Amsterdam was our last stop before finishing in London to reunite with my sister for Christmas. By this point, we were knackered and didn’t have much motivation for sightseeing. But, we did meet some cool people at the hostel to hang out with. We also went to an awesome museum called Ripley's ‘Believe it or Not’. The museum is located in a multiple cities and holds some of the most bizarre people and crazy objects from all over the world. This is probably one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to. I loved that it was interactive. Definitely check it out if you are near one!
Aside from that, we didn’t do much else in Amsterdam, just hung out with some cool friends we made. However, on the morning we were leaving we headed to get some Dutch pancakes one last time. Our friend Rema was meeting us there after she checked out so I left the shop for a second to help her find the cafe. When I re-entered, Brodi was behind the grill cooking our pancakes! Unsure what was going on, I just videoed her while the chef was teaching her how to cook the pancakes. Afterwards, she was a bit gobsmacked but it looked like lots of fun.
When we arrived at the train station we made our way straight to our gate. No one to be seen which we thought was odd. Then we were informed by a security guard that the gate was already closed. I dashed to the other side of the platform and it turned out we needed to be there 30 minutes beforehand for passport control into London. This was not communicated to us at any point and we didn’t know any better because on every other train we had gotten, we were too early. My immediate reaction was panic and I persisted with the guard to let us through. He told us he would let us through when the train left. After around 15 minutes I was let through and I desperately asked someone if we could get the next train. The Eurostar employee told us we would have no chance of getting to London that night because every train was sold out. That's when the tears started.
I couldn’t believe that the one train we couldn’t be late for is the one we missed! My next idea was to go to Brussels (which was a short train ride away) and hopefully get a train from there. During the ride, I found some first-class tickets from Brussels at 9 pm, priced at £588 (for anyone who wants to know that's about 1000 AUD). They had free cancellation so I brought them and hoped when we got to Brussels we could get some earlier (and cheaper) tickets. Unfortunately, getting a ticket to London that night was like winning the golden ticket (mind you it was five days before Christmas). We ended up sticking with the first-class seats so we could get to London as soon as possible. To my disgust, the train wasn’t busy at all, but it was supposedly “sold out”. Oh well! We ended up getting complimentary wine and a three-course meal included, as well as a hot towel to freshen up.
When we finally got to London we ordered an uber straight to the hotel (there were tube strikes that day of course). Brodi filmed me going into the hotel room and captured a cute little moment of me hugging my sister. I was so glad we had finally got there. After all that we decided to head to bed. Katie and Holli were jetlagged and Brodi and I were exhausted from our crazy day. However, none of us could sleep because the heater would not turn down from 28 degrees. After calling reception three times, they finally suggested that we just change rooms (it was 3 am at this point). So we moved and luckily they fixed the heating for us the next morning. So what a day!
The following few days we spent exploring all the typical touristy things like Big Ben, Tower Bridge, etc. We also went to Fitzrovia Chapel and the National Gallery. The Chapel was so adorable and a true hidden gem. The detailing was sensational. It is only open on Wednesdays though so be sure you plan if you want to go. By the way, all museums in London are free! You can book time slots to make it easier for you to get in, otherwise, you can just show up on the day. We just showed up at the British Museum and got straight away. We also dined at some great restaurants including, my personal favourite, a deep-dish pizza restaurant. Our hotel had a pool, spa and sauna which was lovely. So, most days we went down at night to swim and relax.
We all decided that we would spend a day as a ‘sibling day’. So I took Katie to the Camden Market. I have already been there a few times but I love it every time. We spent about five hours there which was crazy, buying some cute knick knacks, getting some delicious food and enjoying some quality time together. When we got back we had time for a swim and even a few hours at an arcade that night.
A few days before Christmas we went to Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. Tom and his sister came down as well. Overall we were thoroughly impressed with the Park. It can be expensive, but entry was cheap (£5), and you can have lots of fun just walking around browsing the market stalls. We splurged and bought a heap of rides, ice skating and even the circus. On a ride called the Waltzers, (basically, you spin really, really fast) Brodi, Holli and Tom went in a separate cart and it was spinning so fast that it lifted off the ride. I saw it happen and their heads were knocked hard onto the headrest from the impact. The ride operator looked worried and said to them “that wasn’t supposed to happen”. They were probably slightly concussed afterwards but overall were fine. We were all a little scared after that though.
Aside from that, we had a fantastic time. The weather also turned it on for us, clear skies most of the day! I also have to say I was impressed with my ice skating skills after the hour we spent on the ice. Later that afternoon Brodi had realised she left her phone in the toilet block. Oh no not again! We scurried around asking people if they had seen anyone hand it in. Panicked, we continued checking the blocks and area but nothing. Finally, we persisted with the security guard in a nearby restaurant tent and he had it. Thank goodness, we were all so relieved.
The days around Christmas were unusual this year. We didn’t have any presents to open but my parents did send a cute little box over with some chocolates and a necklace for both of us from New Zealand. Other than that we spent the days swimming, ordering room service and relaxing. Holli had booked us a five-course meal on Christmas night which was delightful. We even got party hats, crackers and champagne.
As soon as the public holidays were over we were back out exploring again. Another fantastic museum we went to was the natural history museum. This was my personal favourite. It included the history of mammals, gemstones, dinosaurs and even human evolution, right up my alley. Katie preferred the British Museum, filled with art from Van Gogh, Monet and more.
Brodi’s flight back to Australia was at 9 am, and with the increase in travel, the airport wanted travellers there four hours early. So at 4 am, she was off. It was emotional saying goodbye because I had spent every second with her for the last 5-6 weeks, and now I probably won’t see her for months. Later that day Katie and Holli left for their flight and I was off to stay with Tom up North. Another emotional goodbye but we had the best week together and I am so grateful they came.
London was the end of my travels for a little while, what a fantastic end to my trip. 2023 has so much more to bring, stay tuned…
Thank you, love Amy ♡
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