{"id":401,"date":"2014-02-18T22:10:19","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T21:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/caseybrown.org\/blog\/?p=401"},"modified":"2014-03-18T18:44:24","modified_gmt":"2014-03-18T17:44:24","slug":"weekend-trip-to-amsterdam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/caseybrown.org\/blog\/2014\/02\/weekend-trip-to-amsterdam\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekend trip to Amsterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Friday morning I woke up at 4:00am to take my first trip out of Spain since I arrived a month and a half ago. Madrid’s metro rail<\/a> doesn’t run at that hour, but luckily there’s a 24\u00a0hour shuttle service<\/a> to the airport that only costs \u20ac5. It leaves from the night bus hub at the Plaza de Cibeles<\/a>, which is much cheaper than the flat fee of about \u20ac35 for a taxi ride to the airport and pretty convenient despite it requiring a 30 minute walk in the rain. Although I was initially hesitant to go to Amsterdam<\/a> because I had already visited the city with my family before, it turned out to be completely worth it. Our weekend trip was awesome, and I got to see and experience many things that I missed out on the first time.<\/em><\/p>\n

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This blog post is a little long, but it covers three whole days and we definitely did a lot during those three days. Plus, I know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, so I want to make sure you get your fill with this one. \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"Schiphol<\/a>

Schiphol Airport platform to Amsterdam Centraal<\/p><\/div>\n

The good thing about a taking an early flight is that we landed at Schiphol<\/a> at around 10:00 in the morning with almost a full day ahead of us. The airport has a very convenient train service that brings you right to Amsterdam Centraal Station<\/a>\u00a0in about 20 minutes for \u20ac4. Even better, our hostel, the St. Christopher’s Inn<\/a>, turned out to be only a 10 minute walk from the station. It took us a little to get our bearings and find it, but the hostel was in a great location right next to the night life center and the red light district, De Wallen<\/a>, and 5 minutes from Dam Square<\/a>. I know it sounds a little scary to be staying right next to there, but with all the tourists and the police presence, the red light district is actually one of the safest parts of the city!<\/p>\n

One of the people I was traveling with, Haley, picked the hostel and we definitely have to give props to her for a great choice. Though it was a little pricey at \u20ac70 per person for two nights, the 8 of us traveling together had our own private room, giving us our own bathroom and shower and also the comfort and safety that comes from knowing everyone sleeping in your room with you. The hostel’s location was also great, and it was attached to a night club, bar, and restaurant that we had good discounts on, such as 25% off the food and free breakfast service. Staying in the middle of the night life area also saved us money on transportation back home at the end of the night. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n