Language: Despite me only having about a week of Dutch knowledge (props to youtube, duolingo and exchange students!!) before my departure and the high proficiency of the majority of the Dutch in both English and German as well as Dutch, I was able to get around with ease. It was actually quite weird at first to be in another country with its own official language yet hear English used so widespread and flawlessly aahha. With this being said I knew enough to ask for directions /help, order food and read the menu and go shopping in the supermarket. Plus language lessons from pedestrians or shopkeepers are always fun:)
Transportation: I don't think I've ever seen so many bikes nor a city as "bike friendly" as Amsterdam. The bike lanes are more plentiful and better defined than their 4 wheeled counterparts. Driving a car in the city honestly would make no sense as the amount of parking is almost 0 and the streets are very small. Due to the large amount of canals and water throughout the city, travel by boat is also popular especially canal or boat tours. There is also a ferry that one can take ( they came about every 10 minutes and were fairly convenient.) Last is the public transport: the trams are one of the better options as they go around the whole city and incorporate all the major streets and intersections and stations, however they tended to be crowded. The bus, like the car can be smooth sailing or run into traffic which also isn't fun and it takes a little longer to get around. The metro is the quickest way, however it doesn't stop directly in the shopping districts or museum area etc.. so you have to walk a little bit which takes up time depending on how fast you walk.
Hostel: This was probably my least favorite part, however I was almost never there except to sleep and for breakfast. I personally found the breakfast sub-par and despite the small dining area and one kitchen with 2 stoves and one sink and one microwave, on top of the hostel being full.... The rooms were almost always overcrowded during the times we were there. I also found a late night snack or drink very expensive but that's vacation for ya.
Attractions: The Vincent Van Gogh museum (the Dutchman who is most famous for the painting "Starry Night" well and missing a chunk of his ear) was very nice to experience. I mean in Europe you have to go to at least one art museum. The museum had about 4 stories of his artwork (no photography allowed.)
The Rijksmusuem is a large museum in Amsterdam for Dutch history from about 1100 till present time ( so much silver xD.) The layout and content of the museum was fantastic and the amount of info with artifacts or art etc.. was just enough (it didn't take hours to read, but gave enough information while still being quick and concise) meanwhile the outside of the museum was beautiful.
The 3-D printing house was probably my least favorite attraction. The idea was great however I don't think I would want to live in or trust a plastic building. The idea here was to cut construction cost and time while recycling old plastic to build homes.. but unless i'm mistaken, I believe plastic gets hot in the sun and smelts. Any thoughts?
The cheese museum: To be frank: Cheese is all over the city and is very tasty. The flat, wetland allows for very fertile soil (the Netherlands lie in a river delta and is made of reclaimed land from 5 European rivers and the north sea.) Due to the topography farms and grazing animals are plentiful which leads to a large production of dairy products such as milk (great chocolate milk), and cheese.
Other: So on top of the "Red Light District," which I guess is just the original area or street with the most clubs and shops; Weed and sex shops can literally be found EVERYWHERE from a casual tourist gift shop to a shopping street or next to a supermarket or the museum area. The former does have a smell however it is nowhere as potent as that of cigarettes which are also widespread (from my point of view.) There is also a China Town as well as an Arabic/Turkish part of town, as well as many churches , the royal palace and countless old Dutch style buildings which scale the skyline. For the shopaholics: their is a street that has everything from Tesla to Prada to Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton.
* Old homes tend to be built on wooden planks and if the planks begin to weaken or rot (because there is water everywhere) then the whole house must come down; even if its that picturesque rot brick home from 1665.
* Many historic buildings or old buildings at that have their date of origin written down which is great for a photo and lets you know exactly how old a building or street is:)
