Mending a heart takes time but through this ordeal I have learned to not give anyone power over my happiness. I am choosing to forge my own path, whether paved with thorns or glitter (I hope it’s the latter 🙂), I want to experience it all.
With this excitement, I decided to visit the floating Bloemenmarkt (flower market) to soak in all the beauty and fragrance of life. Some of the shops still sell fresh flowers, dried tulip bulbs and tulip paraphernalia. The beautifully decorated shops with tulips and flowers made my morning cheerful. I bought some tulips to liven up my hotel room.
Next, I wandered off to the Rembrandtplein Square nearby. Rembrandtplein is named after the famous Dutch master painter, Rembrandt van Rijn, creator of works such as the Night Watch, and in the middle of the square you can find a large statue of the man. Also, currently the square houses the bronze-cast representation of the Night Watch painting, which was installed in 2006 to celebrate the artists 400th birthday. After traveling from New York to Russia, it has returned back home. There are also so many restaurants, night clubs and cafes near the square, so I stopped at a cozy cafe across from it to have a cup of fresh mint tea and Nutella pancake, while watching people jumpstart their day.
I headed back to my hotel room to freshen up and meet a new friend, Tamas, who I had met online, thanks to the power of social media.
We met at a cafe on the corner of Oudezijds Voorburgwal street which has spectacular views. Tamas is originally from Hungary and had moved to Amsterdam 2 years ago. He has a presence bigger than life and it’s wonderful to meet someone who is truly living his joyful life. He is truly a giver who was willing to carve out time from his day to share his story and take me around the city to see some hidden gems.
After working for years in the travel industry, having traveled to nearly 72 countries and lived in few of them, with the latest being a 7 year stint in Bangkok, he decided to move to Amsterdam rather than go back home. I have to agree that it’s much easier to live in this Dutch city, since most people speak English and has nearly 176 different nationalities, making it truly one of the most diverse cities in the world.
When he first moved here, he stayed in hostels until he was able to find a room to rent in a flat. Since then he has focused on building a successful massage practice. A year ago, he moved into a beautiful 2-bedroom apartment with his friend on Prinsengracht which has spectacular views of the canal. His place is full of life with orchids and tulips. In a short period of time, he has made his place a home and loves to decorate, bake and host big parties. I got to taste his unicorn cupcake creation which was not only beautifully decorated but also yummy.
It’s never easy packing your bags and moving to a foreign country without a job lined up, but stories such as Tamas’s will keep on inspiring me to move forward into the unknown.
