Personal Perceptions of Amsterdam (people and price)

My perception of Amsterdam is one of the most important parts of the research. Walking round the city and getting a feel for the place, how the people live, the effect of tourism, and the difference to home was to me, as equally important for an understand as the research. Because our research is based on tourism and moral the direct link to me (being a tourist) should not be over looked.

This was my first time visiting Amsterdam, but as it is a popular tourist sight for people in the UK i had heard numerous stories from friend about the place so i had built up a preconception as to what it would be like. having this expectation of what Amsterdam was going to be like led me to be more surprised with how it was that i expected. What surprised me more than i thought was the relatively small size of the city and in return the blurring of tourists and local. as you work your way towards the centre it becomes more an more touristy however there was less of a distinction between them then i anticipated. i also felt a large sense of European multiculturalism.

the cost of food and drink was also of a surprise to me. I had heard that it was expensive yet i didn’t quite realise how much more it would be. what i found interesting about this was the relative cheapness of the supermarkets in comparison. i had expected there to be a price rise when eating out, but even when eating in locations that you would assume to be local, the price was still high