it being odd, I just always imagined it that way. Of course, if you're not single, going on a trip alone becomes something you rarely think to plan. And I helps that I have much more fun with Oliver than I do alone. Sometimes, though, like this time, you find yourself somewhere new and alone. Maybe it's nostalgia for being 18 that makes it seem so special or maybe it's something else, but wandering in Amsterdam in the snow, exploring Rome in the searing heat, finding shelter in New York in the rain, and cycling around Berlin in the icy sunshine are my favorite memories. These are experiences I'll never forget because they're mine alone.
Excuse my pictures, I really enjoy buildings.
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