Thanks to budget airline prices and conveniently timed Easter holidays, I recently took a five day trip to Amsterdam.
Since returning I've been trying to think of a way to sum up Amsterdam and all that we saw and did, but continue to fail miserably. But I'll begin with first impressions.
Tall and beautiful. The buildings, the people, the beers. They're all tall and beautiful. Tall buildings mean the stairs are squeezed into a space that really doesn't feel big enough, so even my small feet don't fit on the stairs, and I think I'd get a crick in my neck if I spent much more time with Dutch people. Despite these two things, I would recommend Amsterdam to anyone and everyone, and although sex and drugs are a big part of the culture and tourism, this little city has so much more to offer along its canals and pretty streets.
Here's some of the things we did, and some photographs:
Thursday
Evening arrival and one of the easiest and quickest journeys I've ever had from an airport into the city. A quick chat with our hostess, Annemarie, amazement at our beautiful apartment, a little wander round, then some delicious tapas and red wine at Pilsvogel.
(clockwise from left)
Entering De Pijp - Jess, Stephi and I - Red wine and hot chocolate to accompany our tapas
Friday
A day of wandering, exploring, and venturing into little shops. We met up with Jamie, a friend from university who's living in the Netherlands at the moment (see here for sporadic updates on his life as an erasmus student), and ate muffins and drank tea. And then the real fun began...Jess spotted a Cheese Museum and there was no stopping her. We didn't go into the actual museum itself, just hung around in the shop area, coincidentally where there were a dozen or so cheeses cut up for free sampling. A personal favourite was the smoked goat's cheese, and one with pesto added was pretty good too, despite its slightly off-putting shade of green. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset, good enough to warrant removing hands from mittens to take photos, and dinner ended up being at one of the many, many Argentinian steak houses in Amsterdam, followed by a brisk walk home to escape the chill.
(clockwise from top left)
Sunset over the Amstel River - Houses - Joy at the Cheese Shop, Bikes, Jamie, Jess
Saturday
And finally, the sun came out. First thing on our list was bike hire. Annemarie had told us we'd get a good deal from Stelios, the hilarious and slightly eccentric Greek hire shop owner. Thanks to the fact that Stephi is also Greek, we got an even better price than expected, plus a recital of some of his poetry, in Greek, for free. What a deal! Cycling round Vondelpark and stopping for a quick drink in the sun, by the river, was glorious. Next stop was the mega crowded IAmsterdam sign behind the Rijksmuseum for some typically touristic photo opportunities! Jumping in and getting a picture without anyone else in your shot takes a keen eye and some good camera skills, that's for sure! Unfortunately we couldn't go into the Rijksmuseum; we were just a few days early for its reopening after a ten year refurbishment. The day just got better when we walked into Bazar, a Middle-Eastern style restaurant in a former Dutch Reformed Church. And it just got even better when the food arrived. So scrumptious and so plentiful! Narrowly avoiding a post-dinner nap, the Red Light District was our final destination. I still find that whole experience really hard to describe; it was like a show, an utter spectacle, and so thought-provoking.
(clockwise from top left)
Posing in the IAmsterdam sign - Cycling in Vondelpark - Fresh mint tea in the sun - Lantern lights at Bazar - Amazing food - Outside the front of the Rijksmuseum - Sat in the sun at Sarphatipark
Sunday
Thankfully the sun stayed out for our ride out of the city, to windmills and countryside. First stop was Brouwerij t'Ij, whose fine beverages we'd sampled the night before. Riding south along the Amstel river, we came across boathouse upon boathouse, from the swanky and modern to the rustic and traditional, followed by Amstelpark, complete with oddly place highland cows...in the lowlands...and took a long lunch at Klein Kalfje (the Little Calf). Back in the city, the Heineken Experience was the next tourist spot to check off the list. Although €18 might feel like a lot, most recommend spending a good couple of hours in there, and two and a half beers are included in the price. Well worth it, in my opinion. And the perfect warm up for a gig; Stornoway were playing at Bitterzoet. Great music, friendly people. There's nothing like music to make you feel good.
(clockwise from top left)
Outside the Brouwerij 'tIj windmill - Highland cows in Amstelpark - A windmill near Amstelpark - Stornoway gig at Bitterzoet - Photo with the band - Jess and I in the Heineken Museum - The Heineken Experience
Monday
I think this was the day I really appreciated that we were in Amsterdam for longer than the typical weekend break, and therefore had time to visit Begijnhof and the public library. The former was a kind of convent, and is still home to 95 women, who live in private dwellings around a peaceful, green courtyard and a small but pretty chapel. Despite being only a building's depth away from a busy square in the city centre, it is so quiet inside; it's hidden gems like this that I'd been hoping to find. I would definitely recommend a visit to the public library too, even if you're not a book lover, as it's like an art exhibition in itself. The design and facilities made me want to return to studying; I could spend hours in there. Taking a ferry across the water behind the Central Station and towards the EYE Film Institute, we found the second IAmsterdam sign, almost completely tourist-free!
(clockwise from top left)
More canals and bikes - Tower of the Royal Palace, Dam Square - Stephi at the narrowest alleyway - In the clog - Attempting to climb - Settling for a group shot at the second IAmsterdam sign - Bookcases in the public library
Tuesday
Departure day. Even fifteen minutes before it opened at 9am there was a queue of about 25 people outside the Anne Frank Huis. Luckily we'd brought breakfast with us, and the queue was most definitely worth it. Straight opposite Anne Frank's house and museum sits Westerkerk, and, complete with 'climb guide' we trekked up the tower to some incredible views. Any time I go somewhere new, I long to be able to get up high somewhere and see all the places I've circled on a map in relation to each other. As luck would have it, our last day was also Ben&Jerry's 'Free Cone Day', but due to apparent 'dangerous queueing' i.e. people wanting ice-cream so badly that they wouldn't stop queueing over the tram line, the Dutch Police shut down the shop for the day. A quick stroll through a Tulip Market and one last stop for drinks at a cafe that houses some marvellous cake decorations were the very last things on our list, and then we had to say goodbye Amsterdam!
(clockwise from top left)
View from the Westerkerk Tower - The three of us at the top of the tower - Tulip Market - Last hot chocolate in Holland
Since returning I've been trying to think of a way to sum up Amsterdam and all that we saw and did, but continue to fail miserably. But I'll begin with first impressions.
Tall and beautiful. The buildings, the people, the beers. They're all tall and beautiful. Tall buildings mean the stairs are squeezed into a space that really doesn't feel big enough, so even my small feet don't fit on the stairs, and I think I'd get a crick in my neck if I spent much more time with Dutch people. Despite these two things, I would recommend Amsterdam to anyone and everyone, and although sex and drugs are a big part of the culture and tourism, this little city has so much more to offer along its canals and pretty streets.
Here's some of the things we did, and some photographs:
Thursday
Evening arrival and one of the easiest and quickest journeys I've ever had from an airport into the city. A quick chat with our hostess, Annemarie, amazement at our beautiful apartment, a little wander round, then some delicious tapas and red wine at Pilsvogel.
Entering De Pijp - Jess, Stephi and I - Red wine and hot chocolate to accompany our tapas
Friday
A day of wandering, exploring, and venturing into little shops. We met up with Jamie, a friend from university who's living in the Netherlands at the moment (see here for sporadic updates on his life as an erasmus student), and ate muffins and drank tea. And then the real fun began...Jess spotted a Cheese Museum and there was no stopping her. We didn't go into the actual museum itself, just hung around in the shop area, coincidentally where there were a dozen or so cheeses cut up for free sampling. A personal favourite was the smoked goat's cheese, and one with pesto added was pretty good too, despite its slightly off-putting shade of green. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset, good enough to warrant removing hands from mittens to take photos, and dinner ended up being at one of the many, many Argentinian steak houses in Amsterdam, followed by a brisk walk home to escape the chill.
Sunset over the Amstel River - Houses - Joy at the Cheese Shop, Bikes, Jamie, Jess
Saturday
And finally, the sun came out. First thing on our list was bike hire. Annemarie had told us we'd get a good deal from Stelios, the hilarious and slightly eccentric Greek hire shop owner. Thanks to the fact that Stephi is also Greek, we got an even better price than expected, plus a recital of some of his poetry, in Greek, for free. What a deal! Cycling round Vondelpark and stopping for a quick drink in the sun, by the river, was glorious. Next stop was the mega crowded IAmsterdam sign behind the Rijksmuseum for some typically touristic photo opportunities! Jumping in and getting a picture without anyone else in your shot takes a keen eye and some good camera skills, that's for sure! Unfortunately we couldn't go into the Rijksmuseum; we were just a few days early for its reopening after a ten year refurbishment. The day just got better when we walked into Bazar, a Middle-Eastern style restaurant in a former Dutch Reformed Church. And it just got even better when the food arrived. So scrumptious and so plentiful! Narrowly avoiding a post-dinner nap, the Red Light District was our final destination. I still find that whole experience really hard to describe; it was like a show, an utter spectacle, and so thought-provoking.
Posing in the IAmsterdam sign - Cycling in Vondelpark - Fresh mint tea in the sun - Lantern lights at Bazar - Amazing food - Outside the front of the Rijksmuseum - Sat in the sun at Sarphatipark
Sunday
Thankfully the sun stayed out for our ride out of the city, to windmills and countryside. First stop was Brouwerij t'Ij, whose fine beverages we'd sampled the night before. Riding south along the Amstel river, we came across boathouse upon boathouse, from the swanky and modern to the rustic and traditional, followed by Amstelpark, complete with oddly place highland cows...in the lowlands...and took a long lunch at Klein Kalfje (the Little Calf). Back in the city, the Heineken Experience was the next tourist spot to check off the list. Although €18 might feel like a lot, most recommend spending a good couple of hours in there, and two and a half beers are included in the price. Well worth it, in my opinion. And the perfect warm up for a gig; Stornoway were playing at Bitterzoet. Great music, friendly people. There's nothing like music to make you feel good.
(clockwise from top left)
Outside the Brouwerij 'tIj windmill - Highland cows in Amstelpark - A windmill near Amstelpark - Stornoway gig at Bitterzoet - Photo with the band - Jess and I in the Heineken Museum - The Heineken Experience
Monday
I think this was the day I really appreciated that we were in Amsterdam for longer than the typical weekend break, and therefore had time to visit Begijnhof and the public library. The former was a kind of convent, and is still home to 95 women, who live in private dwellings around a peaceful, green courtyard and a small but pretty chapel. Despite being only a building's depth away from a busy square in the city centre, it is so quiet inside; it's hidden gems like this that I'd been hoping to find. I would definitely recommend a visit to the public library too, even if you're not a book lover, as it's like an art exhibition in itself. The design and facilities made me want to return to studying; I could spend hours in there. Taking a ferry across the water behind the Central Station and towards the EYE Film Institute, we found the second IAmsterdam sign, almost completely tourist-free!
More canals and bikes - Tower of the Royal Palace, Dam Square - Stephi at the narrowest alleyway - In the clog - Attempting to climb - Settling for a group shot at the second IAmsterdam sign - Bookcases in the public library
Tuesday
Departure day. Even fifteen minutes before it opened at 9am there was a queue of about 25 people outside the Anne Frank Huis. Luckily we'd brought breakfast with us, and the queue was most definitely worth it. Straight opposite Anne Frank's house and museum sits Westerkerk, and, complete with 'climb guide' we trekked up the tower to some incredible views. Any time I go somewhere new, I long to be able to get up high somewhere and see all the places I've circled on a map in relation to each other. As luck would have it, our last day was also Ben&Jerry's 'Free Cone Day', but due to apparent 'dangerous queueing' i.e. people wanting ice-cream so badly that they wouldn't stop queueing over the tram line, the Dutch Police shut down the shop for the day. A quick stroll through a Tulip Market and one last stop for drinks at a cafe that houses some marvellous cake decorations were the very last things on our list, and then we had to say goodbye Amsterdam!
(clockwise from top left)
View from the Westerkerk Tower - The three of us at the top of the tower - Tulip Market - Last hot chocolate in Holland
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