This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam thanks to the Art History Department Travel Research Grant I received last semester. I received this grant so I could begin my research for my senior honors thesis in the Art History major, which I plan to do on Vincent Van Gogh. My plan was to spend two days in the city, and one day in a town about an hour east of Amsterdam to visit the second-largest collection of Van Gogh’s art, the Kroller Muller. I had never traveled alone before, let alone to a different country, but I was super excited for this new adventure. I hit a couple roadblocks along the way- the Kroller Muller was closed on the day I had set aside to spend there, so I wasted around 40 euros on a non-refundable train ticket. This discouraged me a little, but I felt relieved knowing I would have more time in the city of Amsterdam to explore and feel more comfortable. Traveling there from Rome was easier than I had expected it to be! However, as soon as I arrived in Amsterdam, I almost got hit by a bus walking out of the train station. This definitely made me nervous for the next three days I would be spending alone. However, the experience completely blew away all expectations I had. The city was so easy to navigate, the weather was beautiful (if not a little colder than I had expected) and the locals were so kind! I found myself accidentally saying Ciao every now and then, but I was happy to be able to speak English and be completely understood by everyone. I spent a long morning at the Van Gogh Museum in the Museum Quarter, and it was the most magical morning of my life. Being surrounded by over 500 of his paintings and 200 of his drawings was overwhelming, but I was enveloped by gratitude and wonder. I took a walking tour the next day that was recommended to me by a friend of mine, and it was really interesting to learn about the Red Light District and the history of the city. Amsterdam is a wonderful place, and I am so glad I had the chance to visit. By the end of my trip, I found myself missing Rome, which I was not expecting. I have found such a home on the Aventine Hill that even being away from it for a couple of days felt weird. This feeling reminds me of the quote from Winnie The Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
