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Amsterdam. The City of Sin. Europe’s answer to The Meadows of Nevada. A place where one is encouraged to give in to temptation and take a leap into the unknown. Our flight skidded into Schiphol airport, landing with a last-minute lurch and some stomach sinking weightlessness. Seven of us were on a connecting flight from Bilbao, Spain. We’d spent the last few days up a mountain at BBK festival. A piece of information only necessary to understand the state we were in. A sight to see and a smell to be sat next to, be that on bus or plane. Regardless, we had made it and were grateful to check in to the Hostel. Even if that was just to have a shower. There was an itinerary for the next couple of days, including: The Heineken Experience, Anne Frank’s house and the Pllek outdoor cinema. However, the first thing on today’s agenda, was to go straight to a coffee shop. I had a cappuccinonly joking, we bought the strongest marijuana money could buy. Heading upstairs, we sat in the patio area of the Bulldog and smoked some of the recently purchased pre-rolls. Yet, hunger soon got the better of us and we left to find some food. There was plenty to choose from, with restaurants seeming to stretch for miles on end. Most were ludicrously expensive and human interaction felt remarkably difficult. Fortunately, we found an interesting take on a fast food chain called a FEBO. For a couple of Euros, you could buy burgers, chips and an array of local delicacies. All without talking to a single person, ideal. Some personal favourites were the Satekroket, Kasssoufflé and Bami. Our hunger satisfied, we set out to explore. After ambling along a previously unexplored canal system, we wandered down a side street and found a Smart Shop. This semi-mystical place, selling an array of psychedelic products. Walking in, we looked around with illicit interest at the multi coloured bongs and strange sounding products. We bought some appropriately magical sounding Philosophers Stones and Dragon Slayer truffles. After listening carefully to the man behind the counter’s advice, we headed back to the hostel. They looked weird but tasted worse; gnarled and nutty, with a horribly bitter after taste. We lay in our bunk beds, both parts anxious and excited, waiting to feel the effects. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, still nothing. Then, I heard giggling. My palms started to sweat and an unknown sensation overcame me. The wallpaper patterns began to move, my bed’s iron bar’s felt considerably cold to the touch and I had the unusual urge to feel my friend’s faces. We sat staring out of the window, watching the clouds float by. It became apparent that there was a need to be in nature. So, tearing ourselves away from the television in the wall, we made our way to Vondelpark. With wide eyes we stepped out onto the streets of Amsterdam. Bouncing along, feeling as light and fluffy as the clouds we’d been surveying, we stuck together. Our laughter gave us away but nobody seemed to mind. For a while, we got lost in a Ben and Jerry’s sign and everyone agreed we belonged in that fantastical land. Here, trams hurtled towards us, threatening to run us down if we stepped in their path. Monstrous cleaning machines growled as they thundered by, sending us spinning, sweeping us off of our feet. With crowds of people all around us, the brightly coloured ice cream shop world seemed all the more appealing. Confused and a little afraid, we followed google maps to the peaceful park it promised. We were not disappointed… The sun was setting, painting the sky pink. Sitting by a stream, observing the ripples in the water, I felt serene. Reflections created by lamps danced across the lake, sending shards of light shooting out in every direction. I was in awe. I felt the grass beneath me, soft and spongy. Lying down, I stared up at the sky in profound appreciation of nature’s beauty. Thoughts whirled through my brain, philosophical questions about existence and the meaning of life. One thing I knew for certain, today had been a wonderful day.