Returning To Amsterdam - My Adventures Visiting Amsterdam - The Venice Of The North

SteemFest would be the most awesome event to attend, but I don't think I can make SteemFest this year unless a miracle happens, which has been known to happen so I haven't ruled it out of the realm of possibilities quite yet.

Memories Of Amsterdam

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I've been to Amsterdam twice in my life and it's an amazing city. Full of interesting people and delicious food and so much to do.

I'll definitely be there in spirit and am thinking of a contest that involves attendees making a post while in Amsterdam with my username in it somehow. Got any ideas?

Let me share with you a story about the last time I visited Amsterdam, aka the Venice of the North.

The first time I went there I stayed for two weeks and while I was there I met a couple named Hans and Olga. They were really friendly and I got to know them as they showed me around the city and introduced me to their friends. They even set me up with a single girlfriend of theirs and we got along great. God bless 'em for that.

Ten years flew by since that first visit when I returned, with my current girlfriend at that time, to the city once more. We checked into a hotel in the early afternoon, grabbed a bite to eat and went for a stroll around town.

We just so happened to pass by the apartment that Hans and Olga lived in all those years ago. So I walked up to the door buzzer just to see if their names were still on the door bell to get buzzed up.

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Miraculously it was. Hans. I pushed the buzzer, surely thinking that they wouldn't remember me and Hans answered the ring. "Hallo", he said. I said, "Hello, Hans? It's Luz Cypher, the crazy American from ten years ago. You probably don't remember me, but..."

He interrupted me immediately and said, of course he remembered me, then he buzzed me up and up the stairs, we climbed.

Hans was so glad to see me and greeted me and my girlfriend with the same warm hospitality he showed me the first time we met. He asked us where we were staying and I told him the hotel name.

Dutch Hospitality

"That's a good hotel, but you must go get your things right away and stay here. I have an apartment for you that you can have all to yourselves for your entire stay. I insist!", he said.

Turns out Hans now owned the whole 10-unit apartment building and someone had just moved out of the rooftop flat. It was available for a month which was exactly how long we were staying. He wouldn't hear any of my "nonsense" about paying him for the flat and wouldn't take no for an answer. See, miracles do happen.

He took us up to the apartment, showed us around and gave us the keys and said he had to go and would be back later, but to make ourselves at home.

What's In The Box?

We checked out of the hotel, fetched our stuff and hopped in a taxi back to the apartment to get settled in.

When we got there, we found a shoe box on the dining table with a note from Hans in English that read:

Welcome. Make yourself at home. It's been a long time since I have seen you, so I don't remember what you like to party with so take what you like and I can return the rest. Hans.

We traded curious glances and slowly opened the shoe box.

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Inside was a pharmacy full of drugs. There was weed, hash, coke, opium, speed, LSD, exstacy, mushrooms, you name it, it was in that box.

My girlfriend looked up at me and said, "Man, you sure know how to make friends." I flashed my evil little grin trying my best to hide my horns and said, "Do you want some candy little girl?" 😈

We did some X, I think they call it Molly these days, and went clubbing and had a great time. We smoked a few blunts and visited coffee houses and art museums and took a ferry around the canals to get a good view of the city and met a lot of cool people. If you like good food, good art, good smoke, good coffee, good desserts and walking around town, you'll love Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is a wonderful city and the perfect place to have SteemFest. It has a Walk Score of 100 and is so easy to get around in.

Here are some places I highly recommend. (No pun intended)

You got to check out the World Famous Bull Dog Coffee Shop for sure.

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The Van Gogh Museum is a must-see if you like art.

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If you have time, do a canal tour at night.

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Hope you liked my silly little story about my last trip to Amsterdam and let's pray for a miracle.

I know SteemFest is going to be eventful and an opportunistic time to mingle with and get to know the Steemian community, but if you manage some time to slip away for a bit, you'll find a city full of stories to post about and the warm hospitality of the Dutch people.