Working for a week in the Dutch capital gave me time to understand the desires of Bookingpetz and develop ideas for future projects to undergo. I however haven’t had much time to acclimatise myself to the city itself as work consumed most of my time so I used my first weekend to remind myself of what Amsterdam has to offer!
The purposes of this exploration were not only to make find social hotspots and see the sights but also to make contacts. I researched social groups that could be of interest to me and found an ideal one which links to the football team I support: Tottenham Hotspur. The group was called: ‘Amsterdam Spurs Supporters Club’. They are a group of Spurs supporters who live permanently in Amsterdam who come together on match days to watch the Spurs games in local sports bars, this one was ‘Regular & Jacks’.
The people were very friendly and accommodating. It was interesting hearing their various stories of how they have enjoyed life in Amsterdam as most of the members have moved permanently from England. Whilst we all shared our love for Tottenham, it was even more valuable hearing their advice about settling in Amsterdam & the Netherlands for the long term. The game itself was enjoyable to watch as Spurs beat Crystal Palace 4-0. These people were the first contacts I made outside my internship and I am encouraged to come back on a regular basis to ‘Amsterdam Spurs’.
As the game was in the afternoon, I still had plenty of time to look for hidden gems in the city for future social events and for projects I have in mind for Bookingpetz. One such place is the ‘Rembrandtplein’ a fantastic and lively social area which is also very picturesque. Not too far away from Rembrandtplein is ‘Leidseplein’ which is filled with a plentiful number of good bars and restaurants.
I obviously haven’t managed to explore the entire of the Dutch capital but I have plenty of time to see more of the city and I could utilise my surroundings for my project ideas for Bookingpetz. I look forward to exploring more.
