Lost in Amsterdam – literally lost!

I thought Amsterdam would be a soft little pause on the way back to Manchester, the kind where you stroll around, take a few photos and convince yourself you’ve got life under control. But actually, it wasn’t >.<

I arrived in Amsterdam with no SIM card, no internet, and a phone that kept switching itself on and off like it was having an identity crisis. I tried to act normal at first, just walking with purpose as if I knew exactly where I was going, but when you don’t have Google Maps, every street starts to look like a quiet trap. :-<

However, I still decided to make the most of it and try something local so I went for that famous Dutch fish first, Haring. I stood there holding it, slightly confused about the correct way to eat it and even more confused about why I had chosen this moment to be adventurous. I took a bite, paused and thought that this was not for me definitely.

Feeling quite proud of myself for at least doing something cultural (T^T), I made my way to the Van Gogh Museum. Then I realised tickets had to be booked online, which I obviously hadn’t done, and with no internet, I just stood there thinking… right, this is the end…

But not really! As an experienced explorer, I ended up going into a coffee shop, charging my phone, using their WiFi and texting a friend asking her to help me book the ticket. After all that, I did manage to get in, which honestly felt like a small but very hard-earned victory.

Once I was inside, everything slowed down a bit. Seeing the paintings in real life felt very different from just looking at them online. There was something quite raw about them, like you could actually feel how much of himself Vincent van Gogh had put into the work.

Walking through the museum, I kept thinking about his life. He spent years creating art that almost no one paid attention to, sold barely anything, struggled deeply, and still carried on because he believed in it. There was no audience waiting for him, no system rewarding consistency, no feedback telling him he was doing well.

And somehow, standing there, it made my situation feel a bit smaller. I had been struggling to function for one day without internet, while he managed to keep going for years without recognition.

There was a moment when I was sitting alone with a large portion of fries, and I realised I couldn’t even finish them, which, to be honest, was quite humbling. First solo trip and I already failed at fries. Not a great start!

I think I had imagined myself as one of those people who travels alone effortlessly, orders food confidently, finishes everything, maybe even journals about it. Instead, I was just sitting there, slightly confused, full after five bites, wondering what exactly I was doing.

It turns out travelling alone is not as smooth as it looks online. It’s more like walking in random directions, asking strangers basic questions, pretending you know things when you don’t, and hoping for the best. But somehow, that still gets you through the day.

Looking back, it was chaotic and a bit all over the place, but it worked in its own way. That said, next time I’ll probably plan things a bit better and not squeeze it into an already chaotic week like I did this time.