Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a beautiful city and the network of canals zigzagging across the city with the charming and picturesque canal houses completely blew us away. We had heard that Amsterdam was known as the ‘Venice of the North’ but we were amazed to see how the canals simply circulated life and energy into the body of the city.

The canals and the canal houses were just incredibly beautiful, appealing and fascinating. We took the 90-minute canal cruise through the Blue Boat tour company. As we cruised and ducked into small canals and traversed the length and the breadth of the city, we were entertained and educated on the history and geography of the place through the running commentary on headphones. The area around the Centraal train station was very touristy, busy and full of people. The train station itself was a magnificent building. 

Amsterdam was a very walkable and a charming city. We walked everywhere. Sometimes I read up on interesting sights and deliberately headed to a landmark in particular but most times we just walked around and came upon sights and places of interest. Sometimes we just happened to come across quirky street corners and plazas where it was the perfect opportunity to simply people watch and get a feel for the place.

We loved the public transportation in Amsterdam. We familiarized ourselves with the excellent tram and bus system and put it to good use. Of course, the majority of people (locals and visitors alike) use bicycles to get by but neither of us was particularly fond of cycling so we avoided that popular activity.  I always knew Amsterdam was a city of bikers but was not prepared to see the multitude of bikes and the complete supremacy the bikers wield on the roads!! We almost got run over by the bikers numerous times. Even the locals would joke that Amsterdam is a very safe place except for the bikers - they are out to get you because they always believe they have the right of way every time!! 

We visited the famous Red Light district in the daytime and it was very fascinating and not in the least bit seedy.
Our hotel was close to Leidseplein and that was a lively hub of activity, packed with both tourists and locals until late at night. There were plenty of ethnic and pub type restaurants with outdoor seating areas merging on to one another. It was a popular hang out for college kids in large numbers who were happy to stand on the street bordering loud bars, talking and laughing with the perennial drink in their hands.

Amongst the other squares we frequented and enjoyed was Rembrandtplein which was lively and throbbing with energy, and also the historic Dam Square which felt like the epicenter of the action - very busy and packed but very touristy, almost like Times Square. 

The museums were all magnificently congregated around Museumplein and the whole area was lovely. The museums’ architecture alone was worth admiring even before we stepped in through the majestic doors.
At the back of the Rijksmuseum, was the immensely popular new I AMSTERDAM sign that is a great photo opp. At any given time there were hordes of excited tourists climbing on top or even squeezing themselves ‘inside’ the letters happy to create the ultimate tourist memory. We did not want to be left out of the fun and attempted our own unique photo ideas as well.

Around there was a lovely lake and right next door was the lush and lavish Vondel Park, the largest park in Amsterdam. This would be the ideal destination to head to with a picnic in tow and just relax in the shady glens.
   
We purchased specific timing tickets to the Anne Frank house. It was a very moving, somber experience as we visited the actual house where she was hiding from the Nazi persecution. It is a small but very meaningful and touching museum with highlights from her famous dairy that was written here.

One day, walking further away from the bustling train station, we walked some more until we reached the Doubletree hotel.

 We went to the rooftop to enjoy a nice cup of coffee and take in some incredible views all around.  It was quite lovely. This was a more modern part of town. The public library next door to the hotel was absolutely beautiful. It looked quite new and was very well designed with bright, wide spaces. We enjoyed a light snack and a drink at the lively roof terrace cafeteria, boasting great views of the city.
 
I was very fascinated with the architecture of Amsterdam. The adorable, doll-like canal houses were such a fascinating sight; I never got tired of admiring them in the different lights of the day. At other parts of the city, there were some very intriguing and fascinating modern buildings with unique details, curves and designs. One was the futuristic looking EYE – the Film Institut Nederland. Also very striking was the NEMO Science Center that looked like a green bow of a huge ship rising from the water. There was plenty to occupy the young and the young at heart inside the exhibits of this science center. The roof terrace of the building was fun to get to and to enjoy fantastic views of the city.

We went to the BloemenMarkt, the floating flower market.  It was a delight for the all the senses. We took our time to browse through each fragrant shop. The famous Dutch tulips beautifully lined the walls as colorful wallpaper. These shops are established on top of houseboats and barges.
 
We did most of our walking and exploring around the three main canals in Amsterdam - Herengracht, Keizergracht and Prinsengracht. (‘gracht’ stands for canal). Just around these canals, is the Jordaan area - a very hip area full of small boutiques, shops and cafes. We would explore this area everyday. Just like Manhattan’s grid-like city layout with the avenues and the streets, the streets and canals out here would intersect and create blocks to explore and identify.

We browsed along the two big pedestrian shopping streets - Leiderstradt and Kalversstraat. Almost at all times, these streets were very lively and busy and always full of people visiting the lively shops on either side. 
Amsterdam is famous for its cheese and tulips and right across from the Anne Frank house was the Cheese museum and the Tulip museum. It was a cute and winsome place to buy tulips or cheese. We indulged in sampling a lot of the different cheese varieties before we settled on a few to take back.

Also by Anne Frank house was the beautiful Westerkerk church which was lovely to visit. It was especially pretty to see the ‘Ouwe Wester, Amsterdam’s highest church tower. The graceful steeple ended in the elegant, bright blue crown.

We tried a lot of different cuisines in Amsterdam. Ethnic restaurants seemed more abundant than authentic Dutch food restaurants. It was almost cheaper to buy beer than water!

We took a few day trips. We took the train to Koog-Zaandijk, about 15-20 minute away. From the train station it was about a 10-minute walk to this lovely village of Zaanse Schaan where we spent a fun and educational afternoon exploring. A lovely, authentic Dutch village with the old-fashioned wooden windmills, homes and barns has been created in the Dutch wooden architectural style of the earlier century.  It was very peaceful and charming and we loved the immaculate green houses and the pleasant countryside. This was what the village in the 17th and 18th century must have looked like. We saw several functioning mills and traditional workshops of the local craftsmen.
 

We also took a bus tour and went to Delft, The Hague and Madurodam. Delft is a small town known for its famous blue and white pottery and we went to the factory to see how this it was made and of course we were encouraged to buy. Then we were dropped off for about 45 minutes in the charming city center square. We were there on a Saturday and we enjoyed the picturesque, bustling weekend market. There were some local school performances going on and it was lively and fun.

The Hague is an interesting town because of its history and because it is the seat of the Dutch government, but on this tour we did not get off the bus but drove around with the guide pointed out the various important buildings, embassies and the Peace Palace.

Then we went on to Madurodam. This fascinating park that showcased almost all of Netherlands but on a smaller scale, was fascinating and captivating. This miniature village was so interesting that the one-hour stop we had here was woefully inadequate to enjoy the new innovations and renovations. The major attractions and the buildings were all built precisely, mini replicas mimicking the architectural details and the appropriate paint colors. We did feel like Gulliver in a miniature city where we could walk around and look down and peep into the buildings. It was more than just a land built on a 1:25 scale, it was interactive and interesting.  We could do activities in all the three main areas – the Old City with its adorable replicas of ornate and cute canal houses; Water World that showcased the different uses of water especially their cutting edge irrigation techniques and water power; and Innovation island that displayed ideas showcasing Netherlands as an inspiration for the world.  

We also took the 20-minute train ride to the beach town of Zandvoort. The beach was right by the train station. It was a lovely stretch of sandy beach fringed by coastal dunes. There were many fish stalls and eating places dotting the edge of the beach. We bought some traditional herring (meant to be eaten whole) and fried fish on paper plates and picnicked on the soft sand. We stayed there all evening enjoying the pleasant atmosphere until the blazing orange sun dipped into the sea close to 10pm. 

We had spent several days sightseeing around Amsterdam and so we decided to use our last whole day to see Antwerp. It was going to be an easy train ride there and we set off the next morning. Less than 2 hours into our journey, our train stopped and every single passenger was asked to disembark. We found out that there was some sort of breakdown on the train tracks ahead and we would just have to wait and see. After about an hour, and after consulting several train conductors, we took a train that sort of detoured around the broken down tracks. In fact we had to take not one but four separate trains that kept us on the circuitous path that diverged away from the track failure. Several hours later, we reached Antwerp after having been on an unsolicited scenic train tour of the Netherlands. Looking back, I wonder what made us determined to get to Antwerp just for the day. Once we arrived and indulged in the famous Belgian waffles, at least my daughter could contentedly say it was worth it.