Hey !
I took some time off, right before starting school again we decided to go to Amsterdam for the week-end ! We found quite cheap plane and bus tickets, so it wasn’t such a huge expense. A little extra holiday before starting the year is great in my opinion 🙂
I’ve never been to Amsterdam before, or to any part of Holland, so it was completely new to me (even though European countries have lots of similarities). I was with Victor and some relatives, we were a small group of 5.
• The City of Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a small city, and as many European cities : it has lots of narrow streets to get lost while wandering around. The architecture is quite original, full of character, and very heterogeneous. The shapes are fun or crooked, with red windows or black walls. Every house is different and it’s really pleasant to see.
Also, Amsterdam is very know for its bicycles : they’re everywhere ! if you want to walk, be very careful to not walk on the bike lane, cyclists will NOT stop if you’re in their way.
A bit of autumn was already there too, with lots of seasonal vegetables :
Also the nightlife seemed to be very active and colorful, with a lot of lights. We saw a lot of gay friendly bars too, but the people there weren’t necessarily gay themselves. It was all very casual, dutch people seem to be very open minded !
• Good Places For Food
Before coming here I’ve done some research on what to see, and especially where to eat. As you may have noticed from my Colombia Travel Diaries, food is in my opinion a huge part of a country’s culture. The ingredients, techniques, tastes… every part of a country’s cuisine shows a bit of its history and population.
Here are some adresses recommended by others on the internet, and that I can confirm are awesome :
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The Pancake Bakery
I didn’t know they made pancakes in Holland, and now that I’ve tasted them I don’t know why I didn’t ! This was really a tasty, comforting, and nourishing meal. We thought we would have lunch later that day (we woke up kind of late so this was our breakfast at 11 a.m.), but no, it was actually as filling as a whole lunch !
My pancake was apple & bacon, topped with maple syrup. Loved the savory-sweet combination !
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Termarsch & Co.
This place, as many others, had a sign stating that they offered the best burger in town : it was absolutely true. A Wagyu/Black Angus beef steak, fresh salad and tomatoes, dutch cheese, grilled spicy pickles, and a creamy plum sauce, topped with warm golden buns. Perfection in a nutshell ! ?
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The Pantry
If like me you have no idea of what Dutch cuisine actually looks like, this restaurant is perfect for you. They serve many traditional dishes, like 3 different purees with gravy and meatball, pea soup with rye bread and ham, stewed cow with cabbage cooked in wine…
Be careful to remember the name of your dish though, so when the waiter asks who ordered the “zuurkoolstamppot“, you’ll know if it’s yours or not !
• Venice of The North
Amsterdam is seemed to be called the “Venice of the North“, because of its large amount of canals flowing though its hearth. This makes the city even more enjoyable, with the sound of water and the boats navigating on it. People even use boats as houses, with a mailbox and all !
• Cannabis Everything
As you may know, recreational use of cannabis is legal here in Amsterdam. I’m not a fan myself, but since the majority of countries around haven’t legalized cannabis, lots and lots of tourists actually come to Amsterdam only to legally enjoy this drug. Because of that, you can find so many products made with cannabis here, especially completely random ones like chocolate, soap, lotions, or ice cream ! It’s very peculiar.
• The Red District
While we’re at it with illegal things that are legal in Amsterdam : prostitution. Here you can find a whole district dedicated to this, where professional women actually work in small cabins with a window display, like in a shop. As long as it’s their choice to work there, I don’t think it’s good or bad considering that everything is well supervised. But it’s quite intriguing to see how differently our societies evolved about some subjects !
• On The Edge of A’DAM
We went to this building called the A’DAM Lookout, it’s a huge building where you can have a full view of Amsterdam from very high. You can find the highest swing in the world there, right on the edge of the roof ! There were also fun places to take silly pictures, like this one where you can see me and my boyfriend on a huge red horse ?
• The Torture Museum
Okay, I know there are way greater museums to see here, such as the Anne Frank museum, the Rembrandt museum, the Van Gogh museum… And I swear next time I’m in Amsterdam, I will visit them. But this time we just didn’t have the time to wait in the loooong lines, there was just too many people and too little time !
The torture museum was nice, if you’re interested by these kind of things. I find it gruesome but fascinating, to see how much thought people put in those painful instruments, medieval times weren’t great times to be alive for sure.
This is all we managed to do in two days !
The very next Monday I started school again, that’s also a reason why I’ve been quite busy lately.
What did you think of our dutch break ?
Have you ever been to Amsterdam yourself ? 🙂
Very well articulated..Sounds you had an amazing experience in just 2 days..
Thank you Akhil ! I’m glad you enjoyed my post ?
I love you photos! You had some really great shots to kick off the blog. Thank you for the food recommendations! I’d love to go one day and try The Pancake Bakery.
Thanks dear ! The pancake is definitely a must try ?✨
I went to Amsterdam in the late 90’s when I was an exchange student. Holland is beautiful- the country and the people.
I went to the Anne Frank Museum and the Rijksmuseum when I visited Amsterdam, and it was one of the best experiences of my life ??
I wanted to do these two museums too… but the lines were soooo long ! with only two days we decided to do something else. But I’ll definitely visit both when I come back ?
Amsterdam is very beautiful…. loved those multi colored pumpkins…..
Me too ! such a particular place ?✨
Super cool!
Thanks ! It really was ?✨
I’m heading to Amsterdam this weekend! This was very helpful xx
I’m glad you found it helpful ! I hope your stay was great too ?✨
amazing thank you!
One of my favourite cities in the world. I’ve never visited the torture museum though! (Though did visit the Sex Museum- eek!)
I would have too, but we ran out of time, next time I’ll visit it too ! I’m sure it’ll be interesting haha ?
I’ve always wanted to visit Amsterdam! Defiantly my next trip!Xx
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did ! ?
Hey ! First thing first your pics are awesome, I mean, they’re vibrant ! Plus the format of your post and the way you’re writing are so pleasant.
I’ve never been in Amsterdam myself (but of course I’d like to). And I have to go to this burger place !
Thank you dear ! I’m really glad you liked my pictures and post ?? You definitely should go to that place, and order any of the award winner burgers ! ✨
I want to go to Amsterdam so bad!!!
Haha, I hope you manage to go ! ?
Great pictures! I went to Amsterdam around Christmas a while ago and actually got lost by myself for two hours…not great lol! It is such a cool city though!
Oh that must’ve been awful with the winter cold ! Thanks Isabella ?
Loved this post! Good luck with school!
Thanks Cordelia ! I need some haha ?✨
So neat (: I’ve had a few friends share their vacation thoughts on Amsterdam and it was agreed that the amount of bikes/cycling there is insane! That museum looks cool & creepy haha glad you enjoyed your time. Good luck with school xoxo
How cool ! It’s amazing how different countries don’t work the same at all ✨ Thanks kitty ! I’m already suffering haha ?
Loved it…could you check my recent blog and temme how is it
Thanks ! Yeah sure ?
I loved all the pictures. Great angles!
Thank you ! I’m really glad you love them ?
I would love to visit Amsterdam, the houses are very cute! Really good photography! I would love it if you’d take a minute to check out my latest post of my trip to New York:)
Thank you dear ! As a total amateur I appreciate the compliment ?✨ Yeah sure !
I loved Amsterdam.. would love to go back again some time, despite nearly being run over by cyclists way too many times. Also, love your blog, just discovered it — it’s super cute!! 🙂
Haha this is absolutely true, cyclists rule the city ! ?I’m really glad to hear that you like my blog, thank you dear ?
Love your post! I’ve never been to Amsterdam but you’re pictures are intriguing and I’m very interested in this place now. Thanks for writing this!
I’m glad I made you curious about Amsterdam ! ? Thank you dear, have a lovely day ?
Been there and wanna see again. Although that cannabis smell all around and cyclist bumping in you if you don’t watch out, it is charming. All people are so friendly. Thank you for reminding that. All the best!
That’s very true ! But every city has its flaw ? Best wishes and thanks for stopping by ! ✨
Love your photos and layout!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it ! ??
LOVE Amsterdam 🙂
Me too now ? Thanks for stopping by !
I’m visiting here next month, this post has made me even more excited! Thanks for the tips lovely x
You’re welcome ! ? I hope you’ll have a great stay !