Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 

You can click here for a recent publication in the NY Times "36 Hours in Amsterdam" for some great information.
 
Recently we were lucky enough to visit Amsterdam at the end of our Avalon river cruise.  I am so excited to visit this beautiful city again in 2016!  We just didn't have enough time last year to do everything that I wanted to do!  Here are some of the highlights of Amsterdam, some of which we have done and some we have left to do!  

Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands, is a beautiful city with a lively, but laid back atmosphere.  There are 90 islands that are linked by 1200 bridges over the canals on both sides of the Amstel River.  Home to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, there is much to see and do here so we tried to make the most of our 2 days here.

1) Take a canal boat cruise! One of our tour inclusions was a canal boat cruise.  It was a hot day and our particular seats (which were located directly behind Josh Groban) on the canal boat afforded little breeze but we saw lots of sights and enjoyed our tour guide, the Josh Groban look-alike! Amsterdam is home to 165 historic canals, and floating on a canal tour makes for a memorable and magical way to discover the city.  There are numerous tour options, including everything from private charter boats to open-top boats, and even hop-on hop-off boats.  You can even have a candlelight dinner cruise or a pizza cruise!  Click here for more information or to make a reservation

One of the many house boats we saw!

2) Red Light District -That evening we took a tour of Amsterdam’s night life and the notorious red light district.  This tour consisted of a canal boat ride and a walking tour and again we had Josh Groban as our tour guide… do you see a pattern here?  Anyway, the tour was great although the district was REALLY crowded.  I don’t know how our guide kept up with us; or perhaps we were keeping up with him so that we wouldn’t get lost.  Anyway, New Orleans is NOTHING compared to Amsterdam’s red light district.  You will see the "working girls" on display in their "offices.  Photographs of the women are NOT allowed; if you attempt to take one, a burly bouncer will likely take your camera. The sights and smells (you know what I mean) were overwhelming.  There are many coffee shops where you can have cannabis brownies and such if you so desire.  I was glad to get back to the peace & calm of our ship; but I’m glad that I saw the district.

3) Anne Frank House -The next day we headed off on foot to find the Anne Frank House for our afternoon tour.  To avoid the long lines, we had purchased in advance online and it was well worth it!  The lines were huge!  Our directions were to go to a separate door and ring the buzzer.  We were ushered right in and began our tour.  The title of the brochure, or tour guide booklet, is “Anne Frank House – A museum with a story”.  This was a very sobering experience and I was overcome with tears, especially toward the end of the tour.  If you haven’t read The Diary of Anne Frank, you should do so and if you visit Amsterdam, be sure to visit this wonderful museum.  Anne Frank, her family and a small group of others hid here for two years during the Nazi occupation.  During this time of hiding, Anne wrote a diary that comes to a stop only a few days before the family was betrayed.  Anne's father was the only one of the eight in hiding that survived and after the war, in 1947, he published the diary.

4) Take a bike ride!  There are more than 800,000 bicycles in Amsterdam... more bikes than people!  There's a large network of bike lanes, running alongside the city streets, that even have their own traffic signals and lights. You must be aware at all times or you may be hit by a bike!  You will see all sizes and shapes and colors of bikes, many of which are decorated to the nines!  Next to the train station is a HUGE bicycle parking garage.

5) Get some culture and visit the Rijksmuseum, arguably the greatest collection of Dutch art in the world.  It has undergone a huge refurbishment, completed in 2013, that cost 375 Euros and took ten years.  The Rijksmuseum is  home to thousands of masterpieces, including Rembrandt's greatest work, The Night Watch.  With over 8,000 pieces to see, you could easily spend an entire day here.  

6) Dam Square and the Royal Palace - Dam Square was created in the 13th century when a dam was built around the river Amstel to prevent the sea from flooding the city.  During the 1960's the square was known for its Dam Square hippies.  Of all the attractions in Dam Square, Koninklijk Palace (the Royal Palace) is the best known.  The building started out as Amsterdam's City Hall in the mid 1600's and was made a palace in the early 19th century for Napoleon's brother.  Although no longer home to the Dutch Royal family, the grand palace is still used to hold official ceremonies and receptions.

7) Visit the Bloemenmarkt, the world's only floating flower market!  It lines the Singel canal with barges containing beautiful flowers so that you can smell and purchase some tulips.  Ah tulips, truly a symbol of Dutch culture!

8) Dine in Amsterdam! One of the ways that I like to experience a locale is through local cuisine so for our first night’s dinner we headed out to Kantjil & de Tijger on Spuistraat to experience an Indonesian rijstaffel, pronounced rice-taffle (rice table).  Rijstaffels are a selection of various specialties, served in small bowls and platters.  We chose one that included chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, and of course rice & included appetizer, salad, and entrée.  We experienced a range of flavors, textures, and levels of spiciness (nothing was too spicy) and our party of six was happy. 

The following day it rained all day until 5 pm!  Nonetheless, we ventured out for more exploration, just wandering the streets and enjoying the sights.  Overcome by thirst on this hot afternoon, we stopped at Dante for a cool beverage and some people watching.  Watching the people in Amsterdam is fascinating; you see all sorts of people & attire.  .

We chose to dine on our final evening in Amsterdam at Restaurant Haesje Claes for some traditional Dutch cuisine.  As the website says, the restaurant occupies six, epic buildings, in which the original architectural features such as little steps, corridors and hallways all have been preserved. Likewise, the exterior of the building is a beautiful example of traditional Dutch architecture. All chambers are breathing a century old ambiance, perfectly suited for a comfortable and casual lunch or dinner.   I tried the stamppot, a traditional Dutch dish made of potatoes mashed with vegetable(s), bacon, sausage, meatball.  There were four choices on the menu and I chose the Hotchpotch which was potatoes mashed with carrots & onions and the bacon, sausage, and meatball.  It was definitely comfort food; reminded me of meatloaf with mashed potatoes!  A side of mustard was served to accompany the sausage.  Hubby ordered the calves liver with onions, bacon and apple and another of our group ordered mussels cooked in white wine… and oh what a dish this was!  Again, as with the mussels in Paris, there must’ve been 100 mussels in the pot!  There was a great selection of wines and beer and service was great.  We were seated in the Blue Room, which was intimate and cozy.  Prices were reasonable and servings were large.  It’s a “be back” kind of place.

Dutch Foods to Try:

Haring -Try herring from a haringhandel (herring cart).  You'll see them everywhere.  Raw herring doesn't sound particularly appetizing to me, but the Dutch love raw herring.  Dutch herring are traditionally eaten by holding the fish by the tail and dunking it into your mouth with your head thrown back. If that doesn't seem appealing, haring can also be eaten in bite size pieces or on a sandwich called broodje haring; ask for a broodje haring to get the fish served in a small sandwich with pickles and onions, and perhaps sour cream.  Frens Harinhandel, located on the Singel, across from the Flower Market, gets great reviews on Tripadvisor.  

Poffertjes - small, fluffy, baby pancakes. Poffertjes are typically served topped with powdered sugar and butter.

Thanks to my friend, Diana, for the photo!

Bitterballen - deep-fried snacks, served in cafes and bars all over the Netherlands. These tasty snacks are battered in a crunchy breadcrumb coating and filled with a mixture of chopped beef, beef broth, flour, butter, herbs and spices. They are typically served with mustard for dipping and are a tasty combination with beer.

Stroopwafel -  delicious chewy cookie (syrup waffle) was first made in the town of Gouda in the Netherlands during the 18th century. This sweet snack is a waffle cookie made from two thin layers of batter with a sticky syrup (stroop) filling in the middle. You can buy them in packages at most grocery stores and bakeries in the Netherlands, as well as freshly made at street stands and markets.

Kaas (cheese).  The Netherlands’ most famous and popular cheeses are Gouda and Edam.  Did you know that Gouda is not pronounced "gooo-dah", but rather with the Dutch hard G, something like "how-dah".  The Dutch eat cheese for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a snack! (I think I must be Dutch as much as I love cheese).

Patat – Dutch French Fries are called many things: Friet, Frites, Patat or Vlaamse frieten. They are served with a lot of toppings such as mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, curry or peanut sauce. A popular combination of toppings is mayonnaise, raw chopped onions and peanut sauce and is called patatje oorlog (‘fries at war’).

Stamppot is an old-style Dutch dish. It is made of mashed potatoes mixed with one or more vegetables like kale, carrots, endive or sauerkraut. It is often served with rookworst.

Rookworst - is a Dutch smoked sausage. It is most often eaten with stamppot.

Lekkerbekje and Kibbeling – This is Dutch style fish and chips, but without the chips.  Both are battered and deep-fried white fish, commonly codfish or whiting from the North Sea. The only difference between these two is that kibbeling is cut into chunks, while lekkerbekje is not.

Our Hotel, last year in Amsterdam - The Movenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre. It was really located within walking distance from the pier but would have been a little difficult with our 50 pounds of luggage each.   The walk from the Movenpick to the city center is approximately 25 to 30 minutes from the hotel through the train station to the city center.  Next time, I will stay somewhere closer to the city center. 
Here's a view from our hotel room:


And here's a photo of all the river cruise ships docked near us!


Here are my thoughts regarding Movenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre:  I was a bit disappointed in this hotel after reading some of the great reviews on Tripadvisor.. perhaps I just expected more.   Check-in and check-out were efficient and the concierge and bell hops were helpful.  Our included breakfast was excellent and offered something for everyone; I especially enjoyed the mini Dutch pancakes, poffertjes!  Our room was not cleaned until late afternoon on our first day there and on the second day, the housekeeper arrived after 4 pm and we were beginning to get ready for an evening out so we just got clean towels.  One couple in our group had water pressure and hot water availability problems and notified the front desk when first discovered.  This issue was not resolved until the evening prior to our departure; so they were able to get a nice hot shower before our early flight home!  The walk from the hotel to the city center and train station is perhaps a 25 minute walk, not a 10 minute walk (unless you are running!).  Of course, you could catch a tram across from the hotel and be there more quickly.  The hotel offered complimentary shuttle service, but the van only seated 8 people so was usually filled to capacity which meant that you would have to wait 30 minutes or more for the next available shuttle.   Bottom line:  I do not plan to stay here again; this time I want to be at a better hotel that really is in the city center!  

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