My Trip To Amsterdam

I enjoyed the endless brick buildings, vintage bicycles galore, canals, rich history, and its very relaxed “easy going” environment. It was extremely low key and comfortable as we strolled around this city.  The energy was upbeat and friendly.

Nate and I like to wander a lot. You’ll find the best little shops and hidden corners that way. Well, okay, I enjoy the shops more than Nate. Walking through the residential areas is a treat. The row houses were just darling! I’m sure I creeped out folks as I peeked through the tall narrow windows into their homes. I couldn’t help myself, they were too cute.

If you like tours (especially FREE ones except for tips at the end) walking tours are a great way to orient yourself to the city. We didn’t do these but they have great reviews (Freedam Tours / Original Free Tours / New Europe Tours). You’ll learn some history, find out where the major sites are, and explore all those winding canals.

Amsterdam is a city tied to the water – it grew and was designed around its canals and the taming of the Amstel River. The canals of Amsterdam are fun, and there’s nothing like seeing the city from a boat. The best way to do this is by getting the I amsterdam City Card. It’s a must!! The I amsterdam City Card includes a free 1-hour canal cruise, access to Amsterdam’s public transport system, a ton of museums and other attractions in and outside of the city. It’s very handy! If you want to go with a smaller boat you can also hire a private boat tour for about 20 Euros an hour (look for guides around the Red Light District).

There are tons of museums to check out. I had to be choosy and pick my top 3. You can spend forever in some of them.

Who doesn’t love Van Gogh? Being an artist myself and trying to make a living at it, I have a great amount of respect, love and appreciation for this man. His work was never truly accepted until after his death. He was without question, ahead of his time. This may be one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city, but don’t let the crowds deter you. It’s totally worth it! You do need to make an appointment to get in. See details in the I amsterdam City Card. The museum features a number of Van Gogh’s best works and many of his self portraits alongside an excellent biography of his life and is laid out in chronological order, starting with his earliest works. It definitely was one of my favorite things to see here. Part of me could see him turning in his grave if he could see how loved he and his works are now. It’s no fun living a life where you didn’t feel understood or appreciated. I can only hope he is now pleased to see that he is arguably one of the most well known artists in the world.  The museum also has paintings by other famous artists of the period, like Monet, Manet, and Matisse. TIP: To avoid lot’s of people try to come late in the late afternoon when the crowds subside.

Hotel rooms are a little more spendy here. Many other countries are way cheaper including Paris, if you can believe it. When I look for a room, I am super CHEAP with high standards. I have two requirements, must be CLEAN and we must have our OWN BATHROOM. Basically, I’ll read a tone of reviews from different travel sites about a place until I feel comfortable to book the room. 90% of the time it’s worked out well. There’s only been a couple times where I’ve had to change the rooms last minute. If it’s designed well, that’s a bonus! When it’s just for a couple nights I can’t blow a lot of money, especially when we’re only in it for a few hours to sleep.

We stayed in the Hotel Nova. It was perfect and met my requirements, plus complimentary breakfast! It was a very, very small room, but that wasn’t important to me. Oh! The elevators can only hold two people. Yet another reason to pack light. It was in walking distance from the railroad station (about 15 min) and we had a fantastic dinner only a short walk away. The bathroom was really cool too.

Amsterdam is known for its Indonesian food. Nate and I were planning on trying that, but after chatting with a local we ended up eating old school traditional Dutch cuisine and loved it! We ate at Restaurant Haesje Claes. The pea soup was super yummy! I enjoyed my meal, plus the Dutch Apple Pie was awesome!

Here are some of the foods we ate.

In the morning we filled up on the complimentary breakfast and then ate street vender food for lunch. I was brave and tried this “Junkyard Dog.” It was really good too.  I know what you’re thinking, that’s what gave me food poisoning, but it wasn’t. I ate that a while ago before I got to Paris. I have to say it was good. It was tempting not to try the Hemp Burger, but I didn’t. 😉  Dutch food can be heavy, so when you have a chance to eat a salad do it!

Speaking of hemp, it was all over the place. You could smell it admittedly when we arrived. It actually didn’t bother me. In case you don’t know, Amsterdam is famous for its “coffee shops”, but don’t mistake these for cafes. If you’re a coffee drinker or want a cappuccino, find a sidewalk cafe to get your caffeine fix. The so-called coffee shops are for another fix, if you know what I mean. 😉

The bikes were everywhere. A lot of them were vintage bikes. Many even old and rusted. That is the way to get around the city. It’s also very walkable, or at least I thought so. If you’re using a bike at night, make sure you have your lights on. Oh, and don’t block the bike paths. Bikes are flying through from all over the place.

I was tempted to take this cutie for a ride through the city.

Another must-see site of Amsterdam is, of course, the Anne Frank house where her and her family hid out in a secret annex for two years during WWII. With the popularity of her famous diary, the line ups at the museum can reach insane proportions. You must plan ahead for this attraction or else you could suck away up to 4 hours waiting in a line (and perhaps not even get in). You can easily pre-book a timed ticket online to get direct entrance at a door beside the main entry point. Do this as far in advance as you can, as a limited number are available each day.  I was going to do this even 6 months in advance, but I chose not to, because even with pre-booked tickets and a time slot I didn’t want to stay in line and wait. I’ve viewed many videos of what it looked like and know the story well, so I personally was ok just seeing it from the outside. But, don’t pass it up because I did. If I had a couple more days I would have done it.

I was in for a treat because one of the modern art museums was showing both a Lichtenstein and Banksy exhibit! Lucky me! We switched up some of our plans to check it out. I was so excited! The artist in me was squealing like a little girl.

I snapped a couple photos Banksy’s of  work.

Art by Banksy’s.

Art by Banksy’s.

I snapped a couple photos Lichtenstein of  work.

Art by Lichtenstein.

Art by Lichtenstein.

I thought I’d have some fun with this photo in honor of Lichtenstein. Too bad I didn’t have any shots where my face was more dramatic.

Here are two example’s of how Nate feels about Disney World. LOL!

Art by Banksy’s.

I have a great LOVE for Gummy Bears!

Oh and I discovered some awesome shoes that I would have totally purchased if they had my size. Check out Tango Shoes. I was all over those yellow ones! LOVE!

There was definitely a football game going on there while we visited. It was the Netherlands vs England and England won. Yep, YIKES! Those players got drunk, loud and rowdy fast. The fans were no help either. The police emerged and barricades were set up in hopes to control the crazy that was about to get crazier. The streets reeked of pee and beer. We moved quickly through the crowds so we didn’t get trampled or separated.

Not too far from where the riots where happening was the Red Light District and China Town. I know this might disappoint you, but we didn’t spend time in the Red Light District. I did see a corner of it while passing through. Though I was told it’s much tamer than in previous years. Funny! Beside’s the sex, the neighborhood is also known for some of it’s oldest architecture. Also, if you’re caught taking photos in that area, you can get into a lot of trouble, even with the police. The Police totally protect the prostitution there.

Over all, it’s a fun city to experience. I felt safe and comfortable there. The locals were kind and very helpful. The flowers, oh the flowers were stunning. Here are more things to do there if you have more time. My best advice though is to walk all over. You see so much more and there’s always something new around the corner.

Other places to see:

Rijksmuseum

The Jordaan area

The Tulip Museum

FOAM (if you love Photography)

Jewish Historical Museum

Museum Amstelkring

The Rembrandt House Museum

Vondelpark

Waterlooplein Flea Market

Day trip to Haarlem

Visit Noord

Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Foodhallen (a food hall or food market)

 

I’ll be talking about Bruges next!

XOXO,

Melessa