I was still feeling the jet lag when I woke up. It took around half an hour and maybe seven alarms to get me out of bed, but the sleepy struggle was well worth it at the end of the day. After our first hotel breakfast of the trip, we went straight to the city center for a guided tour of Amsterdam, led by a local named Ian. I can easily say that Ian was the best tour guide I’ve ever been with (sorry, pathfinders).

During the tour, I learned lots of information about Dutch history that I wouldn’t have even considered before. For example, Amsterdam is not creatively named at all; it’s just a combination of the terms ‘Amstel,’ referring to the river that the city was built upon, and ‘dam,’ which was built above the Amstel. We also learned about how the three Xs in the old Amsterdam flag represent the three primary threats at the time: fire, flooding, and disease. Throughout the tour, many locals greeted Ian on the street, whether a passerby or shop owner, which showed me just how tight-knit of a community Amsterdam can hold.

Once the tour ended, Ian led us to his and his wife’s chocolate shop to taste various products of theirs and learn more about the production of the famous treat. During the tasting, we tried several unique chocolates, including chocolate with rose petals, chocolate with garlic, chocolate with Carolina reapers, and more. In between pieces, we were taught how each piece of the cacao fruit can have its own purpose, increasing the environmental efficiency of the produce and helping farmers receive more income. For example, the cacao mucilage can be juiced (and tastes surprisingly good, almost like pears), the cacao beans can be roasted and turned into chocolate, and the flesh of the fruit can be used to make floor tiling (as the floor of the shop was) or eaten as chips.

After the tasting, some of us went to Mannekenpis, Holland’s #1 best place to get fries (I got truffle mayo with mine, they were INCREDIBLE), and we all met up for a canal tour shortly after. This tour was also incredibly informative, explaining the functions of modern Dutch buildings in the earlier years of the nation, along with the functions and ‘themes’ of several canals surrounding the city. For example, one of the smaller canals, Herengracht, was populated primarily by rich people and political figures. Throughout the tour, there were also many breathtaking views, my favorite of which being where I could see under seven bridges perfectly all at once.

Once the canal tour ended, we broke off into groups and wandered the streets of Amsterdam. I went straight to Magna Plaza, a small shopping center located near the Dam Square. On the way, we stopped at a nearby Albert Heijn, and I purchased a mango-flavored aloe vera drink; the solid bits of aloe vera threw me off initially, but it was delicious and refreshing. In Magna Plaza, we searched for souvenirs and looked inside one of the several Henri Willig cheese stores located in the city center, where every cheese offered has numerous free samples available. Needless to say, I tasted a LOT of cheese, and I will definitely be buying some to take home later in our trip!