I woke up that morning feeling super refreshed. I think I actually had a natural euphoric high. I had been having such a great time on my trip that the joy within me just kept building up.

While my friend was getting ready, I went down to the lobby to buy a cup of coffee. While there I decided to buy breakfast since we didn’t have any plans for the morning.

I think I paid 9 euros for it, but can’t really remember.  It was okay. as you can see I had a bottle of orange juice, a cup of coffee, yogurt with granola, and a croissant. In the container was a cheese sandwich.

They had other options of course but I went with the cheapest. LOL.

Once I returned to my room, I decided it was time to assess the damage that I had done those last few days. It was at this moment that I realized I had played myself. I can’t even blame it on my state of mind being on vacation because I am terrible with money in my day-to-day life anyway.

I decided that I would have to skip a meal that day, and that meal would be dinner because I already had my heart and stomach set on going to The Pantry for lunch. I  knew what I wanted. Boerenkoolstamppot.

Inside was dimly lit and nicely decorated. The seats were close together and the setting felt very intimate. I didn’t waste anytime looking at the menu and placed my order.

For our starter we had bitterballen. It was a fried ball filled with goodness. Don’t ask me what was in it because I don’t know haha. But I went online to look at the menu and on there it says beef croquettes with Zaanse mustard. It was delicious, that is all you need to know.

 

And for my entrée I had my beloved Boerenkoolstamppot.  Mashed potatoes mixed with Kale, and I went with a meatball side instead of sausage. Oh, and a coke on the side. Everywhere that I went I ordered a coke with my meal because they came in the cutest little glass bottles.

The staff at The Pantry were so kind. It was actually like that at every establishment that I went to. I have no complaints.

After we left the restaurant, we had a few hours to kill so we decided to explore the city a little more.  We walked around and took more photos.  Afterwards we visited the mall and a few boutiques.

Before we started our festivities for the evening, we returned to our hotel room to drop off our bags and hydrate ourselves. We didn’t spend our entire trip wining and dining out. At some point during each day we made a trip to a drug store or to Dirk and stocked up on toiletries, beverages, snacks, and groceries. I love drinking water and go through bottles a day. I kept buying these giant bottles that were like two for one euro.

I thought it was pretty cool that in order to exit the store you had to scan your receipt to be let out of the turnstile. I’m not sure if that is a thing in other places but that was my first time experiencing this. I thought it was cool.

We purchased a Rock the City pass which included The Heineken Experience, Blue Boat Shuttle, and finally A’Dam Lookout.

The Heineken Experience is a very popular tourist attraction. It is now a museum but used to be a brewery. While at the Heineken Experience, we got a tour of the building. During this time we were offered several beer samples.  With our ticket we were offered three free beers, which we claimed at the end of our tour. We also got a wristband and a bottle opener souvenir.

After leaving The Heineken Experience, we ran across the street to then catch the Blue Boat Shuttle to A’dam Lookout. I enjoyed the boat ride and actually wish it had lasted longer. During the ride to A’dam Lookout, we got a tour of the canals and learned some of the history of Amsterdam and also of the buildings that we passed.

Once off the boat, we walked towards our destination. There were different activities available inside. We had the option of having our photos taken while posing with various props.

After engaging in all of the activities, we rode the elevator and made our way to the top.

The view from the top was breathtaking.

It was at that moment that I knew I would have to vacation here again at some point in time.