across the continent and back again

Betcha didn’t expect me to crank out another post so fast. Never underestimate me! Before I get into too much, I have added some photos to the photo gallery if y’all are interested.

Andrea and I had gotten to Amsterdam by a night bus and arrived in the early morning before we were able to check into our hostel. I was so tired and irritable, Andrea could tell you just how unpleasant I was to be around at that point. One thing about being so on the go is that you will be tired and there’s nothing you can do to get out of that funk. We stayed in the neighborhood Noord which is across the river but overall very close to the center of the city. It feels removed, but you’re a ferry ride outside your front door to suddenly be in the center of town. I loved the ferry because it’s such a bizarre feeling to be herded like cattle.

Amsterdam in general is one of my favorite cities I have visited by far. Immediately the vibe is immaculate. The weather was insanely perfect, the sustainability was on point, and everyone was super kind. I kept referring to it as “my utopia” because it felt like they built the city for me to enjoy.

Once we had gotten to our room and washed up, Andrea and I headed out to see what there was to explore. We went on a boat tour, to the Van Gogh Museum, and walked around the neighborhoods scouting out thrift stores. I can feel what I’m sure many of you are thinking, though. What about the Red Light District and the drugs? Yes, we did walk through the Red Light District just to say we walked through but it was brief and unexciting. And yes, it should be no surprise to anyone that I indulged in the weed culture. I mean we all knew that I smoke weed so let’s just get that out into the open right now. What matters is: that I’m an adult, it’s legal, it helps my anxiety, and I don’t really care if you don’t like it! It’s 2023 and if you can drink a glass of wine at dinner then I can pack a bowl. Also if we really want to go as far as to make the argument on whether or not stoners are capable people in society - If I survived the last three years making the impossible happen then we can all agree that this LEGAL recreational drug is probably not that bad for me. I’m honestly passed the point in my self-confidence where I know that you cannot possibly look at me and how hard I worked to get here and tell me that smoking weed has hindered me in any way. I mean… I’m Olivia. You can’t applaud me for my accomplishments and then tell me that I’m wrong in the (totally reasonable) ways I kept myself sane throughout it.

(Note: If Dawn is reading this, I will make the very important point that I NEVER have partaken in weed before or during any of my working hours. Just in case that was in question.)

NOW THAT WE GOT THAT OUT OF THE WAY. I will tell you that the “coffeeshops” in Amsterdam (coffeeshops are weed cafes if you don’t know) are really cool! Even if you don’t partake, it’s a really interesting atmosphere. You treat it like a normal bar in that you walk up to order, find a place to sit, and get a drink! There’s a bunch of history that goes behind the making of these coffeeshops that have to deal with their laws and private ownership of marijuana, but that’s not what I’m here for. You can Google it :). It’s a nice juxtaposition to the intense city, but also helps a lot with the travel anxiety that I experience. We would go to a coffeeshop then explore a little and it made all the difference. The Van Gogh Museum was incredible after smoking a little. I have never been so interested and dedicated to following the story of an artist. I think I spent the entire day making sure I read every single plaque in the building.

After a week-ish of being in the city and familiarizing ourselves with the sites, Andrea left to go back to Texas and I was off to my next destination - Portugal.

Portugal for me was booked when I was in Paris. I had listened to a podcast that raved about a specific hostel and at the time I was really wanting to see it for myself, so I booked it for the only available dates I could find. Let me make it clear that it’s not like I didn’t want to go to Portugal but by the time I had to go and having been in prefect-weather-Amsterdam, I was not too keen on the idea of heading to heat-wave Portugal for a few days with a suitcase to struggle with through the streets. Nonetheless, I headed out and had a good time. This was the first time I had been seriously solo for a couple of weeks since I had been with friends through the last few stops on my journey.

It was only about 4 days in Portugal, but I was in Lisbon for a night then Lagos for a few. The hostel itself was totally fine, but I just wasn’t in the headspace for being super social so I wish I had considered that back when I booked it. Those days alone were still nice, though! I spent a day at the beach and another doing a kayaking tour around the Algarve. There wasn’t much happening, so that’s about all I have to say about that.

I was, however, going through a bit of a crisis trying to figure out what to do and where to go next. All I knew was that I had to be in Copenhagen and Ireland to visit a couple of friends, but I had about a week before I could start that adventure just so my friends could have a chance to settle in their new living spaces and get used to their classes. Naturally, I ended up booking a ticket back to Scotland. You can’t really argue with the fact that I get a free place to stay, I love Edinburgh, and the weather is pretty ideal for me.

Not much to say about Scotland. I took it as a moment to re-center and prepare for the next couple of weeks. What’s nice is I’ve been there enough at this point where there’s not much else for me to see. I’m allowed to take it slow and go where I want. While I was there I took the time to plan my next stops, too.

My old roommate and college friend, Pearl, is studying in Copenhagen so I planned a week trip to visit her. Then I would go to Ireland to visit my college friend, Spoorthy, at the University of Limerick for a weekend. Then I knew I had to start my journey to the Balkans so I could make it to Croatia on time to start my job.

I’ll leave it at that and include Denmark and Ireland in the next post!

Music from the week (s):

• Black Water - Timber Timbre

• Just - Radiohead

• A&W - Lana Del Rey

• Country Sad Ballad Man - Blur

• Break - Alex G

Liv