Our Amsterdam Holidays

Day 1 Day 2

Day 3 – The Final Day.

So the final day starts, it seems to have come around super quick. We’ve come to the final 18 hours of our holiday in Amsterdam. What to do, well first of all we had to check out of the hotel by 11am. So we packed up and shipped out. Luckily the Di Ann have a luggage room so we stored our cases and bags there until later on in the afternoon.

As it was the morning we needed food, and something to keep us going throughout the day. The first obvious choice was a slice of Pizza at around 10am. 10am is a great time to eat Amsterdam pizza. We also needed to pop into the Pharmacy to pick up a couple of things as we’d left what we needed at home on the dressing table (Not a bright move). As the Pharmacy was directly opposite pizza slices, we didn’t have to travel very far at all.

After finishing up in the Pharmacy, we headed out for some souvenir shopping. Ade and Jim picked up bits and bobs for people back at home. While me and Vix did the same. We hunted out the shops on Damrak as we knew they’d have the best choice of souvenirs, they do after all have thousands of tourists passing them everyday.

What happened next i didn’t expect.

We were in one of the shops that was on a corner. Jim was buying a cup for someone back home and i was just checking out the grinders and other things. Next thing, one of the guys that worked there grabbed me and accused me of shoplifting!

I was kinda shocked and surprised as i was just waiting for a mate who was spending money in this shop, yet here i was getting accused of stealing. He asked if i had anything, to which i replied no, the look on his face said he didn’t believe me and he decided he was going to check my pockets.

Now i hate anybody going in my pockets so i just pulled everything out and slammed it on the counter. He still had the look of “i don’t believe you” So i asked if he wanted me to take my coat off so he could search it thoroughly. Surprisingly he didn’t, he wanted to pat down my coat though just to make sure. Soon after we left the shop we noticed many other tourists did the same, no one likes to be accused of something they didn’t do.

From here we went back to Kadinsky’s as i was a bit angry and miffed by the stop and search routine in a shop where at least two out of four of us were spending our money. Instead of choosing the coffee shop, we went to the Kadinsky cafe which is directly opposite the coffee shop. We ordered a couple of drinks and sat to enjoy a smoke before heading back to Central Station and the Ferry.

I must say that i prefer the Kadinsky cafe to the coffeeshop. It’s more spacious and comfortable, and the staff that served us in there was super friendly, unlike the coffeeshop where we got the impression they wanted their seats back.

At about 2 pm we headed back for our bags from the hotel and dropped by Dam Square to say a final goodbye to the centre of Amsterdam. After we grabbed our luggage, it was up Herengracht towards Central station. Knowing we still had a couple of hours left to kill, me and Vix went for a look around a few of the adult shops and picked up a couple of items. While the others spent a few moments window shopping.

After this brief stop it as up to the Dampkring on Haarlemmerstraat. This is a funky style coffee shop split over 3 floors.

The Dampkring only really had one rule that the others didn’t have, no caps. As a great lover of my cap, i whipped it right off without really complaining. Vix and our friends seemed amazed i had willingly taken my cap off. (I’ve left pubs and bars in England before because of this rule, but for the Dampkring, sure thing )

Ordered drinks as usual and finished up smoking what we had left. The final coffee shop we visited and it was the Dampkring, it made me happy and sad at the same time. As i knew i wouldn’t be visiting here again for quite some time.

So then its to the Central Station meeting point by the Lovers cruises office. To be honest finding it wasn’t hard, but waiting in a queue that took 14 coaches to clear wasn’t the most fun i’d had in Amsterdam :p .

Our coach arrived, we boarded it first, and waved goodbye to Amsterdam. It could well be a while until we visit again. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

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