Three French men walk into a room...

DAM Square

Lang niet gezien. This means “Long time no see!” in the Dutch language. Which is where I still am - The Netherlands that is. The past two days have been an illuminating few here in the Dutch capital. On Saturday morning I took a walking tour of Amsterdam. I couldn’t encourage walking tours more! They’re a great way to see the city, and they give you the chance to be in the thick of a culture and a people, as opposed to sitting on a bus gazing out the window like some voyeuristic Monarchs observing their city in action! The tour guide was not afraid to get stuck into what Amsterdam is known for. As he said “I came here myself in 1985 as a Student, looking for sex, drugs and rock and roll. I found two of these. Dutch rock and roll is awful!” He dutifully informed us of the history behind the drug trade in Amsterdam as well the formation of the Red Light District.

Multatuli Statue

Amongst all this education of Amsterdam, I learnt something else. Amsterdam is actually a really nice city! You could spend the day wandering over different canals and bridges. Admittedly, you may get a smell of..you know... every now and then. That’s it though. Once you’re aware of that, you’re free to take in everything else the city has to offer. Amsterdam was the centre of the Worlds First Stock Exchange and held a very important place in history. There is history galore and numerous slanting buildings to keep you going for hours! It’s built on a swamp, so the occasional building leaning forward should not alarm you! The canals here and in Brugge reminded me of the network of rivers and canals we have in our own Ireland. In Dublin alone, there are myriad canals slowly cutting their way through the city, not to mention the River Liffey itself. Also, we have the River Shannon. Irelands largest river, starting up in the Cavan mountains, it flows through Irelands midlands and cuts our south west into the counties of Limerick and Clare. The water highways of Ireland, and of course our lakes, are the perfect places to partake in any water activities that take your fancy. Even if it’s as simple as jumping off a pier, like I did at age 15! Added to that, off our west coast, surfing is becoming a bigger and bigger sport of not just Irish people, but to those all over the world who are beginning to recognise Ireland as a fantastic surfing spot! Sure it rains all the time, we’d have to have good rivers!

In this hostel I am sharing my room with three French guys of my age. They came into the room at around 1am on my first night here. After exchanging pleasantries the next morning , I got dressed and left the the room for the day. Later that day, on a tour of the many canals that cross Amsterdam, I ran into the three guys again. I walked past one and said hello, but there was no return remark. The guys had been getting to know a few of Amsterdam's Coffeeshops a bit too well I suppose...I must have missed the sign for the Horticultural Coffeeshop Tour. Funnily enough, that was the last I saw of them!

On Sunday, I took a late morning. All this work and travel is exhausting you know...! I visited the Anne Frank House in the early afternoon. Incredible is the only word. It was a deeply moving experience and I can offer no other complement than if you do happen to go to Amsterdam, you must come here. Incredible. After visiting here, I indulged a bit in a hobbie of mine. Vinyl! Not carpet, but gramophones! In the evening I took part in a tour of the Red Light District. Wow! A really interesting place that both open your eyes and makes you think. It is very safe to walk around, after all, these women are business women. The only thing you have to watch out for is pickpockets. Another thing I noticed on the streets of the city was all the graffiti. And how wonderful it was! It made me think about our own graffiti in Ireland, and art in general. It is more confined to galleries than city streets in my own country, but there is some fantastic pieces on offer. The National Museum in Dublin which is a short walk from Isaacs Hostel, is free for admission and offers you a chance to see some of the most amazing pieces of art you’ll ever lays your eyes on! I highly recommend it.

Monday morning I take an early 6hr train ride to Berlin. I really cannot wait. I am literally bursting with excitement for the opportunity to sit still for six hours. All that recycled air!! I don’t hide my sarcasm that well... Either way, I am really looking forward to Berlin. I am meeting a fellow traveller blogger - Adam Groffman from www.travelsofadam.com -  and another Irishman there and in true style, we plan on leaving a stamp upon the place! I’ll let you know if we do!

Follow me and my travels on Twitter at @ciaran_o_connor and @IsaacsHostel and on Facebook on the IsaacHostels page.