The freezing cold weather didn’t make it easy for me to navigate my way to the hotel with two heavy bags. The ten minutes walk felt like a lifetime as my face was cold, toes numb and my runny nose. But the warm and friendly welcome by Miss Ana of the Hotel Fine Seasons, made me forget about the weather outside. She made the check-in process super easy and in no time I was in my heated room. It felt so good.
I put my luggage on one side of the tiniest hotel room with hardly any walking space but it was reasonable and had modern touches with super comfy bed. Anyways, I just needed the room for one night and this was more than ideal. The view of the beautiful alley and the canal was an added bonus which I was not expecting.
Before I could get too comfy and fall asleep, I immediately hopped in for the hot shower. My bones needed it so bad. I can’t blame them after being tortured in uncompromising position for the past 13 hours. I bundled up into layers and went on the hunt to feed my hungry belly.
I stumbled upon a nearby restaurant called Stout and was greeted by the friendly staff. I opted for a cup of hot tea with fresh ginger, cinnamon and honey to warm myself up before I could even think straight about what to order for lunch. After sipping the hot tea, I felt more like myself and the delicious sprouted greens with avocado sandwich was calling my name. I placed the order with Esther. She was charming and we had some lovely conversation about life in Amsterdam and how I would love it here and the areas I should look for an apartment. Just as the Bay Area, this city is facing a housing shortage, so the rents have recently gone up through the roof. We shall see if this is the city I would one day move or not.
As I was finishing my tea, my sandwich arrived and I’ve to say that it was exactly what My tummy needed after a long flight – healthy, yummy and filling!
It was time again to brave the weather and explore this beautiful city. I didn’t have any plan. I just wanted to walk around and enjoy this city.
