From Visitor to Tour Guide: Showing Off My City

Although this week’s weather was less than ideal (that’s sugarcoating it—I’m talking constant, pouring rain and 80 km/h winds!), I had the opportunity to try my hand at being a tour guide rather than a visitor. When my friend from home told me she was coming to visit from the U.S., I immediately began brainstorming all the wonderful places I’d discovered that I wanted to bring her to. Although we didn’t get to every spot I wanted to show off, we had the best time exploring my city together. We did the “tourist-y” activities, of course, like the Heineken Experience, various museums, shopping on the Nine Little Streets, the Anne Frank House, and the Artis Zoo. I also brought her to some less obvious spots, like the MOCO Museum, the NEMO Science Center, the A’DAM Lookout, and even a day trip to Rotterdam. Of course, all of these experiences were supplemented with incredible foods from cafes, restaurants, and bars that I’ve discovered in my first month here in Amsterdam. Having the opportunity to show off the city that just six weeks ago was completely foreign to me was an awesome way to validate my choice to come to Amsterdam in the first place.