Amsterdam sights to see for a geek like me.

Last week marked the end of my penultimate week as a Winchester student. I would say it was a somber occasion and I savored every moment. Unfortunately, I can't due to the amount of work that needed to be done. Instead my days were spent buried beneath work consisting of criminal law, Intellectual Property and Teaching; sounds thrilling right?

In the end what got me through the mountains of work was the thought that soon I would have four weeks of holiday. Time that I will spend half relaxing and half maintaining a level of work so that I don't fall behind.

However from tomorrow I have allowed myself one straight week without any thought to work. Possibly because I will be far removed from my laptop, literally, as I will be in Amsterdam. Whilst I am sure I will feel some immense work guilt, I will just have to console myself with some of the city's greatest (or nerdiest) sights.

Image from Thierry on Flikr

Here is what I hope to be able to visit.

1. Nerdy shops.
   It would seem like Amsterdam has quite a few nerdy and retro shops. So of course I am more than interested. Two I am especially interested in are Game Over and Go Joker comics. The first for retro video games at some reasonable prices (I hope). And the second because they sell comics under the name of one of my favourite characters. Both are on my hit list.


2. The Canals.
   I may be a nerd, but I do appreciate natural beauty. There is nothing I like more than water. Couple this with the fact that the canals are one of the first things people mention when you say Amsterdam (apart from that other thing), ensures I am pretty hyped for them. With any luck we will be taking a canal cruise during our stay. It may be a bit too cold for the traditional bike ride along the side however.


3. The food.
   How does a plate full of small pancakes covered in icing sugar, that you smother in butter sound? What about deep fried caked dough? Add in chocolate sprinkle sandwiches and you can see why I am excited for the food.


4. Anne Frank's House.
   It may sound cliched, but a stop here is definitely on my list. Out of respect, if nothing else. I did try to read Anne Frank's diary once and couldn't really get on with it. I have a love of history, however, so will take this chance to respect the darker times of history.


5. The Architecture.
   I am not a massive fan of buildings. Yet even I can't help admitting that there is something picturesque about the pictures I have seen of the buildings on the waterfront. Also it never hurts to have a change of scenery.

Image from Amsterdam.info

So, there you have it five reasons I am looking forward to my adventure in Amsterdam. I bet it wasn't quite what you expected a student to be looking forward to in a city with its certain reputation.