NOBODY IN AMSTERDAM
NOBODY NETHER KNEW.
It was time we got out and about - we needed a break from our day jobs and some time away from editing. However, as we were scanning skyscanner for a holiday, we couldn't help but try and align the dates around something special, not Easter but a Heavy Lungs gig in Amsterdam at the Paradiso on the 1st of April. This is a band we liked the sound of and after filming a 'talk to nobody' with Joe Talbot, Idles we thought we'd aim higher. Bam payment was successful, booking info and all the confirmation bits in the emails, we we're off to Amsterdam.
Shit, we forgot accommodation. Options were either £32 a night air bnb in a dodgy single bed that was scarily close to the red light bit or £40 pound a night on a small sail boat which was way too far out of the city. The thought of coffee shops and sea sickness didn't sit too well. As the £32 payment got declined due to not being a 'Citizen of the Netherlands' (No idea what the difference makes) and the days to the flight were counting down, we somehow found a luxurious airport hotel named 'Hotelux'. Looking more appealing than a boat and a brothel, payment was successful. 4 night stay at 1 star Hotelux.
On the day of the flight, we were frantically editing and finishing off Keshs' article and edit, knowing we wouldn't be able to get any more done whilst we were visiting the city's finest attractions.
We could amuse ourselves here with the finer details of the trip as for all we know, nobody is really reading but we'll stick to the meat of the story which was all about Hotel Lungs, sorry, Heavylux ahah, look both Hotelux and Heavy lungs were the highlights so bear with..
Hotelux was in the middle of fackin nowhere, 40 minutes of walking felt way longer when you can actually see 40 minutes ahead of you, Amsterdam is so flat and there was no way this was an 'airport' hotel, it was 5 miles out. We saw a few cyclists go past as we trailed along, each step closer to the hotel and the only wheels turning were the ones we had on the camera bag. We started to think that this hotel didn’t exist but sadly it did.
WECOM TO HOTELUX.
We checked in and it we checked it out, this place was interesting. Looking quite smart and ordinary in the entrance, we headed into the lift and on our way up to floor 3. Room 314, thankfully - all other doors to other rooms looked unfinished with half painted walls and bits of dried plaster scattered about.
Room was fine, it had beds, pillows and duvets. It was clean and warm. Apart from it not having enough beds, pillows, duvets, a huge TV that didn't work, no kettle (despite having tea + coffee), windows that were locked shut, a shower that we soon found out to flood the whole room, this place was pretty ideal- it felt like home.
The most amount of travelling we did was back and forth to the hot water dispenser type thing which was in the entrance of Hotelux. Whilst making coffees and enjoying a fresh KitKat for breakfast, we talked the receptionist to find out more about this hotel and where to visit in Amsterdam. Without giving us too much information about the hotel, we we're recommended to see the tulips in Keukenhof and to head into Amsterdam and visit the canals and famous museums. We quickly started walking 40 minutes to the nearest train station. We got pretty excited about all the places to visit, so much so that we boarded the wrong double decker train, going the opposite way to the city of Amsterdam and on the way to Leiden.
Like most people, when you find yourself making this vital mistake of going the wrong way, it's instinct to go on your phone, into maps and search directions for the nearest pub. After some expensive half pints we dilly-dallied around and found that Leiden was a lovely, calm place and when speaking to some of the people that lived there, we got the idea that it was the preferred place to be rather than the busy and expensive city of Amsterdam.
