A Most Worthy Trip, For Mature Moderns

Beware of Bikes!

May I suggest a wonderful trip for ladies of age and character? A place where you can enjoy culture, history, amazing food, fabulous drinks and numerous forms of art?  A destination that is clean, safe, English speaking and modern in mindset, yet riddled with historical landmarks and architecture. What more could you want, right? I would venture to say the biggest bang for your buck; for the trip of a lifetime, it should be Amsterdam. 

It’s easy to get to, plenty of direct flights and there is so much to do.

Our visit happened during a cold, dreary, rainy week and yet, I had a charming time, made great memories, had unique experiences. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It was a winner from the get-go.

We arrived at the awesome AMS- Schiphol Airport, went through customs and baggage; then waited in a long, long cab line, outside in the cold, but worth it, as we struck up conversations immediately. It was also nearing Christmas so the enormous tree and all the holiday lightning made the airport a warm and welcoming sight.

Once we got our cab it took us straight to our houseboat. The owner met us there and it was everything she said it would be. It was marvelous!

Once settled, we walked in the dark, late at night, down side streets and found a neighborhood pub. The cutest female bartender, quite engaging, informative and funny, made us up a tasty sandwich, although the kitchen was closed. She told us that she had in fact grown up wearing wooden shoes. We left there with full bellies, happy feelings, and lots of info. 

The city of Amsterdam is just phenomenal with its architecture. We walked for hours the next day, taking in the eclectic food and neighborhoods, the parks, shopping, open markets, flowers, street vendors and music everywhere. 

There is every nationality of food choice. Warm, tiny wine bars, coffee shops and quaint, well established, neighborhood pubs.

But, Beware of Bikes! To say that bikes are everywhere is an understatement. It can’t even be described. And it does take some getting used to.

After 3 nights on the houseboat we moved to a city center hotel. We would sit in our hotel lobby over a great cup of coffee each morning and just watch the different bikes setting off about their day. Bikes that carried: children, tools, baskets of food, flowers, produce, etc. Bikes that either pushed or pulled carts with a variety products or suitcases. Some had baby strollers attached to the front. People riding were clothed in suits and ties, dresses, work clothes; or wearing backpacks and even some with babies on their backs. Bikes are their major mode of transportation, not a sport or past time as in the US. Those people are on their way to work. They don’t take kindly to you stepping in their way. So again, be aware of the Bikes and stay out of the way and always, always look over your shoulder.

The people in Amsterdam are of every walk of life and quite kind and polite, almost formal.  We actually called an uber once and the man showed up in a Mercedes wearing a tweed sport coat and tie!   2 minutes later we see a young guy with spiked Mohawk, died chartreuse green. Nothing is boring in this metropolis.

One night in a restaurant, we struck up a conversation with some gals at the next table. They invited us to their art show the next day. We went,  and from there we were turned on to the inner clique of artists in the city and given addresses and times of their own galleries/studios/shows and their regular dates and times of the happy hours. We spent a day just hitting as many as we could.

We had the pleasure of finding another not-as-popular home that hid the Jewish during the Nazi regime and took the unofficial tour and of course we went to the Ann Frank House that was .. In a word… CHILLING!  It was a day I will never ever forget. It definitely left a mark on my soul.

The Red Light District is a ball, just stay together and use common sense. We enjoyed the camaraderie at the local Irish pub, which in turn gave us the local insight as to the best coffee houses aka pot shops. Oh the fun we had people watching from the local pub as the groups of boys from England came wobbling out!  Apparently it’s the thing to do for Bachelor parties, as the countries are so close by train. Of course we had to check them out. 

Van Gogh Museum is a must, but please remember the heat is up in the museums so dress in layers. It gets quite warm for my taste.

The markets are very fun, interesting with lots of shopping. We set out to find flowers and boy did we, but not in the fashion that I had imagined. Incidentally, they seem to sell Christmas items year ‘round.

It’s easy to grab a day trip to the tulip fields and to see the windmills.

The beer/lagers in Amsterdam are amazing and a pleasant surprise. My husband fell in love with La Chouffe (pronounced Le Schoofe), a delicious Belgian Blond with a refreshing, spicy note and ripe fruit aroma.

The tour of Heineken tour is definitely worth it. It’s more than beer, but also history, the horse stalls and activities as well with some amusing, fun stuff at the end. 

Food is exceptional in Amsterdam. While there, give the bitterballen a try. I describe it as a round ball of deep-fried, mushroom infused, mashed potatoes, but I’m sure I am way off base. But regardless, it’s delicious.

And believe it or not burgers are crazy good. They have a lot of the good Argentinian beef there and it’s not as pricey as the US. We also experienced French food, Asian food and spent a wonderful evening in a Macedonian restaurant.

Down sides are the weather, the bikes and the SMOKERS… Uber was a great choice and we used the streetcars daily, as they are efficient, inexpensive, Clean and so easy to use.

Amsterdam is an ideal home base if you are thinking of doing a whirlwind European trip; as trains run to London, Belgium and Frankfurt in a mere 4 hours.

 Here is just a quick list of other fun things to do:

·      A free ferry ride from Amsterdam Central Station to the city’s largest flea market with probably 750 stalls of vendors of all imaginable kinds…

·      Ride bikes to your hearts content

·      Fabulous music scene with dance clubs

·      And the famous hotel with John Lennon/Yoko’s Bed-In fame

 People watching, hacky-sack pros and street musicians are found at the Vondelpark, the cities largest park. 

You can get high and/or eat herring, for breakfast!

Again, the beer/lager is outstanding and coffee even better!

Jordaan district Haarlemmerstraaat brings a hipster vibe to the phrase “retail therapy”. 

A heavenly location for Maritime enthusiasts or lovers of windmills and windmill lore and love stories.

Did I mention TULIPS?

Head further out to find their beaches.

A town chock full of talented almost famous Baristas; this city is Vintage-Ethnic-Multicultural and offers an abundance of exquisite yummy, sweet treats.

Did somebody say, “Opera”?

Rock Concerts? You bet! Plenty. Remember Van Halen?? But seriously, a city enriched with great writers, poets and artists, it isn’t hard to see why I would consider this the BUCKET LIST location for anyone.  Whether you’ve been around the world or decidedly, spending your life savings to go on just one trip; in my humble opinion… This would be THE PLACE.

Just Beware of Bikes!

 Last minute statement- Since the legalization of marijuana in many US states and Covid, etc. the city of Amsterdam has made some major changes, especially with short term rentals and “coffee-shops” and their form of legal prostitution; so please before you take off, check with you local travel professional or peruse the local travel sites to be aware of said changes.

 And This just in- to ease overcrowding in the center, Amsterdam and partners has been encouraging visitors to explore other part of the city such as Amsterdam Noord, a former shipyard with flea markets, music festivals and outdoor movie screening in the summer.  In Nieuw-West, visitors can enjoy local nightlife or stroll around Sloterplas Lake.  There has been a movement to reinvent Amsterdam tourism. Recently there has been a project introduced to ‘Marry and Amsterdammer for a day’. This is an alternative form of a tour launched in 2019 of a 4 hour experience starts with a fake wedding, rings, gown, flowers and includes a personalized jaunt around different interesting parts of the city. This effort, introducing the lesser-known parts to tourists is in hopes that they go home and popularize other areas and away from the tourist traps. It will help spread the economy to other areas, eliminate crowds, noise, litter, etc.

Houseboat life brings morning visitors tapping on our window. Coffee is on but Sorry, No treats for you!