Mid-semester break – part one

I took the opportunity to travel around a few countries in northwestern Europe during my mid-semester break. I began the week by spending an evening in Hamburg, which is just about three hours away from Berlin by bus. Most of my time there was spent just wandering around the city. I find that I enjoy spending a few hours in any new city without any specific plans, as you get a better feel for the environment when you take time to experience the city by foot. I was only in Hamburg for a few hours before catching another bus to Amsterdam, which being the cheapest option happened to take place overnight. I arrived in Amsterdam at 5:30 AM, and I walked around in the dark for almost three hours before the sun eventually rose around 8:15 AM. I spent the rest of that day walking around Amsterdam exploring the city with one of my friends. We ended up walking almost 15 miles that day, but the beautiful sites we saw were definitely worth it.