Instead of modern high rise buildings there was an intense history oozing from the Dutch walls.
Instead of continuous car horns and the fast pedestrian crossing sound there was a swift sound of trams and a harsh dutch accent passing by.
I can't say I tasted the traditional dutch food, fried everything with carbs on the side isn't my kind of thing, however I did try a herring with onion and pickle, that was different, I wouldn't say yummy but an experience in itself to try a delicacy.
Amsterdam didn't have a particular smell, however the variety of seeded, organic, wholemeal, not wholemeal, spelt breads had that lovely fresh baked bread aroma which brought a rush of warmth in the crisp air.
I arrived in Amsterdam on Thursday morning and was straight into the office. It was really good to meet everyone from O'neill Europe. I met the whole of the women's design team which was great to go through the new range. Everything with O'neill has been very positive and I'm excited to have a successful year with them by my side.
Friday night was a night out with the girls, dinner then drinks and then on to a club to show the Dutch some Aussie moves. I think I got a good understanding of the way they party, pretty similar to Aus, simply drink, drink, dance, drink some more and then see if you can dance. It was good to sit back and watch it unfold.
Saturday I was taken around the city centre, got lost in the similar looking streets and canals, rummaged through the wacky flea markets, pushed our way through the hoards of spectators cheering the big bike tour, dodged the many pedestrians on our bikes and soaked up the Dutch vibe. It was a long day but we pretty much covered every street and viewed the many statues who stood tall with the silence of their meaning; while I snapped a few shots here and there pretending I had some profound knowledge of the story behind them.
