It doesn’t rain all the time
Much like with England, many people will be surprised to hear this. Amsterdam is known for its wet, gloomy, grey weather (trust me, I experienced a lot of it in November last year), but they do get nice, sunny, hot days in the summer (some of the time, at least). For the majority of our three weeks there we had sunny warm days and long, light nights.
It was so nice to be able to see the “other side” of the weather here and really be able to enjoy long walks along the canals and bike rides with the doggies we were looking after, without turning up at our destination with frizzy hair and soaked clothes.
People make the most of the sunshine
Again, much like in the UK, people in Amsterdam do not let their precious days of sunshine go to waste. As soon as the sun starts shining, people drag their tables and chairs out of their houses and on to the pavement outside and set up their own streetside restaurant. They eat, drink and read outside. They go to the park every day, just to squeeze every last drop out of the light that they can. They pull cushions and blow-up beds out onto the streets and bridges and sit until there are no slivers of light left to be seen. I love that.
Living in a majorly touristed city can sometimes suck
Having been there in off peak tourist season last time, I had never really thought about how the crowds might affect this city that I love. As soon as summer hits and the sun comes out, the streets are flooded with tourists, all queueing for ice cream, museums or boat rides and almost getting knocked off their hired bikes by locals.
I could see how, if I lived in Amsterdam, the summer (and weekends in particular) would be the worst time of the year, simply because it takes longer to get anywhere with all the crowds of people taking advantage of school summer holiday deals.
It is possible to get a good haircut abroad
After my run-in with the ladyboy, I have been too scared to get a haircut in any country where English isn’t the primary language (I still haven’t Google translated “just a trim”). Also, I will positively not go to anyone who hasn’t previously been recommended to me by someone with a great haircut. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Luckily for me, the lady we housesit for always has a great cut and colour and so I braved asking her where she gets it done (as my roots and ends were no laughing matter at this point). I went along, talked to the girl (to make sure I was definitely happy putting my locks in her hands this time) and booked an appointment.
Not only did this girl do a great job and exactly what I wanted, she gave me one of the best haircuts I’ve ever had.
I really want to live there
Part of the reason Scott and I wanted to visit again this year, this time during the summer, was to see the city in a different season so that we could decided whether we would really want to live in Amsterdam at some point in the future. We’re looking to visit again next year and hope to move to the city by the end of the year or beginning of 2015.
I can honestly say that I loved it just as much as the first time around, if not more.
Sometimes you can fall in love with a city and can’t totally put your finger on why, you just know if feels comfortable, like “home”.
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