When I was living in France teaching, I got two weeks off for “spring vacation.” In France, it is broken up into three different regions, and each year the three regions switch off their vacations so the entire country isn’t on school holiday at the same time. As luck would not have it, my regions was the first up to have spring break – only a little over a month after the Christmas holidays. Now, I am not one to turn down a vacation, but for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to travel through central Europe in February – Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, and Budapest. I cannot tell you how freaking cold it was BUT I made memories and friends that would last me a lifetime.
I had always wanted to go to Amsterdam due to the architecture, history, and canals. Unfortunately, it was freezing cold and rainy the whole time, so I didn’t get to experience the Netherlands in all its beauty, but I still caught a glimpse of these canals, even if there was chunks of ice floating around! The canals date back to the 1600’s when they were first dug. You don’t really think of “city-planning” back in those days, but it somehow worked out for Amsterdam compared to other old cities around the world!
Often referred to as the Venice of the North (Bruges also likes to claim that…) the canals are lined with some of the most stunning buildings, often looking similar but very different in their own right. Supposedly there are over 1500 buildings lining the canals, according to one of the tours we took there! The canals also become a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. While it was dreary the entire time I was there, I still caught a glimpse of the beauty of the canals. I definitely will have to go back in the summertime to truly experience it.
