My body feels like it’s on fire. It’s like the sun shot a fiery ray of intolerable heat into me. My skin is slick with sweat and I feel as if I could die. My mind begins to melt and I start to become delirious from the intense passion of the sun. I never knew Paris could get this hot. The hot Parisian summer weather reminds me of yesterday’s hot Amsterdam day trip. However, yesterday’s weather in Amsterdam was much more tolerable than in Paris. 

Yesterday, I started the day off in the middle of the street in the 7th arrondissement. The day has already started and I haven’t even gone to bed yet. Moments of drunken laughter and banter replayed in my head as I skipped through the streets of Paris. My friends and I met up for a picnic dinner in front of the Eiffel Tower the night prior. We ended up enjoying her presence all through the night. 

It was nearly 1 AM when I arrived back in my hotel room. My friend Ethan washed up in the bathroom as I sat on my bed and looked out the window. The view wasn’t anything crazy; just a small Parisian neighborhood with a playground. But still, there was something so nostalgic about it. Maybe it was the playground. Little me would’ve never thought that she’d study abroad in another country. To have the opportunity and privilege to be able to study abroad in another country is a life-altering experience that can only be understood when you’ve experienced it yourself. 

The last thing I saw before falling asleep was a streetlight facing the night sky. I was awoken by the loud blaring sound of my alarm. It was 4 AM. I immediately shut off my alarm and stayed in bed. I had gotten less than two hours of sleep. Nevertheless, I pulled myself out of bed and got ready. The sun was still in bed. 

The train to Amsterdam leaves at 8 AM. However, Ethan and I decided that arriving earlier would be good as it leaves us enough time to go through border control and TSA. So we woke up at the crack of dawn and snuck out while the sun was still asleep. We took line 4 on the metro and enjoyed the quiet peaceful environment of the metro before it got swarmed with the 8 AM rush hour of people heading to work. 

My feet and legs were sore and aching from all the walking from the day before. The muscles in my calves tensed and relaxed as I stretched my legs across the empty seat in front of me, trying to give my legs some sort of comfort and ease. I wondered how different or similar Amsterdam would be from Paris? 

We reached Gare du Nord and the peaceful atmosphere suddenly shifted into a lively chaotic energy. People dragged their suitcases as they rushed to their trains. Ethan and I arrived hours earlier than our scheduled departure. It was here that we realized that we would not have to go through border control and TSA. We had woken up early for nothing…

Nevertheless, the excitement of going outside of Paris gave us more than enough energy to be able to wait for our turn to board the train. On the train, the seats were a bright red. They were velvety to the touch and hugged my body in a nice yet uncomfortable way. The windows were wide and stretched over multiple seats at a time. As we rode, the view changed from a dull gloomy concrete station to an open vast field of green grass and trees. Herds of cows grazed in those fields. Their fur colors and patterns varied. From white to brown to black, the cows looked like an assorted mix of chocolates. 

The sleep deprivation finally caught onto us and for the majority of the ride, we tried our best to make ourselves comfortable in those train seats. The head rest just barely wrapped around my head, causing me to sleep in a strange angle and waking up with and soreness in my neck. But I ignored the pain in my neck as I realized we had made it to Amsterdam. 

From the moment my foot touched the ground of the Amsterdam station, it was very obvious that we were no longer in Paris. As we walked out the station, the streets were packed with bikers and trolleys. It almost looked like the bikers and trolleys were competing to see who had the right of way. Bicycles sped up and swerved around corners and pedestrians. It was just as chaotic as Paris, I would even argue that it was more dangerous considering the bikers loved to sneak up on you and barely miss you by a split second. 

The streets were much more narrow and the houses were more vertical and rectangular compared to Paris. Amsterdam was like the city of flowers and all things botanical. Every house had potted plants and a main flower bush. The type of flower varied from building to building. The flowers ranged from typical roses and peonies to vibrant tropical hibiscus-like flowers. The edges of the canal were decorated with parked bicycles, plants and flowers, and cars that gathered cobwebs from being idle. 

Unlike Paris, it was common in Amsterdam for plants and vines to grow on buildings. Every neighborhood looked like a scene from a Studio Ghibli movie. There were boats parked along the sides of the canal. Walking through the streets felt whimsical and unreal, until a biker rides past you and nearly runs you over. 

Ethan and I walked to the nearest cafe to let ourselves have a moment to process that we are literally in the Netherlands right now. I got myself an almond and pistachio croissant and we continued our way through Amsterdam. 

We were here to meet up with one of Ethan’s cousins who lived in Amsterdam. But along the way, we stopped to sit by the edge of the canal to enjoy our croissants. While snacking, we were visited by a couple of ducks and their little duckling. It was like they instinctively knew they would be given some food so they brought their child with them. So I shared a croissant with them. We both enjoyed the croissant, they may have enjoyed it more than I have. 

These ducks were not the typical gray ducks with green or purple neck markings that I see back home. They were black with a white beak. They looked like someone had rubbed charcoal on them until there wasn’t any color left other than black. The dark contrasting black made their white beaks glow in the water. 

Ethan and I said bye to the duck family and began to head our way towards Ethan’s cousin’s apartment; Dylan was his name. As we walked, the sun’s rays got stronger and the heat from nonstop walking became unbearable. We arrived at Dylan’s doorstep exhausted and soaked with sweat. 

The three of us enjoyed a cup of coffee while Ethan and Dylan caught up. Dylan recommended some museums and other places for us to explore while me and Ethan caught our breaths. After, we said our goodbyes and then we were off to explore the city of Amsterdam. 

Ethan and I wandered through the streets. We had no specific destination in mind. We only had a day in Amsterdam and we just wanted to take in the scenery. We walked through a flower market and a shopping center. We got some stroop waffles and continued our walk through the bike-filled streets. Soon enough, the day was coming to an end. 

We didn’t do much in Amsterdam. However, the scenery of Amsterdam itself was enough for us to enjoy the trip. The atmosphere and architecture was nothing like Paris. The people give you a nice smile when you walk past. Much different from the Parisians that don’t even bother to look at you while walking past you. Some may say that the Mona Lisa smiles more than the average Parisian. Amsterdam and Paris are two different cities but both are unique and incredible in their own way.