Day 1

- Arrived at Gatwick Airport at 2 in the morning. It was a long night of traveling from Stoke to London by train before heading to the airport by another express train. Waited for our flight which would depart at 6 in the morning. Couldn't sleep at all in this airport - there weren't enough chairs or sockets to charge my phone. How inconvenient. Met up with Charlotte & Rachael before boarding our flight. Flight to Amsterdam was alright, a bit short though - tried to nap for a bit before hearing the announcement that we would be landing. Brilliant.

Arrived in Amsterdam & took the train to Central Station. Decided to store our backpacks at the station's locker while we waited to check in to our hostel. Had a bit of a walk around the Dam Square. Went for lunch at Hema (an IKEA-ish looking chain store) that sold cheap pastries. Bought the last 2 apple pies & enjoyed my first meal in Amsterdam. Checked in to the hostel at half 2 & then went out to find one of those pedal boats to explore Amsterdam by water. Pretty fun though - the girls did most of the pedaling. Returned to the hostel & had a nap after that. Knackered from all the traveling the previous night. It started raining as we left the hostel. A bit annoying though.

Decided to head to this restaurant that was recommended by the guy at the hostel - only to find out that you needed a reservation to eat there! All that walking for 30 minutes ended up in vain. Thinking positively, I suggested to have Surinamese/Indonesian food for dinner. Another 30 minute walk back to the Dam Square & we were seated in this pretty cool restaurant filled with people (mostly backpackers) - a good sign! Had fried rice with pork & chicken - cheap & good food! Went back to the hostel after that & decided to call it a night. A tiring day but it's been a great start for this trip.

Day 2

- Woke up at 9 in the morning & went to Hema to fill our stomachs. Breakfast for only €1 - what more can you ask for. Stuffed myself with lots of pastries before starting the day. Bought tickets for the Van Gogh Museum after that. Found out that the Ajax Experience tour was suspended & do not run anymore. What a shame. Thought of doing it this time round on my 2nd visit to Amsterdam.

Took the tram to the museum. The museum was situated near the famous 'I Amsterdam' sign. Never been a big fan of art but I've got to admit that the exhibition in the museum was pretty cool. Modern & traditional art, not too bad. Made our way to Vondelpark after that. Spent a few hours chilling in the park. Decided to have an ice cream to cool off the the summer heat. On the way back to the hostel, decided to have some 'herring'. Been craving for this since the last time I had it. Raw fish with pickles & onions - best thing ever. Went to H&M after that & somehow ended up with a pair of new shorts & 2 T-shirts. Interesting. Dinner for the night was Indonesian food. Been craving for this for months. Had rendang & rice - finally proper good food. And not too forget a local beer to go with the meal. Went back to the hostel to chill for a bit before heading out to the Red Light District for a walk. Stopped by for another beer at one of the cafes by the canal. Beer was expensive because it was a touristic area. Oh well. Great day in general.

Day 3

- Woke up at 8 in the morning & had a panini for breakfast by the canal. Checked out from the hostel after that & made our way to Central Station to store our backpacks. Since we had half the day to spare before catching the train to Berlin in the evening, we decided to do something different. Bought bus tickets for a half day trip to Volendam & Edam.

Explored the small town of Volendam for a bit. Nothing much to do here except randomly walk around. Managed to eat some local Herring as this town was famous for it's fresh seafood. Satisfied. Moved on to Edam after that. Walked around & snapped some pictures of canals & random houses. Decided to head back to Amsterdam to catch our train to Berlin. With a bit of time to spare, I went to buy myself a new pair of flip flops as my old pair came apart. Made it back to the station with 10 minutes to spare before our train left.

The journey was rather torturous to be honest. The AC in the cabins did not work properly & it was proper hot. Sauna hot. Half way through the journey, the train stopped in this station called 'Bad'. Found the name rather amusing. Been made aware that I was in Germany & the train were delayed because of engine 'issues'. Saw a few police cars around & wasn't totally convinced that it was engine issues. The trains eventually got going in the direction of Hannover. Had to change trains there to get to Berlin. Caught the ICE express train, the journey was extremely pleasant with lots of AC in the cabins. Could almost sleep there. Arrived at Berlin around half past midnight & had to take the metro to our hostel which was beside the station. Not too bad. Slept well that night despite the typical german-styled windows that could not open fully causing the room to be like a sauna.