Some places seem to be taken out of a fairytale. One of such places is the town and municipality Weesp, in the province of North Holland in The Netherlands. Weesp is just a 17-minute train ride from Amsterdam. It boasts three historical windmills, bastions and fortifications that are part of the Defence line of Amsterdam and beautiful sights of the Vecht river and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal.

Every morning I took the train to Amsterdam from Weesp. All my morning walks through town towards the train station were accompanied by the same peace and tranquility which is inherent to the landscape here. This also allowed me to see Amsterdam through the eyes of people who commute there everyday.  All those new faces, some worried and others just exhausted, intertwined with the sights outside the window, gave me a feeling of being a part of the city even if just for a couple of days. And because every single day in Amsterdam was for me such a fascinating and vibrant experience, every train journey back to Weesp made me long for a bit of quietness and tranquility.

How could I talk about Weesp without mentioning my incredible hosts? The amazing hospitality of Erik and Claudia was definitely one of those special memories I will carry with me for years to come. It is so nice to know you have friends all over the world that will welcome you with open arms and do just about anything within their reach to make your stay pleasant. Dank je wel! <3

On my last night in Weesp I walked around a bit before going home. Erik and Claudia ordered Indonesian takeaway for dinner and I was already excited to try all that delicious food, but I wanted to say goodbye to Weesp so I approached the waters of one of the canals, which reflected all the pretty colours from the fairy lights adorning the boats anchored to the sidewalks. All was quiet, like in a painting. Such a beautiful view to contemplate. Once upon a time in Weesp the world stopped a minute just for me.

The town of Weesp.

A wee bit of colour here and there in Weesp.

Walking around Weesp.

Weesp by night and the river Vecht.

Weesp by night.

Weesp by night.

One day was enough for me to fall in love with Amsterdam and its vibrant energy. Nevertheless, I was craving for more.
On my second day in the Dutch capital I had so many plans, but I didn't get to do every single item on my list. I was supposed to meet a friend at Amsterdam Centraal, but she couldn't make it. So, after waiting for a while I started walking to Anne Frank's house on Prinsengracht 263. This was a surreal experience for me, because I read the diary both in Spanish and German as a child. I always felt identified with her and with how much she cherished writing and imagining a better world. In fact, at the museum I found out that her biggest dream was to become a famous journalist and writer. "Our challenge is to turn her would-haves into opportunities", reads a  giant poster with her face inside the museum. Her legacy lives on and echoes even beyond the walls of her hiding place, making it a universal message of hope for mankind. If you're in Amsterdam, go check it out!

After Anne Frank's house I wanted to visit more museums but I kinda got distracted along the way with all the pretty sights of the canals and the everyday life scenes this city has to offer. In Amsterdam you'll find so many reasons to just make a stop and enjoy the view. For me it was just a blink of an eye to walk from Prinsengracht to Museumplein!  I was so surprised to see how quickly time passed! After all the walking I sat down in front of the Rijksmuseum and had a hot chocolate. It was so crazy! I just wanted to have some more time to get lost in this quaint city!  That's what's so magical about Amsterdam. You enjoy it so much that you don't even realise the passing of time.

On my way back to Amsterdam Centraal to take the train back to Weesp, I indulged taking long exposure shots of the beautiful canals. Different hues of golden lights were reflected on the waters of the canals; it seemed as if the whole city were a jewel, a precious and invaluable work of art. All the lights and all the colours were so bright on that winter night, giving me many reasons to stay a little longer.
That's Amsterdam: it invites you to stay.
No need to have big plans or worry too much here. This city will show you the way.

Amsterdam <3

View from Prinsengracht 263.

So breathtaking!

Amsterdam at night.

Along the Leidsestraat.

Leidsestraat.

Basilica of St. Nicholas.

Happy 2016!

I hope you had a nice time over the holidays. As for me, I can't wait to start sharing with you all the stories of my latest adventures!
So, the winter break is coming to an end. Exams week is right around the corner and I'm still thinking about all the nice moments I spent travelling this semester to various parts of the UK  and my trip to the Netherlands and Germany. But let's start with Amsterdam.

I was really looking forward to this trip. After a first semester at Uni and a period adapting to my new home, I felt the need to go away. My body, soul, mind and heart were asking for it. When I was still in Germany in August, my Dutch friend Erik wrote me a message on Facebook telling me it was about time to visit Amsterdam. He lives with his fiancée Claudia in Weesp, a town in the province of North Holland which is just a 17-minute train journey from the Dutch capital. Because I was going to spend Christmas with my family in Germany, I thought this would be the perfect moment to go there. I didn't hesitate long and bought my ticket...

Everyone has a story about Amsterdam. I also had one, even though I had never actually been there before. As a girl I travelled to Germany several times to spend Christmas with my family. We always had a stopover at Schiphol airport, which is why I associated this city with positive ideas: it was to me an awesome place, a kind of gateway that brought me one step closer to my family. I had such high expectations about finally leaving the Schiphol premises and I must tell you one thing: Amsterdam fulfilled all of them.

 I arrived on a Friday afternoon after a long day travelling. Erik was there to greet me with a big smile on his face.This was only the first gesture that would later on reassure me the fact that Dutch people are truly the friendliest. Before we headed home, he had one more phone call to make at his office. I met his colleagues, two very nice guys who made me feel at home by allowing me to play some of my favourite tunes from Panama. One of them comes from Curacao, so he was all about dancing! I had so much fun meeting those two and dancing and singing along at an office in Schiphol right after my arrival. It was the best way to recover from the trip and a nice way to see Schiphol from the perspective of people who work there.

It was starting to get dark when we took the train to Weesp. On that first night we went for a walk around the town, a quaint municipality with windmills and all! We had dinner and then went to a Christmas market inside one of the windmills. It was an extraordinary experience to enter one of those old wooden structures and see how they produced flour that would later on be used to make oliebollen, a traditional festive sweet in The Netherlands. We had oliebollen and Gluhwein while singing Christmas carols in Dutch with the people of the town. It was truly magical. I even got to see a young Dutch man wearing clogs!

We headed home afterwards for a night of rest, because Erik planned a walking tour for the next day. So I went to bed with the image and the sound of the wind through the blades and the wooden engines of the windmill. What a proper way to start my time in this lovely country!


Clear skies and no rain together with mild temperatures made it a perfect day for exploring the city on foot. We took the train in Weesp and got off to explore Oud-Zuid, the southern district of the city and the heart of the financial area. We walked towards Vondelpark, the green lung of Amsterdam and then headed to Museumplein or museum square, a major cultural centre with the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk and Rijksmuseum all in one place, plus the Concertgebouw, the concert hall. We passed the Paradiso, a church turned into a concert venue and went to the canals, my absolute favourite part of the tour. Erik explained they are in alphabetical order: Herengracht, Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht and Singel. Together they form concentric belts around the city, known as Grachtengordel.

We also explored the area around Leidseplein, or Leid square, with all the cool bars and restaurants that make it one of the busiest nightlife areas of Amsterdam. After walking around the Spui we took a break at De Begijnhof, one of the most beautiful inner courts of the city, which as the name explains was built for housing beguines, women who belonged to a religious community but did not take religious vows. Today it is mostly for private housing. It also contains the oldest wooden house in the city. De Begijnhof was definitely one of my favourite spots in Amsterdam, with its peaceful atmosphere among the hustle and bustle of this European capital.

My Amsterdam favourite: walking along the canals.

A house in the southern district Oud-Zuid.

Museumplein with Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk museum and Van Gogh museum.

One of my favourite things about Amsterdam is that no house resembles the other. From the size of the windows to the shapes itself, the urban landscape always changes here.

The Begijnhof.

An oasis of tranquility in the heart of the city: the Begijnhof.

The Begijnhof <3

Our tour continued to Dam Square, which is surrounded by the National Monument, the Royal Palace, the department store De Bijenkorf and the Nieuwe Kerk. We walked along the Kalverstraat, the most expensive shopping street of the country that was named after the calves market which was held here until the 17th century.  From being a calves market a couple of centuries ago to now being the home of Zara, H&M and Esprit among others, the Kalverstraat is packed almost at any time every day. If you want to witness protests then Dam Square is the place to be. We saw 2 groups on that busy pre-Christmas afternoon!