@georgina I’m fairly sure that you can tap your cc on transit in Amsterdam (I had to do it to get from one side of Centraal to the other, but n/c since I didn’t use a train). I don’t know the cost of each journey, but if you buy day tickets it may save you money. I paid 26 Euros for a 4 day pass good for trams and subways within the city — gets me wherever I need to go.
LOVE the College Hotel. They assigned me a super quiet room with shower only, just as requested. Staff is very nice and it seems nicer than the Sir Albert where I stayed last year, which is odd since it is a fair bit less expensive. It’s a bit further walk to the subway station, but I like walking, so it doesn’t bother me at all; there is a tram stop right in front of the hotel. Since it is a Marriott Autograph collection hotel I get free breakfast as a platinum, which is great. Also my room has individual climate control, so I set it as low as it can go. This may seem like a small thing but it’s the first hotel on the trip where I can set the temp!
I didn’t have plans today, so unpacked and headed to the 9 Streets area to wander around. Had an amazing dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant just outside of Centraal. While eating I saw what looked like swings on top of a building, so asked and turns out it is a lookout tower with swings on top. Enough for me — I took the free ferry over to the other side, walked to the tower, purchased a ticket to get up and another for the swing and off I went! There was a long line to get tickets for the tower and the swing tickets were originally sold out, but as I was approaching the desk to pay, 15 spots opened up, so I was able to get on after all! I am not a huge fan of swings, but it seemed like it was meant to be (and I do love adrenaline!)! It was fun, but since the motion of swings makes me nauseous it’s probably something that I wouldn’t do again. I do highly recommend this, but probably best to book in advance as the swing tickets do sell out!
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