AMSTERDAM
Hoi and welcome to my post featuring our latest trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands! This trip was a little different and a little more special than others for two reasons: 1) we visited one of my oldest friends, Hanna, who lives in Amsterdam, and 2) I got to check seeing Holland's tulip fields off of my bucket list! We had the most beautiful, sunny weather all three days we were there, which made for the best holiday filled with canal tours, hanging in parks, and plenty of tulips! Enjoy!
When most people think of Amsterdam, I think they think of legalized marijuana and the Red Light District, but Amsterdam is SO much more than that. It's history, architecture, canals, it's a melting pot of cultures. Amsterdam holds a bit of a special place in my heart as it was the very first city that I visited in Europe when I backpacked in 2011. The city is vibrant, international, and has a free-spirited air to it. It seems like a place filled with smart, hard-working individuals, who also balance out their lives by spending time with friends chilling in parks, cruising the canals, or drinking a Heineken on a patio. With the insanely nice weather we had while visiting, the city was all abuzz.
Chris and I approached this trip a little differently than other cities we've visited. Normally, we go, go, go and see as much as possible. This time, we slowed down, enjoyed the sunshine, and tried to spend as much time outside as possible. Because of that, I'm going to break down this blog post a little differently. Instead of a day-by-day approach, it'll highlight the different activities we did in Amsterdam and restaurants we visited.
Biking
There are roughly 800,000 people living in Amsterdam and there are 1.2 million bikes. If that doesn't tell you how crazy into bicycling they are, I don't know what would. People in Amsterdam bike everywhere. It's pretty incredible to see. The streets and canals are lined with bikes and you had better watch where you are going when crossing streets because cars are the least of your worries. The city is, as you can probably surmise, very bike friendly and the bikers are pretty good at following the traffic laws. The bicycles can even function as the family vehicle. Picture this: a normal bicycle with a little kid seat in the back, a kid seat in the front by the handle bars, and a motorcycle-type windshield. That bike fits 3 humans! There are also bicycles with what look like wheelbarrows in the front where 3-4 kids can sit and get a ride. I'm obsessed with Amsterdam's bike culture. Now that doesn't mean I'm ready to hop on a bike there anytime soon... but I think it adds to Amsterdam's charm.
Fun fact: The City pulls roughly 16,000 bikes out of the canals every year.
Museums
Amsterdam has an array of museums to visit. Its most well-known museum is the Rijksmuseum, which is dedicated to the art and history of the Netherlands. The museum has been redone since 2011 and is an impressive space. The art is fantastic with notable pieces by Dutch artists Van Gogh and Rembrandt. The most famous piece is "The Night Watch" by Rembrandt and hangs in its own room. The museum offers guided tours, is open daily from 9:00-5:00, and adult tickets are €17.50.
Because the weather was so nice, we opted to only go into one museum during our stay. However, Amsterdam has tons more museums to offer. Here are just a few:
- Van Gogh Musuem -- FYI "Starry Night" is not on display here
- Moco Musuem -- currently hosting a Banksy Exhibit
- Stedelijk Musuem
- Anne Frank House
- Sex Museum
- Torture Museum
Canal Tours
Amsterdam has over 1,000 km of canals and used to have even more. The canals were constructed for purposes of transportation, defense, housing, and even as sewage in the olden days. The canals are a way of life. If you're not in a boat on the water, you're sitting over the side of one enjoying a beer with your friends.
The #1 thing Chris and I wanted to do in Amsterdam, besides see the tulips, was to take a canal tour. There are loads of companies that offer tours. We had heard that Stromma was one of the best because they offer an open-air boat tour. Our boat fit about 12 people and was more of an intimate tour with our captain. There are other boats that are long, enclosed, and fit probably 50+ people. On our canal tour, the boat captain shared facts about the canals, architecture, and city, and answered all of our questions. We actually liked the tour so much that not only did we take it on Friday, but also on Sunday. There's no better way to enjoy a sunny day in Amsterdam than on the canals.
The open-air boat tour with Stromma cost €19.50 per person and the tour lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes. One of their ticket offices and boat launches is right by the Rijksmuseum, which is a very convenient location!
Parks
Amsterdam is sprawling with green space. There are so many parks and gardens. Behind all of the canal houses pictured above are massive gardens. I think this speaks a lot to the mindset of the Dutch. To me, it shows how important the environment is to them and also that they like to enjoy the beauty of nature. One of Amsterdam's biggest parks, Vondel Park, is filled with ponds, fountains, and lots of bicyclists. It's definitely worth a stroll through. On Friday night, we were walking through the park and there were thousands of people posted up in the park to enjoy the last bits of sun. Many of them had brought blankets, snacks, bottles of wines, music, some even had couches, and they were all just hanging out in the park with their friends or family. We didn't notice anyone on their phones. It was incredible! You know that first weekend that feels like summer and everyone is outside and happy? That was Amsterdam.
Here's a quick video of Vondel Park on that Friday evening and some other pictures from our walk! See if you can spot the fish sculpture by Picasso...
Along with Vondel Park, we hung out a lot in the park in the Museum Quarterm which is by the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and famous "I amsterdam" sign. There was one afternoon that we laid by the pond [pool?] by the "I amsterdam" sign and I even fell asleep in the sun because the heat felt so good. I guess I was in desperate need of some Vitamin D! The park was filled with people, mostly tourists, but it was a fun, bustling area with lots to look at.
On our last day, we had a little time before our second canal tour, so we went to hang out back in the park in Museum Quarter and stumbled upon some street performers. Normally we keep moving when we see this sort of thing, but we had no where to be and the guys were energetic, so we bought in for their show. Take a look!
The last park we walked through was Sarphaati Park, a little bit more tame than the above-mentioned parks. It's smaller than the others too, but quaint, and nice to walk through. There was even a farmer's market that Sunday morning.
If you find yourself in Amsterdam on a beautiful day, do not overlook making your way through its parks. If you're feeling even more adventurous, grab some fresh bread and snacks and maybe even a bottle of wine, and have yourself a nice picnic in one of the parks. You will not regret it.
Food
You might be asking yourself, what sorts of food are the Dutch known for? The answer? Pancakes. Herring. Stoop waffles. French fries. Truth is though, you can eat whatever kind of food you could imagine. Because Amsterdam is such an international city, there is a restaurant catering to every delicacy across the world. We were in no shortage of good eating! Here are the places we would recommend:
Breakfast: Fournil de Sébastien
Fournil de Sébastien is a French bakery located near the 1928 Olympic Stadium. They import ALL of their ingredients from France and make the most fresh and delicious pastries. This was a recommendation from Hanna, whose favorite treat is the lemon tarte. We each got a turkey pastry, a financier, and a roll. This bakery did not disappoint. It's so good that there is a line out the door every morning.
Brunch: Little Collins
Little Collins is located in the hip neighborhood of Oude Pijp. It is the cutest spot with indoor and outdoor seating, but there aren't a lot of tables, so you might have to get your name down on the list. It's a pretty hipstery spot, the kind with its menu on clipboards, but the food was dynamite. The staff was also friendly and international. I heard Dutch, Australian, and American accents. I got a sweet-corn waffle with chipotle butter, caramelized bacon, pineapple & jalapeño salsa, and yogurt. Chris got a chipotle beef cheek with a blackbean puree, pickled pumpkin, coriander & red onion, served with tortillas. It was the kind of menu where everything looked good and it was hard to choose what to eat.
Breakfast: Bagel Nosh
Bagel Nosh is located near the Olympic Stadium like the French bakery. To be honest, we were on our way to go back to the bakery for the second morning in a row, but saw the line out the door, and were too hungry to wait, so we stumbled upon Bagel Nosh. We were expecting a boutique version of a Bruegger's or Einstein's, but it was a mom 'n pop bagel shop with a Middle Eastern flavor. We were having a hard time deciding what to eat because there wasn't an egg bagel sandwich option. That's when we saw an open-faced bagel with avocado and melted cheese running through the toaster and said, "we want that!" She then topped it with a tomato-based chicken salad of some sort. Oh my my, you know when something is so deliciously unexpected and it makes it taste that much better? That was our breakfast at Bagel Nosh.
Lunch: The Pantry
The Pantry is located a few blocks from the Museum Quarter. We found out about The Pantry from watching YouTube videos on Amsterdam. They are known for their traditional Dutch dish called hutspot, mashed potatoes mixed with stewed beef, carrots, and onions served with a smoked sausage or a meatball. Ummm yum!
Dinner: MoMo
MoMo is located right by the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. It's a super chic sushi house on the higher end of the spectrum. Hanna joined us for dinner, which made for a fun night of ordering lots of different things to try and share. We started the night with spicy edamame and lobster and tuna tacos. We also had a couple rolls of sushi and coriander rice on the side. To finish the night, we indulged in some sort of chocolate gooey brownie with green tea ice cream.
Dessert: Chocolate Croissants, Pancakes, & Stroop Waffles
There are desserts all over the place in Amsterdam -- ice cream shops, stroop waffle stands, pop-up pancake shops. There was even a local baker with his cart of fresh baked goods on Sunday morning right outside of where we were staying. How cute is that?! That's how we stumbled upon the perfect morning treat of a chocolate croissant. As I mentioned before, the Dutch are known for their pancakes and we meant to get to a place called The Pancake Bakery, but as it sometimes goes, we didn't make it. Instead, while we were in the town of Lisse, I was able to get my pancake and oh boy was it a good one. It was basically a crepe with an apple and raisin compote topped with whipped cream and cinnamon ice cream. YUM. Also while in Lisse, we passed a man with a stroop waffle stand making fresh ones as we spoke. A stroop waffle is basically a warm, soft ice cream cone in the shape of a flat circle topped with a sweet syrup topped with another warm, soft ice cream cone in the shape of a flat circle. Gooey deliciousness all for a €1.50.
Walking Around Amsterdam
One of my favorite nights in Amsterdam was walking around with Chris after dinner at MoMo. It was a beautiful night and we wanted to explore the city by foot. We set towards Dam Square walking the canals along the way. It was fun to see the lights of the city and the streets still buzzing with boats cruising along the canals and people enjoying cocktails on sidewalk patios. We even found a film set. The crew wasn't filming at the time, but there were old time trucks and posters hanging on the buildings. It was so cool! It looked like it could be a war-time movie. We actually ran into an issue on our second canal tour on Sunday because some of the canals had been shut down for filming. Our boat captain thought it must be a pretty big movie to shut down the canals on a sunny, Sunday afternoon. I have no idea what movie it is, but we'll keep our eyes peeled in the next couple of years!
The sunset over the canals was pretty romantic!
On our way to the Red Light District [just to walk through!], we passed a Rubber Ducky shop [weird, right?] but there was a nod to Minnesota hometown hero, Prince! I wish the store would have been open because I would have totally picked this up. Funny enough, we saw this on the second anniversary of his passing. #RIP
Tulips
We planned this entire trip around seeing the tulips outside of Amsterdam. Research told us the best time to visit is April, which is why we went when we did. The entire country is dripping in tulips by this point. Everywhere from the airport to the planters in city centre to farmers' fields outside of the city are gleaming in tulips. One of the best views of the tulips was actually when we were landing in the plane because we got to see the fields from above. That was way cool.
Outside of Amsterdam is one of the world's largest gardens known as Keukenhof. It is a giant arboretum of sorts and has endless tulips and flower beds. Depending on when you go, it can be a 25-90 minute drive. So geographically, it's not that far, but depending on traffic, it can take longer. [Big props to Hanna for driving us and putting up with some pretty bad traffic!] There are also plenty of bus tours out of the city that you can take to visit.
The day we visited was the day of the Flower Parade. Cute, right? No. The traffic was so insane that Hanna suggested we hop out of the car and make the short walk to the gardens while she tried to find parking. Later to find out, she was never able to park because of the parade, so she just went to the cute town of Lisse and shopped around while we were in the zoo that was Keukenhof. You guys. It felt like there were 1 million people in there. About half of those people were seniors and the other half were moms with strollers. The entry of Keukenhof cost us €18 per person and basically I just paid €18 to get a panic attack. Don't get me wrong, the flowers were stunning. But I wanted to see the fields of tulips and not be shooting dirty looks at the moms who kept pushing her kids' strollers into my ankles. #endrant
Here's a tip, if you want to see the tulips and want to go to Keukenhof, my suggestion is to go during the week and definitely do not go on the day of the Flower Parade. The gardens were breathtaking and I'm sure it's a very enjoyable experience when there aren't a million people.
Here's a better tip, visit the fields outside of Keukenhof. All outside of Keukenhof are fields and they are way cooler than any of the gardens. It was pretty incredible to see the perfect rows of reds, oranges, yellows, whites, and purples. And how they were all in bloom -- uh! Stunning! That was what I went to Amsterdam for. That was the moment I got to check off my bucket list item. Please, please enjoy the pictures we got of the flowers. :)
As I hope you can see, Amsterdam is more than sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. For only being a quick hour flight away from Dublin, Chris and I can imagine us returning very soon to enjoy this city with its beautiful parks, great eats, and chill vibes.
I'd like to give a big thank you to Hanna for hosting and taking such good care of us. She was an excellent guide and it is always great to catch up. Plus, LOOK AT HER NEW PUPPY, LOKI!!! #pomsky
I hope enjoyed reading about our experience in Amsterdam. Next up for us is Stockholm & Helsinki!
Until then...
Dankjewel, xo
