Amsterdam. The city of bikes, of crooked buildings, of beautiful canals. A weekend was all it took for me to fall in love with this charming city.

After a very long journey involving a bus, then a ferry, then another bus, the sleepy Oxford Brookes ESN (Erasmus Student Network) students blinked open their eyes to catch their first views of Amsterdam as the rising sun kissed the city. It was very early, but we were all keen to start the weekend.

We left our bags at the hostel and headed out to explore. In a bid to beat the lines, we headed straight for the Anne Frank House. We got there early, but a few of us realised our stomachs were complaining, so decided to go grab some delicious Dutch pancakes first (which are more like crepes).

Though by the time we finished eating and reached the Anne Frank House, the wait was a little longer, Elisa and I still decided to brave the queue. The line actually wasn’t too bad and we were inside in about an hour. It was strange being in there – it made everything feel that bit more real. You could really picture the conditions they were forced to live in. But I don’t think I can ever truly understand what it would have been like, the constant fear. I’ve never known anything but safety.

After taking in as much as we could, we stepped back out onto the beautiful streets of Amsterdam. We met up with some more friends at the Iamsterdam sign and continued to explore the crooked houses, endless canals and quirky cafes – all the while dodging the million bicycles cruising around the city. We had lunch at a cute place by the water recommended by a friend, before making our way back to the hostel. Where did the day go?

Once there, we got ready for the first ESN event – a boat cruise up the Amstel. To be honest, the boat party was nothing to rave over. The drinks were hella expensive and the only food was hotdogs out of a can. Mmm delicious… But we still had a good time dancing and marvelling at the views of Amsterdam from the Amstel.

The gross hotdog didn’t quite cut it for anyone, so on the way home we treated ourselves with a Dutch staple – chips and mayonnaise. I don’t know what they do to that mayonnaise, but it tasted like magic in my mouth. And they weren’t skimpy on the chips either – yum. With full bellies, we headed home to bed, preparing for another full day in Amsterdam.

The next day was spent again wondering the streets, appreciating the beautiful architecture and absorbing the atmosphere of the city. We intended to go to the Vincent van Gogh museum but the line was absolutely ridiculous! Plus, the sun was out and the sky was blue – how could we justify being cooped up inside? So we went for a wonder  around the flower markets and ended up buying some cheese and bread to enjoy in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark – an absolutely stunning space right in the centre of the city.

Of course, we did the obligatory visit to a coffeeshop. I’ll just say visiting a photography museum after eating a brownie is a strange (but fun) experience…

Exhausted by the two full days of walking, exploring what Amsterdam has to offer, we all crashed in bed by 10pm – we knew the journey home the next day would be long. It was broken up, however, by a stop in a Belgian Chocolate Factory. I felt like a kid in a candy store, which I guess I was, really. Anyway, a lot of chocolate was bought and made for some happy faces.

We finally got home at 11pm – the memory of a great weekend in our heads and (for me at least) the dread of a 9am lecture surfacing. The time had gone too quickly! Amsterdam, I will be back.