Amsterdam

Somehow, Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities...although I don't really know why. Maybe it is the uniqueness or maybe the weird and honesty. I have been to Amsterdam many times and more often not the best experiences...

In 1997 I was an au pair in the Netherlands, way up in Friesland. With very little "pocket" money per month, a trip to Amsterdam was rather pricey and a lengthy travel. Once I joined other au pair friends for a day in Amsterdam - I can only imagine what we would have looked like - very young naive Free State girls in this liberal city. One think I can very clearly remember and that is standing outside KFC, feeling so home sick but cannot afford a KFC meal....it was an eye opening weekend.

My second visit was less exciting - things went south with my au pair family and they kicked me out of the house while cancelling my residence permit. I just couldn't think of going back to SA. The best option at the time was to go to London, but first I had to go to Amsterdam to get a visa. This time round I even had less money than the previous trip - spending my very last penny on a bus ticket to London, I had to dodge police - I was after all an illegal immigrant, while taking all sorts of public transport without paying.on buses. After hours of rushing and running I reached the British Consulate just to realise there are a waiting list of 6 weeks and I had no other option than returning home....

....that day I sat on the pavement outside Amsterdam station, not caring, crying and feeling very alone. I made numerous collect calls home, but nobody was there. Being 18 and stuck in a city like Amsterdam... that is what you call growing up fast!!

The detail of the trip home is a completely different story that I will share at a later stage.

Almost 15 years later, my next visit to Amsterdam to make new awesome memories....and so it was. Sometimes good company makes all the difference....this one was just the best. We visited all the places I could recall where I sat and cry 15 years ago ....just to realise, it is like dreading bumping into an ex and when you finally do, you feel nothing. I realised that Amsterdam didn't win, it gave me a very good life lesson at 18 and now we are friends. We stayed in a small hotel across Bijenkorf - scruffy but the location was fabulous....New years day, although it was cold but we stayed until very late on the streets. Bought many pod cakes and waited for any effect. But no luck!! ( I think it was just very old chocolate cake at 5 euro a bite) We wandered streets up and down and experience Amsterdam in all her glory...I am very curious and was very intrigued about the whole red light district life....very interesting places, the buzz and making awesome new memories.

Many years later while studying in Germany, Amsterdam was my closest airport for a direct flight home. The flight is normally early in the morning and forced me to stay in the city the night before....it became an exciting stop on my way home. On one trip Jack was flying out. It was my birthday - kind of not my favourite day of the year. It was my first time doing something really touristy and taking a boat tour....all of a sudden she showed me a different side. I city I have seen so many times, in different moods and stages.

Replacing bad memories with good ones or just take it as the complete package. Amsterdam dished out scares and smiles...I can maybe not show the scars but I have endless memories.