Onto week 2! The whole month was a whirlwind, the longest we spent in a city was 3 days! This trip I did as a tour through EF college break so all the transportation and housing was taken care of. All I had to do was wake up and get to the bus time. In each city we would have a guided tour of the city and see all the major attractions together as a group. Other than that we were pretty much free to roam on our own. It was the perfect balance and I would highly recommend doing a group tour if you are nervous about traveling alone.
Lunch in Ghent
On our way from Paris to Amsterdam we stopped in Belgium for lunch. We unfortunately only got to spend a few hours in the adorable city of Ghent but in that tine I managed to eat all of the Belgian foods; fries, waffels, chocolate and of course beer!
I don’t know what they put in this Mayonnaise/fry sauce but it might as well be cocaine 
Cherry Beer made in belgium
Amsterdam
What do most people think of when someone says Amsterdam? Legal weed and the red light district. At least that was all I thought about! Well to my surprise it’s actually an absolutely gorgeous city! Fun fact Amsterdam actually has more canals than Venice.
One of the many canals in Amsterdam
My best advice about Amsterdam is watch out for the bicycles! Be aware of the bike lanes and stay out of their way, they will run you over. Trams also seem to come out of nowhere so be vigilant look in all directions, left, right, up, down everywhere before crossing the street.
The best parts of Amsterdam in my opinion were just wandering around the different squares and experiencing the night life. The Red Light district is definitely worth seeing. It’s 100% legal and all the women have chosen to be there. There are no pimps, the women rent out the spaces like you would rent out an office space.
Most of the women were in bikinis but a few were in lingerie. You can not and should not try to take photos, be respectful. The rooms were small with a bed, a mirror and a little bathroom area in the back. Most of the women seemed uninterested, they were on the phone or just sitting in their chairs. I was surprised that more of them weren’t interacting with the people walking by. In 2016 the going rate was 50 Euros for a half hour. After hearing that I definitely considered renting out a booth for the night! I could finance the rest of my trip with one night making 50 euros a half hour.
I did go to a couple of coffee shops, and ate a few “space” brownies. None of them had much of an effect for me but it was still fun to experience the culture. I would recommend avoiding the larger ones for a mellow, more authentic experience. Just walk down any side street and you’ll find a place to pop into.
The Countryside
After spending a week and a half in different cities I wanted to see some greenery so I booked a windmill tour. Not even 10 minutes outside of Amsterdam and I was surrounded by farms and lush green grass. I was surpised to find out that many of the windmills are still in use. The windmills have a variety of fuctions such as grinding grains or processing wood.
The tour also took us to a clog factory, turns out the wooden clogs are actually super popular amongst farmers because of how durable they are. According to the clog maker, a cow could step on your foot with a clog on and you wouldn’t even feel it! And of course they’re also super fashionable…
High Heel clogs, perfect for clubbing I’d imagine 
We finished off the tour at a cheese factory! I had no idea the Netherlands made so much cheese. I happily taste tested all of it.
A Taste of Germany
On our way from Amsterdam to Frankfurt we stopped in Cologne. Cologne has a huge gothic church, the style was nice change from all the other churches we had seen so far. Europe is full of huge gorgeous old churches but I would be lying if I said they didn’t get a little boring after ahwile.
We spent 1 night in Frankfurt and honestly didn’t see a whole lot. They did have their very own love lock bridge which was heartwarming to see. We went to the old town of Frankfurt which was really picturesque with cute bars and restaurants.
Switzerland
We spent 2 nights just outside of Lucerne, in the small ski village of Enģelberg. I was constantly shocked and amazing by the stunning beauty in Switzerland. Driving through Switzerland was like stepping into a fantasy world. The country is a bit on the expensive side but the views are certainly worth it even if you just go for a few days.
Enģelberg was a welcome break from all the hustle and bustle of the last 4 cities. It was so refreshing to hike up Mount Titus, the views over Enģelberg were spectacular.
Man Update
As you may have guessed I wasn’t successful in hooking up with anyone but it wasn’t for lack of trying! In Amsterdam I spent the majority of my last night with 2 Canadians one of which I was super into. He was tall and handsome with the cutest Canadian accent. I unfortunately didn’t have the courage to make the first move and his friend was hitting on me all night so he didn’t go for it either. I should have, lesson learned kiss the guy.
In Switzerland I started chatting with a guy at a bar in town, it quickly became clear that he was dating the waitress and she wasn’t too fond of me talking to her man so I finished my drink and went on my way.
It gets a little more exciting in Italy so keep a look out for the next blog post!
