Out and about explorations
Living a nomadic lifestyle
Archives
October 2022
July 2021
June 2021
April 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
July 2020
June 2020
Living a nomadic lifestyle
October 2022
July 2021
June 2021
April 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
July 2020
June 2020
As the largest city in the Netherlands, Amsterdam beckoned our return for the second time. We especially enjoy the culturally diverse and welcoming attitude of the locals. Amsterdam has something for every taste including architecture, culture, music, art, food and history. It is easy to get lost in one or all of those attributes. On this trip we focused on the architecture, canals and the fantastic street food at the Albert Cuyp Market which started in 1904. There are about 300 stalls in the open-air street market with delectable foods, clothing and wares. It is a destination for both locals and tourists alike. Amsterdam has an excellent rail system and getting around is a breeze. We took a trolley from the Central Station to the Cuyp Market where we spent most of the afternoon walking and food sampling. The prices are fare and the quality of the foods helps to make the experience a memorable one. We had Kibbeling, a lightly battered and fried cod fish along with Mussels, prepared the same way and served with dipping sauces. No trip to Albert Cuyp would be complete without visiting Vlaams Friteshuis. This is the place for thick cut French fries served in a cone with peanut satay and herb mayonnaise. The real deal is an understatement. A medium portion that easily served two was 2.90 Euro. Can’t beat that. Stroopwafel, a wafer cookie make with two layers of a baked dough and a caramel vanilla bourbon filling between was mouthwatering. These baked treats are made to order and served hot. Finally, we had Poffertjes, traditional buckwheat pancakes served hot with powdered sugar and plated over creamy butter. Oh my, these were so good, real comfort food. Wares and clothing along with cheeses and other foods of excellent quality are sold at reasonable prices.
Amsterdam has been called the Venice of the North with 165 canals, regularly navigated by locals and tourists on canal boats designed to make their way under the very low bridges and tight turns along the waterways. We hopped on one of these boats from the water terminal across from the Central Station. The hour and a half tour took us through many of the neighborhoods that dot the city. This tour, unlike our past visit, was narrated by a recorded guide. Personally, we did not enjoy it as much as the live guided canal tour we did a few years ago. Being familiar with a number of areas of the city we cruised by, it was nice taking in the scenery along with watching the people on the seawalls enjoying the beautiful weather. Being an inland waterway tour the water is very calm and the glass sides and tops on the boats offered an unobstructed view as we floated along. One of the most visually exciting neighborhoods in the city is the Jardon. This is where the Frank family hid from the Nazis during WWII and where the Diary of Anne Frank was written. We spent some time outside the Anne Frank House, the brownstone home where the family hid and the attached museum. If you want to visit the museum it is necessary to get a ticket many months in advance as the lines and wait times, without tickets, are very long. The Westerkerk, next to the museum is the famous church Anne Frank wrote about in her diary. She would sit by the window in her room and listen to the bells chiming. It was a song of hope for her during the two long years they lived in tiny quarters hidden at the top of the building. It is hard not to feel the emotion and lingering energy there. Thousands of people standing around looking and photographing, hopefully remembering a very dark time in world history. We walked the many tiny streets in the Jardon admiring the beautiful architecture and local folk in their day to day activities. We came across one of the Amsterdam Café’s, not a typical coffee house. The famous café’s in the city house legal establishments where you can buy and smoke marijuana. The shop we went into was filled with locals and probably tourists who were sitting at tables drinking coffee and tea, chatting with their friends, busy on their laptops and rolling and smoking weed. Not as big a deal as it sounds. A relaxed, quiet environment. We found a nice little neighborhood restaurant where a delicious meal with some wine was enjoyed. Afterwards we took the trolley back to the Central Station, where our car was parked, and drove back to our home base in the town of Holten. During our stay we visited Amsterdam a few times from Holten by train and our rental car. The highway system in the Netherlands is fantastic and staying outside the city, a rental car was definitely the way to go. The drive to and from Holten was about an hour and gave us plenty of time to rest our worn-out feet.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
About UsTravel is living life to its fullest. Sharing our journey and adventures create memories that live on as we truly enjoy the passage of time Archives
October 2022
|