There's no place like it...

Amsterdam is a city, I feel like I'll never fully figure out.Maybe it's because of the "crazy" freedom they are given as citizens? Like coffee shops and the red light district. We all know what the main attractions are in Amsterdam...but until you're there, it doesn't really hit you that this is in fact legal and okay in the eyes of the law and most citizens.Could it be the never ending series of canals, bridges and cubic architecture? Yes, I believe it has something to do with the confusion. I have not yet gotten somewhere by wandering around for hours until I eventually found it by the higher powers that be. Hahaha.

I can't even tell you where this is, but it is a very accurate idea of what EVRY road looks likeMaybe it's because it is the only place I have yet to visit where bicycles are killing machines and they own the streets and the law. I felt like I was in frogger or Crossy road every time I crossed the road.

This is not an exaggeration...There are more bikes than people in the country.

I also thought it was pretty awesome that the citizens petitioned to have the bike be the main way of transport. They fought to have the street/bike lane be one and the sidewalk as a necessity. Bikes come first, then cars, then humans aka tourists.Is all this weird to me because it's not "normal"? Possibly. I'm not sure.We spent four days in the the Netherlands. It was the perfect amount of time to be in the thick of it all and exploring the surrounding cities as well.We of course had our "to do list" and while we were out wandering we found our favorite activity! The free walking tour!! Wooo. Best believe you already know what our first day was like...( If you've been following my stories that is ;) )Our hostel was in the Red light district, so we didn't have to go to far to experience the night life there.The red light district was something beyond words. I couldn't believe that women would be almost naked behind a glass window waiting for their next customer. I knew what to expect but could not wrap my head around it. I watched as men approached the women and the red curtains would close.

You are not supposed to take any pictures of the ladies in the district (this was the best i could do). The red on either side of the street are windows where the women are showcased.

I leaned that It is legal to sell your body in Amsterdam if you have a Dutch passport and are over 18. We walked down the man roads where shows, ladies and museums were and experienced the red light district the only way we wanted to. By walking through, unraveling the myth and mystery and walking out.The coffee shops/ head shops is another culture and characteristic of Amsterdam that is a must see. Even if you don't want to partake, it's a good way to get insight on what goes on behind the doors.

If you do end up partaking in the coffee shop fun...you may find yourself a couple pounds heavier on the departure of this city. I was never warned....there are bakeries and junk food EVERYWHERE. It's very hard to find some healthy food. Which we longed for by the end of our stay here.

Personally suffering from chronic sweet tooth, this was hard. Belgian waffles covered in any chocolate goodness you can think of, fresh baklava, Nutella anything, gelato, cookies, macaroons, anything pistachio, the list goes on and on. Besides the bakeries, there are pizza places, falafel stands, and the ever so famous, fries with various toppings. We had a spicy mayo and peanut sauce and it was AMAZING. anyways besides all the junk food, find yourself some Dutch cheese, Gouda if you really want to be Dutch and snack on that throughout the day.

**tip: Hema ice cream is 50¢ and so incredibly worth it. I would recommend this over the convenience of the luxury bakeries in the center and red district. Just sayin. **The city of Amsterdam itself is a series of canals, bridges and tall, squished buildings that all look the same. It's almost impossible to know where you are going unless you have a good feel for the city already. Or wifi. Or a super good map. Lucky for us, we had a decent map, so we could get back to the hostel. But even then, we were lost 90% of the time we were in the Netherlands. All is good though. We had so much fun exploring. There always seemed to be something new around each corner! So safe to say we were never bored. Sometimes we would just sit on the side of the canal and talk. We took many pictures along the way and planned out some more of our future travel plans. The days were always new and interesting , even though we were in the same place.

Now Amsterdam isn't the only enticing experience The Netherlands has to offer. Their rich history and unique ecosystem offers incredible insight and sceneries once one wanders away from Amsterdam.Holland as a long and infamous history of windmills, tulips, cheese and of course, the wooden clogs!During our time in the Netherlands we made seeing these aspects of Dutch culture a priority. We started out by taking a ride to Zaanse Sans.**Before I begin: a funny story for my fellow warm weathered weenies like myself. I checked the weather all morning the day of our excursion, it said 50F all morning. I have been missing sunshine and warmth for a while now so I figured today would be a fantastic day to wear a dress. With a jacket of course. But no pants. No tights. Just a dress. WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING.?!?. I am not in San Diego, where 50 may be chilly but not too bad. Definitely not at home. The Netherlands is 1) incredibly windy (duhhhh windmills are huge out here) 2) the tall buildings hide the sun. Oh and clouds exists too. And random showers of rain. But all ends well, I survived with my dress and got to show off my white legs and goosebumps. It was worth it hah. I had the best time ever exploring! **

Back to the main story here, windmills.There are only six original windmills left in Holland. Zaanse Sans is home to four of them. This seemed like the place to really get the idea of the size and use of windmills in a village. We explored some open ones where were were able to see the inner workings of the windmill and how it is used in daily life. We climbed to the top, where I was surprised to find gusting winds. It was so funny that I had no idea it would be sooooo windy up by the blades. Makes sense though. Hahah. It was a lot of fun climbing up and laughing; Then enjoying a nice view from the "balcony" of the mill.

After the windmills, we headed to the cheese factory! This was Camden's main source of excitement (mine, the tulips of course). We learned all about how the cheese is are made in the country and about this history as well. We were able to sample all the various cheeses, and they were so amazing. I liked the truffle, Gouda and aged cheese the most. I had no idea how many different cheeses the Dutch had to offer!!

Visiting the clog maker was fun and an unexpected surprise! We walked into a factory where there was a demonstration on how the various machines worked to form duplicates of the wooden shoes. The wood used is poplar, so the wooden shoes can be used on wetlands. Clogs are still carved by hand. But the bulk items can be produced in 5 minutes (not including drying time) by using the various machines. We had a lot of fun playing dress up with the props and looking at the various clogs that were on display.

And last but not least, the tulips! Oh I could go on forever. They were incredible! So many colors and shapes and sizes. I had no clue just how many tulips there were in the world. As flowers being something I gravitate to, I had no problem spending hours upon hours walking through the mazes of flowers. We first went to Keukenhof garden. A world renowned garden known for its presentation of springtime flowers.

The garden is only open for two months, when the flowers are in bloom, so we lucked out!! It is quite large, covering 52 acres. The designs were so intricate and thought out. Camden referred to it as the Disneyland of flowers. And it kinda was. I spent loads of time just taking pictures and wandering throughout the flower mazes.

It wasn't until all my cameras were dying that we realized we needed to check out the flower fields across the road. Lucky for us, the gate allowing access to the fields was open. So we walked in and took in the feeling of being alone with thousands of yellow daffodils surrounding us.

My flower dream couldn't last forever, sadly. We had to eventually make our way back to the city. After we left the countryside, museums and markets were in our sights.We visited the Van Gough Museum and various street markets around the city. Both were incredible. I learned a lot about Van Gough in the museum which was great!! I also found some books that I will try and track down as soon as I'm settled back into my sunny San Diego home.

Our time in The Netherlands was well spent. I absolutely loved the vibe of this incredibly liberal country. And know I'll be coming back one day in my life, hopefully sooner rather than later. I believe, four days is a fantastic amount of time to get a feel for the city and outskirts towns.We knew our four day routine is finished for now. We are heading to France. Where our next journey begins!