Today our group travelled from Pittsburgh to Boston to Amsterdam, landing early in the morning, 6 hours ahead of our usual time, for a fun-filled day of activities. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and later met up with our tour guide, Raha, around 8.

Once all our bags were packed away at the hotel, we started out on our Fault in Our Stars themed Scavenger Hunt. We travelled from Amsterdam Centraal Station, first to the Basilica of Saint Nicholas. The basilica was truly larger than pictures can give it credit, and the inside, which you interestingly cannot take pictures in, is gorgeous.

As we travelled the Scavenger Hunt path, we saw many beautiful monuments throughout Amsterdam commemorating various aspects of Dutch history. For example, the Homomonument, which commemorates all the men and women that have ever been oppressed due to their homosexuality.

We travelled further and further into the heart of Amsterdam, and saw the historic Rode Hoed building, once a clandestine church that now operates as a debating center. As our Scavenger Hunt came to a close, we arrived at our final destination, Winkel 43. We opted not to get any of their famous pie, and instead a portion of our group went over to Big Shots where we had some delicious pizza for lunch.

We had a little rest at the hotel, and then took the Metro over to our final destination of the day, Coco’s Outback. I had the delicious Chicken Parmesan entrée, and we all were able to debrief our different experiences throughout the day.

I’d have to say that my favorite part of the day was listening to the bells at the Basilica of Saint Nicholas while I observed all the intricate architecture inside the church. As this surreal day comes to a close, I am so excited to experience more of Amsterdam over the next few days and see everything that this beautiful country has to offer.