This was a small adventure that came out of the blue for us! My best friend proposed that we meet up in Amsterdam and hang out. I was instantly hyped to go; I had heard so much about this city, and the connection Pulp Fiction made to it always made it seem like a legendary place in my mind.

So, we all agreed we were up for it and started looking into cheap accommodation and transport. We found a really charming boat hotel and arranged to get there with an overnight bus.

Bus-Boat

Fast forward to the day we planned, we hop on our bus very late at night in Hamburg and get moving!

I slept pretty horribly on the ride there, as I had already anticipated, but I woke up just in time to catch the sunrise and see the city as we approached. It was honestly pretty dreamy and quite the vibe driving in. It was cheap and a smooth experience overall, so for sure I’ll be taking more buses across Europe.

Our boat didn’t open up until 16:00, and the time was now 07:00, so we had lots of time to kill. We found a cozy place to get some coffee, charge up, and chat for a few hours. We walked around the city for a while, talked plenty more, and then finally made it to our boat.

I was drop-dead exhausted by this time, literally falling asleep at the table as I waited for check-in. We were allowed to check in a bit early, so we went straight to bed for a much-needed nap.

The boat was pretty great overall! It definitely wasn’t a perfect experience, but the amazing staff, free breakfast, and cheap price more than made up for it. The staff were curious about us, they asked where we had come from, and they were really spirited. They also had a Great Dane walking around, saying hello to everyone, and that was definitely a plus, haha.

Excalibur

After our nap, we wanted to go out and experience some of the famous nightlife of the city. So we grabbed a few beers and started walking around. It was a great vibe, and I really started to love the city with how beautifully everything was lit at night and how active it all was. It was a very pleasant change seeing a city outside of Germany, as this is where I’ve spent the most time in Europe so far.

The highlight of our nights out was easily our night in the Excalibur rock bar in the red-light district. A real heavy metal biker bar right next to brothels and all the tourists of the city. It was amazing, honestly. We shared a few drinks, many laughs… truly classic.

Royale with Cheese

Our days were spent exploring the city, shopping around for postcards for our friends and families, taking in the sights and sounds of the city, and of course, eating. Amsterdam, being linked so heavily to Pulp Fiction in my mind, I could not help but gravitate toward the French fries “drowned in mayonnaise” and the classic royale with cheese. The food was amazing, and the city really was a dream to walk around and explore.

Closing.

In the end, our time together in the city was another legendary adventure in our stories. On our last day, we said goodbye to the city, ate one last big dinner, and got on our bus back to Hamburg.

The ride back was exhausting; we ended up stuck in a McDonald’s in the middle of the night, waiting for hours for our final train home.

When we got back, we pretty much instantly fell into our beds and got a good night’s rest.

Legendary days 🌊