ANNE, TRAMS AND AMSTERDAM

By the end of summer, I was feeling increasingly suffocated by the house and, taking pity on me, for my AS results/17th birthday(/good luck surviving A-Levels) present, my parents packed me and H off to a city break in Amsterdam. I realise that it has a slightly questionable rep but we went for the history, the museums and nothing illegal, honestly.

The Anne Frank Huis has been on my bucket list for years so, after settling into the hotel and getting a steak the first night, we woke early on our first day to queue. We got a little confused by the grey maze of roads but the architecture along the canal was so pretty it softened the trek and we reached the museum by 9.30am. The line length was a little disheartening but we picked up a bacon sandwich and coffee from a bakery down the street and ate breakfast whilst waiting (which I fully recommend, but remember to check the fine print and see if they put sauce on it if you're a plain bacon kinda person like me). We also met and chatted to a friendly Canadian girl called Chloe who was travelling around Europe, so the 2 hour wait went quickly. Unfortunately there was not a great deal to see inside the house and the queue continued all the way through until the gift shop and exit. However, the museum is an incredible reminder of those lost, and the pictures Anne Frank stuck on her bedroom wall of famous people, just like any teenager does today, showed how innocent and relatable she is. I think it was well worth the wait.

Our next trip was to the Rijksmuseum which holds a famous Rembrandt our mother told us we had to see but H and I found to be, frankly, overrated. Although it was partly blocked by a crowd of onlookers. While looking for the current exhibition, New For Now: The origin of fashion magazines, we found a room of benches scattered with pencils and pens and famous copies of paintings. The wall was covered in postcard-sized interpretations of works in the museum, and H and I decided to rest our feet for half an hour and have a go. After a few trips around the museum and some confused map reading we finally found the exhibition and wandered around, reading the walls and taking pictures (the trip's highlight for both me and Hatts). The pit of my day was missing the Van Gogh earlier on in the Rijks because I wasn't paying attention when we walked through that room. I missed it. Who does that? We didn't have enough time to visit the Van Gogh Museum after either so I was very, very annoyed at myself. But H suggested that we go to the waffle shed in the square across the road and, with a chocolate muffin, all was forgiven.

The next day was SHOPPING. So after some crazy good crepes for breakfast, we walked the few feet it took to reach H&M. H bought a 'garm' (cape/blanket thing) and I got a navy fine-knit jumper for college (well, and general life). The peak of the day was visiting Brandy Melville which, as we were informed by Chloe, was in Amsterdam and we would love. A white shirt, white tee and black t-shirt dress later, I was leaving very happy that I was not in England, where there is no Brandy Melville, as far as I am aware. Taking a tram up to Dam Square for a little more shopping before our train to the airport, I felt very proud that we had managed to navigate the confusing transportation system of Amsterdam. There we had lunch at De Bijenkorf (similar to our Selfridge's/Harvey Nichols) and scoured Pull and Bear, Urban Outfitters, Mango, Forever 21, Pimkie, etc, etc. Let's just say it was a successful trip. And even more successful because I managed to fit it all in my hand luggage (after removing a few items to wear/sweat in in the airport).

The guy at passport control saw my D.O.B. and said "have a good birthday tomorrow" and I was so excited I said "DANK YOU" and skipped off. It was an amazing birthday because Amsterdam was amazing and it was freaking amazing that neither my sister nor I was hit by a car/tram/bicycle while we were there. Forget amazing, it was a miracle.

Check out my vlog of the trip on YouTube:

FRAMES, TRAINS AND NETFLIX FEELS

After exams, I was straight off to see H in Exeter, who was at university, as I’d decided to make the most of the opportunity to visit for a few days before she moves to Spain for a year. The weather was amazing, compared to the northern gale I’m used to, and for the first time this year I had the chance to wear my oversized, navy frame Mango sunglasses. Despite the sun, we spent my first afternoon chilling in the Lush Brazened Honey face mask with takeaway pizza and 30 Rock as Hatts was recovering from a sudden flu. After 2 seasons in 4 days, I may be turning into Liz Lemon. But as I like a night in under the duvet, that was possibly my favourite night.

Lush face masks are lush

Well-rested, the next day consisted of brunch with Teagan, H’s friend from uni, at Bill’s (my new favourite place to eat) and shopping. We went into Exeter Cathedral, which had been on my to-do list and visited Vintage Store Exeter, a treasure trove of prints and sequins. I bought a light tea dress, which I expect will be great for summer if this sun continues, and I found a thick, red and white striped t-shirt to introduce some variety to my wardrobe which is primarily navy and white stripe. Let's just say I’m having a moment with stripes. After having watched Pitch Perfect the night before, we saw the sequel at the cinema and I must confess to eating an entire bag of mint matchmakers myself. But any chocolate that says ‘SHARE PACK’ is simply asking to be proved wrong.

Bill's blueberry pancakes with bacon, maple stuff and all that fun fruit

Exeter Cathedral

The next day we caught the train to Topsham where we scoured the charity shops, gift shops and antique store, resulting in a £5.50 denim jacket, a book on modernism and a birthday card for my best friend whose birthday was 3 months away. Once back at H’s I threw on the red and white vintage dress and we went for dinner at Carluccio’s. I don’t know how we do it, but we always seem to find ourselves there with a bowl of pasta, in a long discussion over which pudding to go for. After a tense debate over the bread and butter pudding and salted caramel sundae, I caved in to my wild side and chose the special. I didn’t have my glasses so I couldn’t read the specials board. Luckily, it was a hazelnut ice cream with a molten chocolate core. It’s also lucky that I’m not allergic to nuts.





Quay Antiques Centre, Topsham



I left H on the train platform on the Thursday, because college was starting the next day, and waved as the train drew away. It wasn't an overly emotional departure as we were reuniting the next week after Bristol University open day to bring her back to Yorkshire. I love having her home; it’s just like having another of myself around the house, and who wouldn’t want that? We are frequently having the same thoughts at the same moments but it hasn’t become annoying yet. We'll see how it goes...

The button-down dress from Vintage Store Exeter

L