Netherlands: Amsterdam

Stephanie B.
Jul 20, 2017 · 4 min read

Amsterdam is a unique city with 1,000 boats in 100 canals — many of which are houseboats — a fine way to live in the city. We stayed in one of the best neighborhoods in the city: Jordaan. There were cute streets, great cafes, and bustling canals just downstairs from our flat. It was also pretty central to all the areas we wanted to visit with this church serving as our home-base landmark.

Poor weather colored our view of the city though, with light rain and sporadic clouds coming in and out during the days and making for less than ideal walking conditions. We initially thought Amsterdam would be a city we could settle down in for a year or two, but the trash and cigarette buds littering the cobblestone streets and dirtying up the canals reminded us too much of the grunginess of San Francisco. So, needless to say, it wasn’t our favorite place, but we still made the most of our time there.

We walked all around the city from the Centrum to some of the most popular neighborhoods. And, we had ample time to follow each of the main canals: Prinsengracht, Keisersgracht, and Herengracht. We even took a canal cruise out to the harbor to get a different perspective of the city. At one point during our tour, we passed the house of the happiest couple in Amsterdam who live on different floors in their tall, thin domain. (In other news, Ash and I have decided to buy a 3 story house complete with his, hers, and our floors.).

We had time to do other touristy things like visit the Van Gogh Museum, trek through Vondelpark, and snap a pic with the I ❤ Amsterdam sign. The main sign was overrun with tourists so we opted for this smaller one instead.

To connect with fellow travelers and locals, we went to a Couchsurfing event. We met a fun and friendly local who coerced us into a game of pool with the female bartender. No surprise that the tall, blond Dutch bartender won the game taking pool shots between serving patrons at the bar. The Dutchmen and women are sky high. Tall and sturdy, blond and fit. Although we saw a lot of diversity (mainly of tourists), even the natives included descendants from Indonesia and Suriname — former colonies of a once-expansive Dutch empire that also included New York. Before the British invasion, it was called New Netherland with New York City dubbed as New Amsterdam; Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Haarlem are all Dutch names too.

The best recommendation I have for gastronomic delights in Amsterdam is Indonesian food by far. There are a bevy of Indonesian places serving rijsttafel, or “Rice Table.” It blew our tastebuds away! We Yelped a highly-rated place and were the last two in the door for a 12-course dinner that would have taken another hour to get seated if we didn’t luck out on timing. It was a set menu for dinner at Kartika, but so worth it! An assortment of chicken skewers, beef and veggie dishes seasoned with Indonesian spices along with fried banana for dessert would enchant even the most discerning of palettes. It was so good we went back for round 2 another night!

Around 10:30 pm we headed towards the Red Light District to see what we could see. It was teeming with tourists and patrons! We saw a lot of scantily-clad women standing in front of glass doorways being ogled at by passers-by. There were many fit-looking women lined up: some on their phones, some smoking, and most doing nothing but standing there hoping to make eye contact and hook in a customer. One was so aggressive as to pound on the glass door at intermittent intervals, no doubt scaring tourists while intriguing patrons. We saw swarms of guy groups out-and-about, as well as one Brit from a group talking to a Caribbean red light lady probably bargaining for a better price for her services. We came to the realization that Amsterdam is a city made for going out with a good group of friends whilst enjoying the bustling night life and ample attractions.

Speaking of attractions: no photos allowed in the Red Light District. So instead, have a look at the next loveliest flowers coming out of Amsterdam.

Via Vida

Life by way of travel.

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    Stephanie B.

    Written by

    Interrupting daily life to travel the world.

    Via Vida

    Via Vida

    Life by way of travel.

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