AMSTERDAM ADVENTURES!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

My second trip of the year was to the lovely and crazy city of Amsterdam. A couple of us (Barbara, Lisa and Mary) went over to celebrate Barbara's birthday, around the weekend of St Patrick's Day. This has been my second time travelling with Barbara and Lisa on St Patrick's Day (flashback to Valencia in 2014 below); we have a tradition of leaving the country every year around this time.

TRANSPORT

I was extremely impressed with Amsterdam's infrastructure. Transport in most of Europe tends to be very plentiful and efficient, but Amsterdam topped most cities I have visited in terms of how many options you have. There's trains, trams, buses, the subway, Uber and of course bicycles. Everything runs every 10-15 mins and is moderately priced. We each bought a 3 day unlimited travel pass which you can buy in the airport as soon as you land, and this gives you access to all of the above transport and we paid around €30 euro.

THINGS TO SEE & DO

This was my first time visiting Amsterdam, and it did not disappoint. It's a city of paradoxes and contrast. On the one hand, you have these beautiful and picturesque canals, coupled with gorgeous guild houses and impressive architecture. Every corner of the city that we walked, you couldn't help but stop and take a picture, it's very idyllic, and kind of took me by surprise. I have been to cities such as Paris and Barcelona before which are very European and Romantic, and for some reason I expected Amsterdam to be a bit more cold, in terms of mood. However, it truly felt European. We spent the majority of the first day walking around and taking it all in. We of course had to stop at the canals for an impromptu photoshoot to get some candid shots.

Dam Square

St Nicholas Basilica

Magna Plaza Shopping Mall

 On the other hand, Amsterdam also has a dark side, which also gives it part of its charm. From sex shows to The Red Light District to the infamous "coffeehouses" (where you can be sure you won't be getting coffee), the city is also a playground for adults and encompasses a certain seediness; which is part of the experience and appeal to tourists. After an exhausting day of walking, we headed to a "coffeehouse" called Dolphin's Coffeehouse for some much needed relaxation. The dramatic and hilarious events which followed definitely added to the trip overall. Those that went on the trip with me know exactly what I'm talking about... We also hit up one of the sex shows at Casa Rosso in The Red Light District. This isn't for everyone, but we wanted to experience it and I think everyone should. We found it funny how after a few minutes of watching, you grew immune to everything that was happening!

The Red Light District

We spent around 5 hours in the Rijksmuseum. Highly recommend going here if you're into museums and art. The collection is enormous, with 8000 pieces and it takes you through different art through the ages (18th - 21st Century), from Renaissance to Romanticism, right up to Post-Modernism. It also showcases the work of Rembrandt and Van Gogh who are native to The Netherlands. The building is also beautiful.

The Rijksmuseum

The Battle of Waterloo by Jan Willem Pieneman, 1824

One of the last things we did was a canal tour of the city. I really enjoyed this, as you take a break from walking and it provides a different perspective of the city, as well as learning a bit about the history. 

The Nemo Building

FOOD

The food in Amsterdam consists of a fusion of all European cuisine, ranging from French, German, Italian and local Dutch food. I found it all to be a bit on the pricey side, but of a very high standard and quality. The city is also full of street food, with lots of independent shops which specialise in pastries and desserts. Like New York, this was also a fat holiday... 3 places I highly recommend for food are:

• Bakers and Roasters - Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat 54, 1072 BH 
• Omelegg - Ferdinand Bolstraat 143, 1072 LH 
• Brasserie Ambassade - Herengracht 339, 1016 AZ 

Bakers and Roasters is the top trendy place in Amsterdam for breakfast and brunch. There is always a queue out the door and a minimum 45 minute wait, however it's absolutely worth it. They have a great service in which they have an electronic queue. They take down your number and text you a link in which you can see where you are on the queue. When your table is ready, they text you. Thankfully we waited in a cafe just next door until we got our table. The food and coffee are delicious and while they are from New Zealand, they use a lot of local Dutch produce. I highly recommend the Navajo Eggs which come with pulled BBQ pork, avocado, mango salsa & chipotle cream, served with two poached eggs on buttered hot toast. So good!

Omelegg is also another fantastic spot for brunch. They of course specialise in eggs & omelettes and it's just what you need if you've had too many the night before. They have a huge selection of fillings for your omelettes and also do amazing pastries and coffee.

Brasserie Ambassade is a French-style brasserie located by the canals. We went here for Barbara's birthday dinner on the night of Paddy's Day. This is a bit more on the high-end and is naturally more expensive, but the food is of excellent standard. I was far too hungry to take pictures this time, but I had some French Onion soup, followed by Sea Bass and finished off with some Creme Brûlée and a ton of red wine. Highly recommend this for a fine dining experience.

Bakers & Roasters

 I'm conscious of making this post too long after my New York blog post, therefore I'll leave it here. We also went to the Van Gogh museum, the Body Worlds Exhibition and The Sex Museum. We had intentions of going to the Anne Frank House but the queues were too long and we ran out of time. In summary, I love this city and I would love to go back during the summer. There's a great energy and vibe, it's both chilled and full of life and culture! 

And a very Happy Birthday to Barbara again, hope you had a great time :)

Tom.