Dam day two

On day two in Amsterdam I had a very nice breakfast on my boat where I got to chat with both my Airbnb hosts.

It was time to head off early for the free walking tour I booked Free Dam Tours. It was an informative introduction to the city and worth the 20 Euros (Free but it is customary to tip).

After the tour I was starving so I decided it was time to try a pancake for lunch. Of course I had to do a savory one because I am weird like that and rarely get sweet cravings.

Next up is Pozenboot.

I arrive at Poezenboot at 1:30 PM and it was good thing I didn’t arrive any later since they just about distributed all the visitation tickets for the day. Poezenboot is only open 13:00-15:00 PM and only on certain days. Visits are first come first served and limited in size. Luckily I got in.
What we have is a cat rescue and sanctuary on a boat house in the Amsterdam canals. It is kitschy and fun. It was a good visit but most of the kitties were sleeping.

After kitty town it is time for the long walk to Moco where I can see artists such as Banksy, Kusama and also below.

Keith Haring

Daniel Arsham

Finally I decided to wander through Vondelpark before going back. It is a pretty park.

It was a long walk back. Phone is dead luckily I made it to the circular road that directs me to my airbnb. It is still about a mile away but luckily it is straight shot- no more veering off in the wrong direction by following the canals.

Poor feet so beat up. I have the best sleep I have had in a long while.

I’m in a convent

My trip is all wanting to try different experiences when time and budget allows. It just so happens that in Gent Belgium I decided to stay in a Carmelite convent.

Room with a view

Quiet halls

Breakfast room

This cat greeted me one night

There was even a bar in the church parking lot. It was mysteriously closed every night after the first night.

It was a night nice peaceful place to stay. If you are interested here is the Airbnb listing.

Moco museum

Moco Museum Amsterdam

Banksy

Kusama

Exhaustion

I am exhausted

I knew exhaustion would set in on my trip. It starts with the all around tiredness then it progresses to sniffles and a sore throat and if I ignore the signs it manifests itself into a full on cold.

I knew it would happen, I just didn’t think it would happen so soon in my trip.

Against my better judgement I packed too much in for a small time period.

I thought I did lots of research on message boards; someone says you need two days in a city, I would always add an extra day. BUT let me just say “Who are these people that schedule a bare minimum in a city?”. It is an exhausting way to travel and definitely not my style.

I am kind of stuck for a least the next week or so since I carefully planned my hotels and travel already. The only thing I can do is practice self-care. What self-care can mean is: sleeping in instead of waking up when that museum opens, skip that walking tour and relax in a cafe instead, or go back to your hotel early instead of having a night cap (like I did after a long day yesterday).

I may not see everything that a city has but I am not going to see everything if I am sick in bed anyway.

Time to slow things down.

First day in Amsterdam

The flight into Amsterdam was uneventful but for some reason I didn’t sleep well. I know what helps for me is to close my eyes when we are about to take off and the cabin pressure changes. If I fall asleep then it sets in motion a very good flight of sleep (even if I am awakened I can usually go back to sleep). What doesn’t work well for me is staying awake to wait for the first meal service. I may not be hungry but I am afraid that if I am asleep they will skip me and I will starve. It is irrational but it is my reality.

So my first day in Amsterdam wasn’t a full day. I checked into my airbnb (see houseboat below) and went out for something to eat.

My Airbnb house boat

The first place I tried to eat wasn’t open yet for dinner so I settled for Waterkant and the nice view of the water.

I tried walking around a bit after eating but I was tired. I did see some pretty canal streets in the Jordaan before I went off to bed for the evening.