Last year in January 2010, my friend Katie and I ventured to Amsterdam for a long weekend. We had never been there before but all of our friends had recommended it to us and told us where to go and what to visit. We booked our ticket very spur of the moment and off we went on the half an hour flight to the capital of the Netherlands.
We had been waiting to go on a trip together for a while so we were very excited. We enjoyed the ease of the short flight and were in the city before we even listened to five songs on our IPod. We grabbed a taxi and headed to our hotel which was about ten minutes away from the centre.
We stayed in Hotel Central Park and were advised by the taxi man not to walk through the park next door to us at night, as unsavoury goings on occur there! For a first night this worried us a little but as soon as we dropped our things in the small hotel room we were off to explore. We actually got lost for a good hour as we did not realise we had to take a tram to get into the centre and we did not realise what time they stopped running. We managed to find the centre point and we definitely made the most of our first night.
We found the best little coffee shop by the canal and stayed there most of the evening. I highly recommend ‘Easy Times’ as the staff are amazingly helpful and the vibe is very chilled. They play really good, relaxing music too. Lots of slow jamz!
Through being lost that first night we actually knew the place inside out! We headed back to the hotel and stopped by a convenience store to get some toothpaste and other essentials as we forgot quite a bit. Everything was in Dutch or Japanese which worried us and as you can see from the photo, our toothpaste turned out to be a disgusting mistake for Kate!
Amsterdam was originally a small fishing village in the 12th Century and was named after the canal that runs through it. It is known now as the financial and cultural capital. We had a lot to see the next day when we finally explored the city in daylight.
As soon as we stepped out of the door we realised that overnight the whole city was covered in a blanket of beautiful white snow. It was so picturesque we took a million photos. We couldn’t believe our luck that we had come at this time of year to get snow we crave for in London!
Our first stop was of course the Van Gogh museum which is just before the main centre and accessible via the trams. We both love art so this was the perfect opportunity for us to brush up on our knowledge! We looked round for ages and admired his work. There is also an ice rink outside the museum. After that we spent ages in the snow, taking photos and had some lunch.
The cafes are what attract most people to Amsterdam, as well as the Red Light District but there is so much else to see. I must admit we did go to so many random, backstreet cafes as we loved the vibe but Bulldog is the most famous so we had to go there too! As I will soon be visiting again I am definitely staying at the Bulldog Hotel as this is the hotspot of the centre. There are so many hostels to stay in to make your stay a little cheaper and these are perfectly safe, the Bulldog also has a hostel too!
For Kate and I it was all about the shops and the architecture. The buildings were so beautiful and old looking we couldn’t stop looking up and taking photos. We shopped all day in the little random shops that sold some really quirky things. They have everything from old fashioned merry-go-rounds (which I purchased) to hemp lollies (which I also purchased)! We did of course venture into a few sex shops and I am keeping my lips sealed as to whether we purchased anything LOL.
We weren’t around to visit the flower stalls due to the weather as it wasn’t the right season for the famous tulips. It is also famous for its large amounts of bike riders as this, as well as the trams are the easiest forms of transport and I recommend being very road wary!
We found some strange artwork in the back part of the city and also featured on a show being filmed live in the square! We loved the little food stations where you could purchase hot food out of a mini vending machine. I have to say the food was pretty good. Our favourite place to eat was right in the main square, the pancake house!
For us the trip was finding out about the cultural elements of the city and we definitely found the place to be interesting. The people were so friendly and the vibe of the whole city is very laid back. The bars and restaurants are really nice and there is a great and varied nightlife!
There have been rumours that weed will only be legal to residents of the Netherlands but this has been widely criticised so it's very doubtful this will happen any time soon. Also there is a sex museum we never got to visit as well as festivals on the canal that take place over the summer months. There is also a beautiful theatre in the heart of Amsterdam called the Stadsschouwburg which has been around since 1894.
So my overall impression of Amsterdam was a very favorable one. Since I am planning a second trip I think that says it all. It has fun and cultural elements which will suit anyone of any age. My own Mother made a trip this year with her friend and had the best time! She has so many funny stories from her trip so I can safely say that it suits everyone. If you choose to go in the winter like we did, or like my Mother in the summer, it is still a beautiful place to visit, whatever the weather as you can still do everything you set out to do.
Here are a few more photos we took from our trip:
Note: All photos taken by myself and Kate
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