A SHORT VISIT TO AMSTERDAM

We boarded a bus in Paris, and eight hours later we were in Amsterdam. Along the way we passed French countryside, stopped at a gas station in Belgium where of course we bought chocolate (when in Belgium, one must buy chocolate!), drove through Brussels city centre and on to the capital of the Netherlands. I am so grateful for opting to catch buses across the country. Not only are they the absolute cheapest option, but if you’re a window gazer like me, you can spend almost your entire journey having a free tour of the countryside.

We arrived in Amsterdam at dusk, caught a tram to the city centre and made our way to our hotel. Yes a hotel! We decided to spoil ourselves for our four days in Amsterdam. The city is well known for it’s expensive accommodation, and after spending hours looking on Airbnb to no avail, we booked a 20 person dorm room. But I quickly had regrets… Sometimes you’re not sure how many times you’ll visit a place in your lifetime, and whilst I like hostels… I’m not sure a 20 bed dorm ‘party’ environment is really suited to my personality. So we made good use of our free cancelation and found a sweet little hotel that was on a last minute special (three great websites to find hotel deals are Trivago, Lastminute and Expedia!) I’m so glad we spent the extra money, and really appreciated having our calm room to escape the lively city at the end of the day.

For our first day in Amsterdam I told Martin to take the map and lead us. I’m a slight control freak (I can’t help it, I love having the map!) so I handed over the duty for the day. We spent that morning exploring the streets near our hotel, grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch and for the afternoon we rode bikes in Vondelpark (If there’s one thing I recommend doing in Amsterdam, hire a bike! And if you’re brave ride it around the city, and if you’re not brave (like me) spend your afternoon cruising around the beautiful park).

Our hotel gave us a cute map of the city with hand-drawn illustrations and the first thing my eyes saw was market! The Ten Kate Market was quite small, with a mixture of junky bits/bobs, fresh produce and food stalls. It felt very ‘local’ and I bought a 1 euro bottle of fresh squeezed orange juice that was delicious.

Glancing over at the famous Flower Market, we didn’t actually make our way into this market (we saw three markets while in Amsterdam and I didn’t want to drag poor Martin to another…) but I couldn’t help but snap a picture of the beautiful houses that sit behind it. The architecture in Amsterdam is probably my favourite in the world! Each building is unique and filled with it’s own character, almost like it has a personality. Different shapes, colours, sizes and angles, they lean into one another like close friends in embrace. Some even have their age written on the front, dating as far back as the 1400’s.

Morning rays beaming through our hotel window. Hot cups of tea, cool spring breeze and a new day of exploring. When I first wake up I’m confused as to what country we are in. We’ve travelled five countries in less than two months! And the most amazing part is so many of us can do this. We are not rich, we did have things tying us down, and it wasn’t easy, but we made the decision to see this dream through and we stuck to it. The hardest part was saying yes, the rest was simple!

My favourite market in Amsterdam was the Waterlooplein Market. Which was completely dictated by their piles and piles of 1 euro vintage! I died and went to old-clothes heaven. Yes, I lost all self control and bought two dresses, a skirt, denim shirt and peterman collar blouse (and yes, I had to post all these home from Germany when my bag was too heavy… you live and learn!). If vintage isn’t your thing. this market is still totally worth it! Lots of antique treasures (pins, tins, vinyls, forks, cameras and more), handmade goodies, and new stuff too.

I couldn’t take more than 10 steps in Amsterdam before needing to take a photo. It really is that beautiful. Just look at these cakes in the window! Every few shops there would be a bakery emitting a delicious scent of freshly baked goods that we’re almost too good to resist.

Last market on the list was the Albert Cuyp Market. A great excuse to visit this market is that it is located in the cute suburb of De Pijp. Home to a wonderful mixture of cultures and nationalities, this sweet little neighbourhood is a little further away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, but close enough to stroll over on foot if you please. Popular with students and artists, De Pijp is vibrant, filled with funky cafes (both the coffee and herb kind), vintage shops, eclectic stores and bars.

On our way back to the centre we took our time walking through the narrow streets peering into windows and photographing houses.

Another favourite district of Amsterdam that we explored was Jordaan! What used to be a poor, working class neighbourhood has been transformed into one of the most expensive, charming and famous parts of Amsterdam.

It’s the kind of place that doesn’t have specific ‘sights’ to see, rather you should get lost within the winding streets discovering small specialty shops and cafes.

At night Amsterdam transforms, not only in beauty but also the ‘party’ nightlife. We stopped by the red-light district just out of curiosity but it’s really not my thing. Although the streets are extremely beautiful by lamplight.

 In Amsterdam, Coffeeshops are alcohol-free establishments where soft drugs are sold and consumed. They are entirely different from the western view of a ‘Coffee Shop’ (cafe) but whilst they might still sell coffee, they most certainly will be selling weed too. Everyone aged 18 and above is currently allowed to enter coffeeshops and purchase, but if this isn’t your thing, don’t let that scare you away from visiting this beautiful place! Coffeeshops are a part of the culture in Amsterdam, but it’s not at all ‘in your face’ and you can easily not even notice these places while visiting the city.

Beautiful during both the day and night, canals are the highlight of Amsterdam. I’ve never visited a city with so much water weaving between the streets. By day boats and birds float along happily beneath the many bridges, and by night the water shimmers with colours and reflections. I loved every moment in this city. The people are kind, the food is delicious, every street is picturesque and you’re never looking for something to see or do. If visiting Europe, Amsterdam is a city you simply cannot miss from your ‘to-see’ list. We both agree we’ll be seeing this fairytale city again.

❤