My first trip ever to the Netherlands in November 2014. And here I am writing a year and a half later. Obviously my little diary helped, but not as much as my detailed entries of trips made in 2016. I travelled from India and D joined me in Paris, and then we made it together to Amsterdam.
Long distance works people, just make sure to include some travelling.
Fact moment: Know the difference between Amsterdam, Holland & the Netherlands?
- Kingdom of the Netherlands: Official name of the country
- Holland: Province of Netherlands (with a South and North Holland)
- Amsterdam: Capital of Netherlands
There is a lot to do in Amsterdam, true for any place that has an abundance of culture and architecture. But here are a few picks from our three-day trip, for the first time visitor.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Buy the GVB day ticket (also available for multiple days). Let’s you travel, in the most economical way, on the well-connected public-transport network of Amsterdam. Think bus, tram, metro – all sorted with one card. Link here.
Get the HollandPass: You have packages that allow you free entry into museums, free use of public transport (for 24/ 48 hours) lots of discounts. But the best part, you get fast tracked into some of the museums. Helped us tremendously at the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum. Link here.
We bought a one-day GVB pass (@7.50 Euros per person) that allowed us as many trips across the city. And on another day, when we were visiting all the museums, we got the 25 Euros per person Holland pass that included public transport for 24H.
THE CONVENT HOTEL
We uber-ed it to our hotel, The Convent on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal street. It is such an unassuming place, that you might just miss it if you don’t keep your eyes open or if you get mesmerized by the sights around you – as I did every few minutes. The hotel is built in what used to be two monasteries back in the 13th or 14th century. Hence the name. Apparently, it was also home to the the Dutch newspaper \’De Tijd\’. Both stories sound great and it felt glorious and borderline funny to imagine what a nun or a journalist would be doing in her era in this very place. We stayed in a corner room that was both cosy and cute. And quite tiny.
The dreamy, cobbled stone alleys of Amsterdam are straight out of a fairy-tale. My feet felt like pumpkin carts and I was almost certain I was Cinderella at least until the time I took the Thalys back home to Paris. But for the moment, I was a princess on a shopping spree who had just bought a wonderful pair of Manfield boots. We walked on some more, to Dam square, towards De Bijenkorf (which btw, translates to beehive). We were content at looking at this glamorous building from the outside. But you could read about it in detail here.
RED LIGHT DISTRICT
Our next stop was the red light district on De Walletjes or De Wallen. It really is lit up in a very red way, this place. The ladies of the night were in the midst of performing a lèche-vitrine, which translates to window shopping (from French), but literally means to lick-window! You get the drift? Obviously, after all the excitement, we decided to shop around for some “sex-y”stuff and ended up in a sex shop, which as prudish as it might sound, looked more like a sex museum. Some of the things in there were beyond my imagination. I wasn’t even sure if it was for a him or her or for both!? And then there were the costumes. Ooof, my shy Indian brain felt rusty and ancient – think KamaSutra- no props just positions ;). Ok, I hope mom isn’t reading this. This entry is rated PG (Parents are Guided away from here).
CRÈPES, FLOWERS, CHEESE & WINE
Moving on, on one of the days we had a rather large crèpe with banana, Nutella and whipped cream at Sara\’s pancake house. It was yummilicious!
We strolled to Kalverstracht, and then to the famous flower market of Amstel! So many (tulip) bulbs to choose from. Left me in a tizzy. We didn’t buy any flowers or seeds or bulbs! Ok, we did buy those little packets, about six of them! Here are some of the Sunflowers that we grew from scratch.
Just near there, we spent over an hour at the Henri Willig store. It was brimming and bustling with cheese, wine, and cheese and wine accessories. We returned with two bagful of goodies! My cheese recommendations are:
- As Gouda as it gets: It’s one of my favourite cheese of all time. Mainly because of its versatility – use it in salads, on toast or just like that. I especially love the Gouda and cumin combination.
- Emmental: Again, I’m used to this yellow cheese back home in France. Easy for non-cheese people.
- Flavoured cheese: pesto, goat cheese (smells of goats in a barn)
There were a ton of other cheese and accessories that we picked up as well. Stuff in over two large HW bags. But I cannot remember what it was. Hmpf.
ANNE FRANK MUSEUM
We waited for nearly an hour and a half to get into the museum. We had some hot chocolate and were dodging pigeons during our wait. The museum was worth each minute we spent in that queue. You’ve read about it, you’ve seen it on TV, but nothing prepares you for what it is; and more so for the emotions the house stirs up.
You have to live it and walk through it! Every few minutes I had shivers down my spine. It was a mean, sneaky place. Warm for those who lived for the last two years of their lives, but cold for those (like us) who stood in the future imagining things as they un-folded. I remembered my diaries, ones I wrote as a child and thanked my stars a million times for letting me have the life I have today. It is so unfair what this little girl, her family and friends had to live and die through. Anyway, more of this is meant for my personal diary. This however is for you, so I shall stop.
We picked up The Diary of a young girl by Anne Frank on our way out. If you have read the book, you must definitely visit the place!
MORE FOOD
Next up to appease our hunger pangs we got a taste of Vlaamse Frites – the gargantuanishly large version of cheesy fries! I can’t tell you how stuffed we were. And we sat on these smart little stone-seats that you find intermittently placed on the footpath. Little did we know, that we’d end up acquiring a frosty behind. Yeah, that is how long we sat there, thanks to all the fries! We dragged ourselves to the next point of interest.
RIJKS AND VAN GOGH MUSEUMS
We spent about three hours in each museum and I still feel like I haven’t done it justice. But that is me. My boy was bored out of his wits. So plan your museum as per your need and account for at least a day (especially for the Rijksmuseum) if you really like to read and dream in front of (almost) every piece of art! FYI, both places are spectacular and I highly recommend them.
100 HIGHLIGHTS CRUISE
A-one hour ride in the canal covering a hundred spots across the city. I had to do it! The 100-highlights cruise made us feel like a bunch of spectators at a tennis match turning our heads in both directions to catch a glimpse of wonderful Amsterdam. The commentary is pre-recorded in English and perhaps other languages too. We picked the Canal cruise company for the ride. You can find their website here.
After that, we pit-stopped at Van Gogh café by the canal. Had hot wine, coffee and an apple pie. As the evening drew closer, we were exhausted. But we didn’t retire for the day until we got some shopping done.
DUTCH SHOPPING
RITUALS
Nope, I am not paid by Rituals to write reviews. I just love the stuff there. Haven’t tried their clothing collection yet. I only love their fragrances and all things that have them. When we spotted the Rituals store, our exhaustion evaporated and found ourselves galloping through their door!
My favourite Rituals products are:
- Touch of happiness – with orange and cedar wood. My everyday cream.
- The Oriental collection for women – with cacao and almonds. Leaves a hint of shimmer all over your body
- And the Samurai collection for men.
UNITED NUDE
I had never heard of United Nude until this visit. Eccentric shoes and designs that would make a boho-girl (like me) skip a step. Apparently, Lady Gaga is a fan too. I got a really colourful pair that I wear on hopelessly dull days.
Well, that’s all that I could put together from pictures and the other stuff that I brought back for our travel-wall. Hope this makes you want to go to Amsterdam, just as much as I do.
À bientôt and bon voyage!