Due to my not so wonderful experience in Paris, I was not sure how my trip in Amsterdam would pan out. This was the last city I visited during my solo Euro-trip and I planned my stay for three days. A group member from the Black Paris Tour, informed me that one or two days are enough for Amsterdam, however this woman also loved Paris and had stayed in Paris to visit her daughter. I figured that we had completely different city styles, and that was one of the things that I learned from my trip to Europe. Your personality depends on how you embrace the cities and overall places you visit. However, I was still unsure of my experience.
After my ridiculously expensive Uber ride to the Charles De Gaulle Airport ($121), I decided to get some coffee and sit by the gate. I received my small “large” coffee, and received short and not so great customer service. I sat down next to a young man who told me he was on his way back home. He was originally from Germany, and shared some of his travel experiences along with photos. Another gentleman joined in on our conversation. He was backpacking from Portland, Oregon and he was originally from Hawaii. I already started to have a great feeling about Amsterdam. They did inform me that Amsterdam had a completely different vibe from Paris. In fact, the man from Portland did not like Paris at all and informed me that Amsterdam had a much more relaxed personality.
When I arrived in Amsterdam, I said my goodbyes to the two individuals I met before the flight. My Uber driver was very pleasant and he also felt that Paris was not his type of city. When I informed him that I was traveling alone, he pretty much gave me the same speech everyone else gave. But again, I appreciated our conversation and the recommendations of different sites to visit.
The hotel I stayed in reminded me of a small city apartment in a downtown area. It was actually my favorite hotel room out of all the hotels I stayed in during my solo trip.
I decided to visit the Vincent Van Gogh Museum, even though I was extremely tired. It was an easy walk from my hotel and the walk was absolutely gorgeous! There were many bikers and bike lanes, and lush greenery. The energy all over was very upbeat. I was enjoying the city already. The museum contained three floors along with a guided tour recording, which was a very common tool used in Amsterdam tours. I knew I was too tired to absorb all of the beautiful paintings, but I do recommend this museum to everyone.
On my way back to my hotel, I stopped at an East African restaurant, where I had some of the best food! Did I encounter any language barriers whatsoever? The answer is no. They all spoke fluent English, which was turned off and on like a light switch with no snarky attitudes. The people generally had very positive attitudes. I did notice that they did not take credit cards at most of the locations I visited. That was probably the most annoying part about my trip.
On my second day, I joined a free tour group (technically not so free because they suggested us to give tips between $5-10 Euros) and the overall tour was very educational and informative. I felt like it provided me with a basic sense of the main city. Most of the group members stayed in Amsterdam as a layover destination. There were also some other solo women travelers, so I did not feel so crazy after all.
I went to the Red Light Secrets – Museum of Prostitution which was short, simple, and cheap. As I wandered for a decent place to eat, I ran into younger, skinny, black guy on the street. We had a short conversation and went on our way. I later saw him again, but this time he was with one of his friends. All three of us ended up hanging out, and he even brought his girlfriend along, who ended up being really cool. I became friends with this group pretty easily. I told them about my experience traveling, and emphasized my prior experience at the Eiffel Tower where I met up with that creepy vendor.
Our group consisted of two black guys, one white dutch girl, and me. So are their black people in Amsterdam? How is the diversity? There is a population of black people in Amsterdam which did shock me during my visit. Most of the black people are from Suriname, which is a Dutch colonized country in the north part of South America. The country is fused with Afro-Carribean, Indonesian, and Asian cultures. Their food is also out of this world amazing. It was like a mix of African and Asian ingredients together in one dish. However, many of the black men my age and younger made money selling drugs to tourists. I ended up hanging with the young man’s friend the most during my stay. He tried to keep his drug hustling a secret from me, but I was able to put the pieces together and figured out what he and his friends were doing. This didn’t affect our friendship and we still keep in contact with each other today.
The most amazing historical site that I visited was the Anne Frank House. Everyone needs to visit this museum. You get a chance to see the house Anne Frank and her family stayed in before they were captured. No cameras or phones were allowed to be used (like most of the important museums). I do recommend going to this museum at night as opposed to the day time. There are way less people during the night time and the line is nonexistent.
Overall, this was my kind of city. But I did notice, if you are a nature lover, hippy-like being, and very liberal (supporting weed smoking, prostitution, etc.) this is your kind of city. I do identify with all of these characteristics, so I found this place to be like home to my soul. And diversity existed. They may try to advertise Amsterdam as a white wonderland, but black people and people of color do exist in this city! The people were also very friendly and social. Everyone that I encountered spoke English. And, yet again, the transportation was also very easy to use and understand. They relied on the “tram” which operated like a trolley in America. I decided to take the tram to the airport and that was the best decision I made. People were also very helpful, to the point a gentlemen swiped me onto the high speed rail line to the airport.
Solo traveling was one of the best decisions I made. Is this form of travel for everyone? The answer is no. In my opinion, you need to have a good sense of self before doing this. As a black girl, I do recommend researching the locations you plan to visit and assess how they respond to women of color (specifically black women). But if you feel that solo traveling is something you would like to experience, definitely give it a chance. Do not let people make you feel bad for following your heart. If I listened to everyone who told me that I was crazy, I would probably still be yearning to go to Europe before turning 30. Just know that you are most likely more brave than you think.