Amsterdam

Return to Amsterdam

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

It’s five years since we visited Amsterdam and it felt like time for a return visit. This blog is a little delayed as we went at the beginning of September. We went with different friends, who had never visited Amsterdam before. We travelled from Manchester Airport on Monday afternoon but stayed overnight at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Manchester Airport. Although we are only about an hour from Manchester Airport, the journey can often take much longer and we felt that it would be nice to start the break relaxed rather than worrying about being in traffic and arriving late at the airport.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel was very clean, with large bedrooms and an extremely comfy bed. On the Sunday evening, we ate in the Asian Fusion Restaurant called Sampans. The food was extremely tasty. The staff were friendly and helpful. We had a relaxed evening ad a few drinks before heading off to bed

Our flight on Monday afternoon was delayed by about half an hour, but we landed at almost the correct time. Getting through passport control took some time, but we soon got a taxi and headed off to the Hotel.

We chose to stay at WestCord fashion Hotel on the outskirts of Amsterdam. We previously stayed here and found it to be comfortable, clean and with very friendly staff. Once again it did not disappoint. From the moment we checked in, the staff were extremely helpful and always cheery and smiling.

We did not go out in the evening but went to the restaurant and bar within the hotel. The food was good and the prices in the bar were reasonable, comparing well to the prices in the UK.

Heineken Brewery Tour

The following morning, we were booked in at the Heineken Brewery Tour. We headed out first thing and bought a multi-day ticket for the tram. This is really convenient as it travels all over Amsterdam, has a very efficient, frequent service and is always clean. It cost €26 for four days of travel. We travelled on the tram to the area nearest the brewery and looked for somewhere to have breakfast.

We found a lovely little café called Bakers and Roasters. We sat outside, as it was very warm and humid, although a little overcast. The breakfast was tasty. We all had “Sunrise Bircher”, which was overnight oats packed with fruit, nuts and seeds.

Afterwards we had a wander before heading to the Heineken Brewery. The tour was mostly self-guided but has some guides along the way to explain some parts of the brewery. It was an interesting tour and we took our time to read the information and watch the videos as we travelled through. I am always astounded by the amount of people who book a tour and then wander around with a phone in front of their face and don’t really look at what is going on or interact with anything.

The reading and listening paid off, as part way round there was a quiz and we were real swats, getting all the questions right and winning Heineken pin badges!

One section of the tour teaches you how to taste the beer rather than just drink it. We were asked to hold our glasses up to the light and describe the colour. My friend called out “Amber”, at which point the guide threatened to call security and throw her out! The correct answer in case you’re wondering, is gold.

Once we had completed the tour and free samples, we went to the rooftop, where there is a 360-degree view of the city. We had a further free drink there and enjoyed the view, until it started to rain, cutting the visit a little short.

We had a walk and a bit of sightseeing, but the rain continued, so we headed to the “Sex Museum”. It seemed that everyone else had also headed here to get out of the rain. The museum is entertaining to a point, but considering the things that people can access on TV and via the internet these days, it was nothing particularly shocking or unusual (or maybe my years at work has desensitised me). It was interesting to see the difference in cultural attitudes regarding sex as well as the way views have changed over the years. The overwhelming thoughts were it was a large pornography collection and “you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”.

Rather than wandering in the rain for the rest of the afternoon, we headed back to the hotel. We had a coffee and a rest before showering and heading back out in the rain for something to eat. We chose a tapas restaurant and enjoyed a relaxing evening before returning to the hotel for the night.

A day of museums and sightseeing

The following day was lovely and sunny, so we set out mid-morning to have brunch before our booking for Anne Frank House. We finished our brunch quite early and went for a walk. We ended up in the gardens of the Rijksmuseuem. We sat in deck chairs enjoying the pretty gardens and the warm sunshine, before heading off to the museum. We had booked a half-hour introductory talk prior to entering the museum, which was well worth it, as it gave more insight into the Frank family and the people who helped them. Despite having visited the house before, it was still worth the visit and is it’s always good to be reminded of how awful humans can be to each other. After we came out of the museum, it started to rain. 

We had booked onto a canal boat tour, but they kindly said we could postpone to another day due to the weather. We chose then to go to the Albert Cuyp Market. This was a huge market, with some nice stalls with food, gifts and household products. 

Windmills in Zaanse Schans

On Thursday, we decided to take a trip out to Zaanse Schans. It was a beautiful sunny day. After some research we discovered that it was easy to get there by train from Central Station to Zaandijk Zaaanse Schans, followed by a short walk from the station.

We started off our day at the library close to Central Station. Although we had been here before, it is still an impressive building. We had coffee and cake, before heading off to the station. The trains run regularly and the return fare was just over €8. The platform was busy and it was clear that most people were heading the same way. The train journey was about 2o minutes and then we walked for 15 minutes before walking over the bridge on the river Zaan where we were treated to a spectacular view of the windmills. 

Entrance to the area is free, but you can also opt to pay to enter some of the windmills and other museums on the site. We paid to visit the inside of the paint windmill, which houses two pairs of millstones, one for chalk and one for paint pigment. Going on on to the platform and hearing the sails whooshing by was great to see and the view was amazing.  There is so much to see here, with gift shops, traditional clog making, cheese making, cafes as well as just walking around the beautiful area built on the dykes. The traditional Dutch timber buildings were reconstructed here from other areas in Amsterdam, giving an authentic feel. Although there were lots of tourists here, the place is huge and it never felt cramped. It was an excellent day out, helped by the beautiful weather. 

Canal Boat Tour

On our final morning, we headed in the centre for breakfast. We ate at Kessen’s which was close to the start point for our canal boat tour.  The food here was delicious, the café was sparklingly clean and the staff were really friendly. 

We then went to board our boat for the canal tour. We booked with Flagship Tours, on an open canal boat. The guide was extremely entertaining. As well as being knowledgeable about the area, he also had personal anecdotes, which added humour to the tour. It was a really good way to spend an hour in the sunshine, finding out more about the area and seeing some of the sites. Unfortunately, after the tour, it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for our return to England.

A Short Break In Amsterdam (2)

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

What a beautiful sunny day in Amsterdam! We had a lazy morning, as we didn’t have any plans for all in the day, but had booked things later on.

Canal Cruise

We had opted to book a canal cruise, as this was a good way of  getting around and seeing Amsterdam from a different point of view. We booked a joint ticket which included a trip to the Ice Bar (as recommended by our youngest daughter)

The cruise was with Lovers Canal Cruises and was an hour long with an audio commentary throughout the journey. The city was beautiful in the sunlight and we learned more about the history of Amsterdam and the origins of some of the famous landmarks.

Ice Bar

Our youngest daughter had recommended the Ice Bar to us, so we decided to give it a try. This is a really clever gimmick, which works really well. You have to book a slot in advance as the bar is only small. On arrival you are greeted by pirates who try and stir up the group and then you are given a coat and gloves and coins to obtain two drinks in the ice bar itself and one in the loung afterwards. Inside the bar you are in what is basically an enormous freezer, with ice sculptures and flashing lights The drinks come in ice glasses and you can choose from shots or beer.

Afterwards you can sit in the pirate themed loung and have another drink for free and purchase further drinks if you like. It was a fun event and we hung around in the lounge for a while afterwards as it is a great place to people watch, particularly when some stoned young man wearing the coat from the bar, tries to leave several times and  wonders why the security alarm goes off every time!

Red Light District

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the red light district as the image you get from TV is always showing a very seedy dark side, usually on crime dramas.

We had walked down the streets the previous day, at around lunchtime, but decided to have a look later in the day. We actually did two visits, one in the late afternoon and one when it got dark.

The area is much smaller than I excpected and certainly has a different feel after dark. After a visit to one of the sex shops and a browse in a few of the windows we veered from humour, to surprise and at times a feeling of sadness. Having worked with vulnerable people and victims of sexual crime for years I can’t really decide whether prostitution is best in the open in a controlled area. Does this make it safer? I wondered what the girls were thinking and what brought them here. looking at them it felt like they would rather be elsewhere and had that “Any chance of finishing early, I’ve got an appointment at the dentist” look that most people have who aren’t fully enjoying their days work.

We had a couple of drinks in the Excalibur Bar, which has motorbikes and suits of armour everywhere. Both my husband and my friend were more interested in the motorbikes, the construction work in the canals and the cake shops, which I think can only be a good thing.

We then looked for something to eat and opted for a place called Getto, which was advertised as an LGBTQ bar but was shown on trip advisor as having great reviews for food. It was absolutely superb food with really nice staff and a very relaxed atmosphere. It was a really good price too.

Aftwr another busy day we went back to the hotel for a shower and then a couple of drinks in the Sky Bar.

A Short Break In Amsterdam

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

I haven’t written my blog for some time , I think I had lost my motivation for writing, but now on a short break to Amsterdam, it feels like a good place to start agin.

I’ve never been to Amsterdam before. I traveled here with my husband and two of our friends. We flew early in the morning, but unfortunately spent two hours sitting on the pane before it took off as one of the runways in Amsterdam. In any event we arrived by midday in a cold and windy Amsterdam.

Amazing transport system

We were booked in to stay at the Westcord Fashion Hotel, a very bright and quite quirky hotel, with really comfortable rooms, gorgeous bathrooms and a great Sky bar on the top floor. It is out of town, but very close to the tram stop which takes us straight to town and all the well known tourist areas. The tram is impressively efficient, running regularlythroughoutbthe day and always appears clean. All the stops have didgital announcements and there is a conductor on board who sits behind what looks like a doctors reception desk. We bought a pass for 4 days, which cost us €24 each, which is amazing value and being true Yorkshire folk, we made sure we got our money’s worth.

A first look at Amsterdam

Our first outing on the tram was to Leidesplein, where we stopped off for lunch. We then took another tram to the old town, where we wondered through the various streets, trying to get our bearings and work out what we would like to see over the next few days. The canals and bridges are beautiful and although it’s common knowledge that cycling is a common form of transport, I couldn’t get over the thousands of bicycles parked up at the side of each road, particularly near the station

Later in the day we went back to the hotel, had a swim in the pool and then went up to the Sky Bar for a couple of cocktails, before getting a great night’s sleep in the lovely big comfy bed.

Anne Frank House

We had booked tickets in advance as we knew that the museum gets very busy and only allows limited visitors each day.

We went on the tram to town and went to the Pancake Bakery for breakfast. This was recommended by someone who our friends had sat next to on the plane. The breakfast was amazing and it was a really lovely atmosphere in the narrow pancake restaraunt, which, by the time we left had people queuing to get in!

We then went to Anne Frank House at our allotted time. The staff there were very welcoming and explained everything as you went in. The annexe rooms have been left empty, but on the walls, information about Anne and her family is displayed. There is a full Audio commentaryas you walk around the house. There is a really respectful air to the visit, in keeping with the subject matter. You get a real feel of what life was like as you travel through the house, into tiny rooms and up and down steep staircases.

It is a really good place to visit, interesting but leaving you feeling quite somber. We talked afterwards about how shocking it all was and it left us feeling a little sad, because looking at the world today we haven’t really changed very much. You only have to look at TV and social media to know that there are still many people in the world who promote hate based on the fact that others are different to them. A very sobering thought.

The flower market, Red Light District and library

After the visit we then walked to the flower market and wondered through the various stalls selling lots of tulips (real, plastic, wooden) and gifts based on a Dutch theme. Where the flowers are real, there’s is a lovely fresh smell. The colours are amazing.

We then continued walking and went through the Red Light District. I’m not really sure what I was expecting. I’d seen photos of it, but mainly taken at night. During the day it looks like most other streets, until you read the signs and look in the shop, windows, which sell an assortment of sex related items. There are adverts for all sorts of live shows, but there was only one girl in one of the windows. I am curious though and will probably go and have another look during an evening to get more of an idea of what it’s really like.

I had been told that the library was an amazing building and that the 7th floor has an amazing terrace where you can look out over Amsterdam.

The Library (Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam)is very impressive. It is very modern, airy and bright. The children’s area alone is bigger than most libraries I have seen. The seven floors contain books, reading areas, multi media section and a theatre area.

When you get to the 7th floor, there is a cafe with an outside terrace area which overlooks Amsterdam. On the wall around the edge is information about what you can see from the roof and some of the history of the buildings. Definitely worth a visit!

Our next stop was food and we opted to visit the Chinese restaurant near the Library, The Sea Palace. This is a huge floating restaurant. The food was excellent and there is a great view across the water, with boats passing regularly.

Feeling full, we made our way back on the tram to the hotel, for a bit of a rest and maybe a further visit to the Sky Bar

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