Mellow Amsterdam

Indonesian food for dinner with bear
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The best part of Amsterdam was being with my parents. :) While smaller than some of the other European cities I’ve visited, Amsterdam was an interesting city. With more canals than Venice, it is a must for all tourists to get one of the canal bus ticket rides. The boats stopped at several main tourist locations while giving information about the buildings and areas that we passed on the water. We used the canal bus to get to the Anne Frank house. It had opened shortly before we arrived, but already the line was out the door and around the corner. By the time we left in the afternoon, it had continued to grow, so make sure to get there early in the morning when it first opens! The Anne Frank house was a powerful experience for me. Having read her diary and many other non-fiction and historical fiction about World War II and the Holocaust, walking through her house made everything more real and I really absorbed the impact of this time in history. Visitors walk through the house like a maze, with arrows directing people where to go next and helping to keep the flow of visitors steady. The house is completely unfurnished but many of Anne’s decorations are still on display on the walls. In each room, pictures and descriptions were posted to give visitors an idea of who lived where and what daily activities occurred. It’s amazing what human will can accomplish in order to live.

Mum and I and bear on the canal bus
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We spent a good portion of the first day walking around Amsterdam, looking at neat building and churches, and riding the canal bus around the city. The oddest and rather neat part of the buildings is that most were not built at 90 degree angles from the ground. Many buildings would have sides that leaned outward from the top floor to the roof. We assumed that they were built in such a manner as to provide more room for people living in these buildings. Space is at a premium in many of these European cities and this was a way of maximizing space while building up at the same time.

Anne Frank house
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Of course, the other striking abnormality about Amsterdam was the prevalence and acceptance of marijuana. While we never ventured into the red light district, many cafes and restaurants had signs saying Marijuana was allowed and welcome.

Due to our breakfast being included at our hotel, we decided that in the morning we would eat a hearty breakfast to last us until the afternoon when we would have a tea or coffee break instead of eating lunch. On our first day, we were walking toward Rembrandt square and stopped at the Chocolate Bar, a delicious slice of heaven. Mum and I ordered hot chocolate, which tasted like a dark chocolate bar had been melted and mixed with a little bit of creamy milk. It was true hot chocolate.

one of the many beautiful canals
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We did a little window shopping in Amsterdam too. There are several shopping streets with a huge variety of products. The main shopping street, Kalverstraat, was a zoo of people and filled with popular European clothing and accessory stores. On a quieter street near Rembrandtplein, Utrechtsestraat, we found a little jewelry store, IDee Mode – Accessories that had the greatest collection of fun, not-too-expensive, brightly colored jewelry. Mum and I spent quite a bit of time trying on different rings and necklaces. I wish I could’ve brought the whole store home with me and plopped it down in the middle of 23rd.

stroopwaffle
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Another shopping area to visit is the Albert Cuyp Market. It is mostly an outdoor market with a mixture of random stalls and clothing on display from the permanent shops/stores lining both sides of the street. It was a fascinating street full of produce and meat and cheese and bread as well as shoes, clothing and random trash. Here mum and I ate a fresh off the griddle stroopwaffle. It’s a Dutch treat, often paired with coffee or tea, that consists of melty syrup sandwiched between two paper-thin waffles. Delish!

we were the three little bears
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Another fun place was the floating tulip shops located on Singel by a canal. There were loads of different tulips for sale as well as Dutch souvenirs. Also on the same street was a Christmas shop, in which mum and I spent a glorious time. While not as amazing as some Christmas shops, it did succeed in putting me in the holiday spirit and had several fun Christmas decorations.

Our hotel was located next to the museum district and so we were within easy walking distance of the Rijks Museum, Amsterdam’s museum of masterpieces. Unfortunately, most of the museum was closed for renovation but they did have 400 of their most famous works on display. We bought the audio guide and spent three hours learning about Dutch history and the progression of art in the Netherlands. I really enjoyed this museum because I was able to learn more about The Netherlands as a country in addition to the art on display.

canal bus
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Our final evening in Amsterdam was spent at the wonderful local restaurant Stoop and Stoop. Here I ate the most amazing salad. On a bed of fresh greens were a variety of vegetables (including corn…the Europeans sure do like their corn in their salads) topped with a piece of toast and a thick slice of melted goat cheese all drizzled with some light honey. Unfortunately I was so excited to start eating I forgot to take a picture.

Overall, Amsterdam was friendly and easy to get around in. I think it was a perfect introduction to Europe for first time visitors as it’s not too overwhelming (although the quantity of illegal activity is a bit surprising at first) and many locals are friendly and willing to help.