FALLing in Love with Amsterdam Everyday

The fall weather here has been absolutely gorgeous. Each day the foliage gets better and better and had led me to spend a lot of time outside despite the brisk air. The temperature is more tolerable than in New England though because despite being cold, the air is dry.

Some recent adventures from the past week here in Amsterdam have included:

People watching and reading Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? on a bench in Vondelpark.
Warming up with coffee and apple pie along the canal at a favorite neighborhood restaurant.
Dying Gia’s hair red and doing drugstore facials on our new pink couch.
Caving and getting a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks to enjoy as I strolled along Herenstraat, one of my favorite streets here, admiring the colorful leaves lining the streets in front of the fancy homes.
Exploring the Tropenmuseum, an ethnographic museum, with Berkley and Vinny. We got to listen to music from across the world, see a maquette of Aleppo, and learn about various forms of body art.
Playing on the playground that like a rollercoaster in Oosterpark with Vinny.
Going to see ODESZA at Paradiso with Chris and my new friend Caroline who I met at my hostel during Oktoberfest, and studies abroad in Barcelona with my friend Dan from UMass and happened to be visiting Amsterdam for the weekend… such a small world!
Attending Ad Night where 40+ creative ad agencies across the city opened their doors to the public to network, enjoy drinks, and dance. Plus I was even able to score a free massage while I was there!
Tramming to the National Holocaust Museum and National Holocaust Memorial where Jenni and I learned that the tram stopped in the exact spot during WWII. This allowed for over 1,000 children to be smuggled from the Jewish Theatre where they were held with the intention to be transported to various concentration camps to safety at a school across the street when the tram stopped and blocked the guards view.
Going to vinyasa yoga at my gym a few times.
Stumbling upon an antique market at Museumplein that only happens 4 times a year, my mom would have absolutely loved it. I wanted to buy her everything!
Playing in the garden of the Rijksmuseum on a sunny day and getting completely soaked by the fountain.
Viewing the Matthijs Maris exhibit at the Rijksmuseum, as amazing as his art is, a quote by him really stood out to me, “An imitation of something cannot express feeling.”
Riding my bike around the city and finding inspiring street art on the side of a hotel which read, “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli
Climbing a willow tree in Vondelpark out over a pond and watching the ducks.
Going to the movie theatre to see Blade Runner 2049, yes it was in English, and yes Ryan Gosling did an incredible job.
Spending an entire day in the library writing a five page essay.