Amsterdam
After a few days of some glorious hikes through the Alps and spending some time visiting friends in Germany and Switzerland, we made our way to the great city of Amsterdam. I always pictured our visit biking through the Netherlands but that didn’t happen. Instead we took the advice of a very good friend, Jan Vink, and walked around the city on foot and then ventured outside the core to get another perspective of the Netherlands.
I wasn’t sure how to write this blog in an interesting way to get a full picture of our adventures, so I thought I’d include the actual emails (edited version) that Jan and I sent back and forth when planning our trip. I’ll couple those with some photos that we took along the way to help fill in the blanks. Hope you enjoy!
from Kelly…2023-06-17
Hi my friend. Hope everyone is good! If you have time, can you send me any travel suggestions for the Netherlands. Places to go? Outdoor areas? Amsterdam? Miss you guys!
from Jan…2023-06-18
Hello Kelly and Brent. Nice to hear from you. Fun to follow your adventures.
As for Amsterdam ... I’m so envious. It’s a strange, edgy kind of place but full of beautiful architecture, canals, diverse people, great street food and restaurants and cafes ... and fabulous collections of art. It’s not grand in the same way London, or Paris, or Rome is grand ... but its grandeur is in its history and people. It was after all the centre of the universe in the 16th century and much of what remains today is from that time.
First of all, I’d say Amsterdam is a walking city ... so on your first day, I’d just walk out your front door with a map and start wandering ... any direction ... and you’ll encounter something of interest. I guess it really depends on how much time you plan to spend there, but if you have the time - just go out and see what you stumble upon ... find a cafe (they are truly everywhere) and sit yourselves down for a while with a cup of good coffee or some good Dutch beer and watch the goings on and the passers-by. Anywhere in the canal ring would be good.
If you only have a few days and you want to hit some of my must see spots, I’d start with both the Rijksmuseum (and the Van Gogh museum) and although it may sound touristy, the Anne Frank Huis. If you’ve read the diary or at least know the story, it is an incredibly moving experience to be there and walk through the rooms where the families hid. You might want to have a few Kleenex on hand! Book ahead for all three of the aforementioned if you want to avoid waiting in a line as they are all usually very busy.
The canal rides may also sound a bit touristy but they are well worth the experience as they give a different perspective on the city and its past role as a merchant city handling goods from all around the world thanks to the Dutch East Indies Company. The night rides are especially nice. There are big commercial companies and also small independents who offer canal rides often with drinks and sometimes food. I’d try one of the small companies. I’d keep an eye out for boats that you see in the canals and if you see one that looks appealing to you, look them up and book a trip.
The Jordaan is a lovely area to explore ... used to be a very poor working class neighbourhood up to as recently as 50 years ago ... has become quite gentrified and has beautiful streets and canals lined with very interesting shops and restaurants/patios. You can really see here why Amsterdam is called the Venice of the North. Specifically the Negen Straatjes ( The 9 Little Streets) in the Jordaan is an area I think you would enjoy. Every Monday there is a good typical outdoor market called the Noordermarkt (the North Market) by the Noorderkerk (North Church). While there you might want to try some traditional Dutch apple pie and a coffee at Winkel Cafe ... although there are several locations that sell apple pie there.
You might want to go the Dam Square across from the Royal City Residence ... lots of folks hanging out doing interesting things ... you never know what you might see there. Could be a protest, could be a love in, could be a spontaneous concert ... you just never know. I hope I haven’t set unrealistic expectations in your minds and that you don’t go and just find a bunch of pigeons. Chances are good something will be happening there!
You might want to look up locations of the hidden courtyards in Amsterdam. They are usually accessible off a busy street through a single inconspicuous doorway that leads to an inner court yard that is like stepping into an oasis of tranquility. My favourite is the Begijnhof just off the Kalverstraat or another entrance (the best one) off of Spuiplein, both entrances are a few short blocks from the palace. Amongst the old houses there, there are two churches one of which is the Church of England that was used by the English pilgrims who lived in Amsterdam for a number of years prior to setting off for the new world.
You might want to see the Magere Brug (the Skinny Bridge), an Amsterdam icon that spans the Amstel River ... just a block away from where I lived when I was a little boy (boy, that’s a long time ago now!).
Other things, depending on your interests, include ...
... the Albert Cuyp Market ... I think it’s the longest outdoor market in Europe
... the Bloemenmarkt ... outdoor flower market along canal next to de Munt (the Mint)
... the Vondelpark... Amsterdam’s Central Park
... of course there is the Red Light District ... you can walk through unharnessed ... although you might be approached if you are seen trying to take pictures (strictly verboden!) ... most people just go to see what it’s all about but there are also sex shows, porn/sex shops, coffeeshops (where they sell dope ... not so much coffee!), galleries, etc. I have no specific enterprise to recommend here! It’s really a bit of the underbelly of Amsterdam buy worth a visit if only to understand the nature of the Dutch people and their philosophy of ‘live and let live’, liberty, etc.
... if you feel brave enough to do it, renting a bike for a day is a great way to see the city and beyond ... bike rentals available pretty much everywhere ... there are tours but you can also go on your own out of the city to the Zaanse Schans ... bike paths are safe, clearly marked, and guide posts help keep you from getting lost so you can easily ride out of town through the countryside to see some windmills.
So many bicycles!
Things to eat ... there are lots of good places to eat, but also streetfood can be excellent in Amsterdam ... Some recommendations
... patat friet (French Fries)
... stroopwafels (molasses syrup waffels)
... pickled herring (both rollmops and Hollandse Nieuwe - the first being pickled herring rolled around a large pickle, the second being fresh herring cured in salted onion brine and sprinkled with chopped onions eaten by holding the herring by its tail and slowly eating it)
... de Hallen is an indoor food hall with street vendors from around the world
Restaurants
... seafood ... The Seafood Bar is an excellent place (there are two or maybe three of them all in the canal district) ... amazingly fresh seafood
... and then there are the Indonesian restaurants serving rijsttafel (a rice table) ... usually a ten or more course meal ... you can go as big as you’d like ... Rice and various accompanying side dishes ... delicious. I can’t recommend a particular place but you’ll see rijsttafel restaurants throughout. Your hotel could probably recommend.
If you have the desire and ability (car or train ... trains go absolutely everywhere in the Netherlands) to go out of Amsterdam I would recommend Delft/Bergen if you want to spend a few days by the beach and in the dunes, Den Haag (The Hague), or the islands of Texel and Schiermonnikoog, Maastricht, or the sailing kiteboarding locations anywhere along the coast. The beaches in the Netherlands are lovely ... not always warm but definitely lovely to visit and walk through the dunes or just sit and watch the waves role in.
Whatever you end up doing in Amsterdam and the Netherlands I hope you have a wonderful time ... good weather with sunny days.
P.S. don’t forget to bring your wallet along. Most people find the Netherlands surprisingly expensive! Be well, stay happy and enjoy!
from Jan…2023-06-19
I wrote in my email that while in the red light district you could walk around “unharnessed”!!! … what l meant was ‘un-harassed ’ !!! Oh boy … that spell check makes some interesting but weird corrections … although if you’ve been wearing leashes so as not to loose each other you can take the leashes off and walk around unharnessed … if you think you can control your impulses!!! 😏
from Kelly…2023-06-20
That was so funny. I’ll let you know if we walk with leashes or not. Thanks for all the incredible suggestions. I told Brent I wished you were here so you could show us around Amsterdam. You really know your way around. When did you leave for Canada? I can’t remember.
from Jan…2023-06-20
Nice to hear back from you Kelly. Wish I were there too … would be fun to show you around. I left A’dam when I was 5 … 1954 … 69 years ago but I have been back as a teenager and as an adult (sort of!). I love the city and hope you and Brent will too. If you have a strong need to get into nature your best bet is probably to rent bikes (they also have e-bikes). Remember the Netherlands is almost perfectly flat so cycling is a breeze. You could definitely follow a route of your own choice and simple stay in B&B’s or small hotels along the way. The south of the Netherlands is very hilly … close to the Belgian border … around the town of Falkenburg … they are referred to as mountains but they really are just very big hills. In eastern Netherlands, closer to the German border, things are much calmer than A’dam with lots and lots of small picturesque villages … definitely an area I enjoyed exploring by bike and moped/Vespa especially in and around the town of Lochem and a nature preserve called The Veluwe. Anyway … I do go on … and on! Hope you are both healthy and happy and continue to be excited about all there is to see and do out there!
from Jan…2023-06-22
One last thing I… I promise … I believe I forgot to mention it in previous messages. Look up or ask people where the best pancake (pannenkoeken) restaurants are. They are nothing like North American pancakes … can be sweet dessert pancakes or savoury meal type pancakes. They’re not so much about the pancake as they are about what’s put on top … or try Dutch mini pancakes called poffertjes…Hope you’re having a great day hiking in the Polish mountains! No more … that’s it!
from Kelly…2023-06-24
I’m okay to get an email from you everyday! Pancakes added to the list!
from Kelly…2023-7-20
Hi my friend. Just wanted to thank you for all your advice regarding your hometown/country. We’ve been here for a few days and head out tomorrow for jolly, good England - trying to get out of Schengen before we go over our 90 days!
Anyway, the amount of bicycles are truly amazing - what a healthy culture. Although Brent can’t get over the fact no one wears a helmet - we read online that basically it’s never going to be legalized as you can’t screw around with the people’s right to choose here. I love that! Also - don’t tell them how to raise their kids.
We spent the entire day walking Amsterdam yesterday, and my favourite part was sitting in the cafes and parks - just like you said. The city has a good vibe - a little alternative - but in a positive way.
Today, we spent the afternoon in Haarlem walking the town and admiring the charming landmarks. We toured the windmill and both of us loved it - I wasn’t leaving this country without visiting a real windmill. Brent was fascinated how simple the physics of the windmill was, yet so sophisticated. After lunch and a brew at at local brewery, we headed back to the hotel.
We are coming back with the intent of doing a multi-day bike trip. We couldn’t do any biking this time. I’m really struggling with my lower back, especially after these long strenuous hikes in the mountains or the days we walk a city all day. I have to pop a few pain pills and rest in bed the entire night and sometimes the next day. It’s quite frustrating but I’m trying not to have it get to me - we’ve been waiting a long time for this trip and arthritis isn’t going to break my spirit. Anyway, thanks my friend. I pictured you here as we were walking the streets. I think you should get a flat! :) Say hi to Susan.
from Jan…2023-07-20
So glad you’re in Amsterdam ... and that you will be going back to spend a few more days at a later date. Your pictures brought a little tear to my eyes ... wish I could hang out with you there for a few days. Especially liked the picture of you guys on the bridge ... that’s my bridge, the Magere Brug ... our house was around the corner on a small canal call the Nieuwe Achtergracht ... we would run out to the Magere Brug and threaten to pee on the boats as they passed underneath. Mostly missed ... but would squeal with delight as we ran away while the person on the boat would rage against us! That was almost 70 years ago. Not so many tourists then I would imagine ... mostly legitimate barges carrying goods to wherever. It’s a different Amsterdam now, but still a great city ... to enjoy simple pleasures ... and watch the parade of humankind pass you by. Happy that you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for the pictures.
I cannot thank Jan enough for his travel suggestions and more importantly his friendship and advice for the last 27 years - both personal and professional. I hope you all have a friend just as dear as Jan.
For more on our Amsterdam adventures, check out our YouTube Channel below:
