First of all, no I didn’t wake up with a hangover. There, got that out of the way. Phew. So, my first full day in Amsterdam was spent navigating around the remnants of the previous night’s fireworks. Okay, maybe I’m overselling things, but there was a lot of litter on the streets. Given that most things were closed for the day, the goal was primarily to explore and get a better grasp of the city. I set out to go skating in front of the Rijksmuseum; it was one of my top priorities when preparing for this trip. However, a strategic quirk got in my way, and by that, I mean the Heineken Experience was on the way to the rink. As I had also wanted to go to it (it’s basically a behind-the-scenes look at the brewing process replete with free tasting) and there was no line at all, I succumbed to temptation and stopped by. (My decision to stop by was proven to have wise, as when I was walking by later on, the lines stretched around the block.) When you walked in the exhibition, you saw a lot of information about the history of Heineken, especially with the logos and bottles. While this may sound tedious, it really was standard fare as far as breweries go. The fun was just getting started, however, as our entire group got to partake in an interactive display which kicked off the better second half. This display in question consisted of us watching a video talking about the beer while having special effects simulating being in the vats. From there, we go to sample freshly poured beer directly from the vats! Already, that justified the price of admission! On the way to the last part, we stopped by some fun interactive displays, which enabled us to be goofy and feel like rock stars. Prior to entering this Experience, we were given wristbands with two tokens on it. We were able to redeem them for more freshly tapped beer, which made for a solid afternoon!

After that, I did manage to go skating. The rink wasn’t as big as the ones in Moscow, but that was to be expected in all honesty. At at rate, I had a blast and it was very therapeutic to be back on the ice! Given how the rink was smack dab in the middle of the museums, there was a gorgeous background for everybody! After I left, all I did for the rest of the day was to relax and explore some more. All in all, it was a fantastic first full day in an incredible city!