Normal for Norfolk: The East Anglia Expedition

When I told some Brits I was headed to Norfolk for the weekend, most responded with a quizzical “why?”

It was a legitimate question; as an American living in England, there are countless places to visit while on this little island. So why had I opted for three days in East Anglia? Easy… I was invited.

It’s fairly obvious by now, I enjoy a travel adventure. So when my friend Viki invited a few of us to her hometown of Norwich, the excitement overflowed. Not only did it lay way for more exploration, but also the prospect of being in a house with a home-cooked meal appealed more than you can imagine.

Some four hours on what Viki deemed to be the bus of doom, we arrived in Cambridge unscathed. Another jaunt on a bus and then a pick up from her family, we were nearing Norwich (which for ages I thought was spelled Norridge. It’s all in the pronunciation, friends).

Now forget everything you’ve heard about Norwich. That includes any inbreeding jokes or the Wikipedia description of it being: “remote, unsophisticated, gauche, and out-of-step with national trends.” From what I could gather at my weekend visit, it’s actually a charming, practical city.

It’s one of the top places to shop in Great Britain (oy vey, I could feel the headache approaching), it has 30 medieval parish churches built of flint, and was home to the fictitious broadcaster Alan Partridge.

On day one we were greeted by the Mortimer family… possibly the friendliest of Norfolk folk you’ll ever meet. We stayed in with a meal and a movie, all in preparation for the next day’s spree.

The excellence in shopping was not exaggerated, with a variety of modern day shops lining the cobblestone streets. It felt downright American being among so many malls, each equipped with the compulsory food courts and clothing outlets.

Around noon we swapped consumerism for culture and kicked it old school with a visit to the cathedral. Built in 1096, the upkeep of this site tops off at £3,700 per day. Yikes. Despite that sum, we skipped the donation and wandered around the inside, along with the outside labyrinth (apparently yet another site used in Harry Potter. Is there any part of this country untouched by that twirpy wizard?)

It seems like the Norwich nightlife has plenty of possibilities. That night we rocked it out at a local bar for an engagement party: food, drinks, and dancing made the perfect trifecta for the evening. If you’re in the area, park it at one of the local garages and find the club that suits you best.

The next day we headed out to Great Yarmouth for a typical seaside town experience. A walk along the water, an ice cream cone, and a meal of fish and chips at Harry Ramsden’s made it the kind of outing children’s poems are written about.

All in all, the weekend excursion to East Anglia was one of my favorite weekends thus far in England, and I got to spend it with the best of friends. Many thanks to Viki & family for the hospitality and the invite.

Bring a Coat: Amsterdam

Amsterdam wasn’t exactly a tropical destination to escape the gray of an English mid-December. But the one advantage of negative temperatures is that flights are cheap to the ‘dam, so that’s where a group of my friends jetted off to for an end of term celebration.

We departed in style with British Airways (£44 one way from Gatwick) and slummed it on Easy Jet (£30) on the way back. When we landed at Schipol Airport about an hour later, we were greeted by booming drums and an assembly of clowns carrying mops and brooms. That’s the first indication that Amsterdam is different…

From what we gathered by the signs, it looked like the cleaning staff was on strike at the airport. Bizarre way to express your dissenting views against administration. We managed to squeeze our way through the crowds and buy train tickets to the city centre, about 30 minutes on extremely clean trains.

Once you arrive at the Amsterdam Central Station, by all means vacate the vicinity. Even if that means hopping on a tram without pay, escape the creepiness that is the train station and all the potential gypsy thieves that go with it. We might have been gypped on our tram tickets, paying €20 for four days, but we bought them in the most convenient location (a coffee place in the station) so took it and left asap. We still have leftovers, so toss me a holler if anyone wants to buy it off me.

If you can decipher the long Dutch names of tram stops, you’ll find it’s one of the easiest non-English transportation systems in Europe. It’s straight forward and meticulously on time, however we did run into several mean tram operators, who liked shutting doors on us and shooting scowls our way.

After much research beforehand, we selected the Stayokay Amsterdam Zeeburg Hostel (booked on HiHostels). This Stayokay ranks as my second favorite hostel ever, only coming in one behind the Globetrotter in Edinburgh. A converted school, the Zeeburg is gigantore, clean, and surprisingly, empty. But the best part about the Zeeburg is the price: £7 a night. Admittedly, we did stay there in the depths of Dutch winter, so prices might shoot up when temperatures go higher than freaking freezing (the exact temperature of Amsterdam in December).

It’s pretty easy to find dens of dubious activity in Amsterdam, with drugs and prostitution being legal and encouraged. But A-dam is also full of cultural hotspots, with the Van Gogh Museum (one of my favorite art museums), the Anne Frank House, and the Rijksmuseum of Art and History.

There are plenty of restaurants to choose from around the Rembrandtplein stop, shopping abounds near Dam Square, and some nice photo ops are found near Waterlooplein. Just listening to the names of tram stops is entertaining enough for me.

Checking out the flowermarket is nice, but overrated in the guide books. Avoid the Sex Museum, it’s a complete rip off and just weird, as you can imagine. And be sure to hold onto your purse/wallet while walking through the Red Light District (also, refrain from taking pictures, unless you want a pimp to knock your knees out).

As for food, there’s a diverse mix in Holland. Brazilian restaurants seem to be everywhere and Indonesian cuisine is popular, so try to plan a Ris Tafel meal (Rice Table). They’ll cover the table in delicious looking food for a set price, so be sure to research your restaurant of choice—Ris Tafel can range from €8 to beyond €100 each. Buy as many stroopwafel as you can carry, have a Heineken for good measure, and grab up some fried dough goodness at a stand.

If you’re inclined to do a day trip outside of the city, let me dissuade you from hopping an hour train to The Hague. It’s a government town and I seemed to get the stare down from the occupants while walking the dark streets. I might be selling it short, being my jaunt there lasted about an hour in total thanks to some miscommunication (shout out to Sarah Kramer), but seriously… stay in Amsterdam. Or find a small town to visit if you want to experience Dutch life outside A-dam.

My only recommendation is to explore this city in warmer temperatures, but when you have a group of good friends by your side, the city seems warm enough. Thanks to Miriam, Caitlyn, Viki, Rhianna, Sarah, Lauren, Sarah, and Zack... who all know how to rock it, wherever they go!