The Netherlands Travel Recap - Amsterdam (Part One)

Let's talk some recent travels! 

Today I'm focusing on part one of our five days in Amsterdam this past April. Reading blogs about travel is one of my favorite things because it gives me inspiration for my own trips and it helps me escape reality for a few minutes. We recently went to The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. 

We flew in to Schiphol Airport and arrived around 8 AM local time. I only slept for maybe 2 hours, which was surprising because I am usually a great plane sleeper. My biggest trick for avoiding jet lag is to force myself to stay up throughout their day and then go to sleep at the normal time so I dealt with the tiredness and just tried to keep moving. 

Amsterdam weather is perfect in mid-April through June but apparently this particular year they were having their coldest April in years. I packed a few cardigans and my favorite fleece/rain coat combo that provided warmth but we did have to spend a good bit of time in a TK Maxx finding my husband some sweatshirts because he did not pack warm enough. We also had a bit of rain a few times throughout the trip so having the rain coat layer was perfect.

Our main reason for visiting Amsterdam was to see the famous tulips and to tour the canals in this "Venice of the North". So naturally, our first sightseeing was a quick walk around the neighborhood to see the canals.

You have keep you head on a swivel to ensure you don't walk in front of a bicyclist! Bicycles are a main dutch mode of transportation. And bike lanes are not well marked so you have to be extra careful.

After we got our bearings we made a brief stop in the very touristy but worthwhile Tulip Museum.

We also stopped in to the Cheese Museum (it's free) and sampled some delicious gouda.

While we were in Amsterdam we also visited Rembrandt's house, which was where he lived for a period of time and has been converted to a museum to house artwork and mementos. I didn't know he was an avid collector.

You can't visit Amsterdam without heading to the Heineken Experience. It's very touristy but if you like beer and want to learn about the history of Heineken it's definitely worth a visit. You may have to book ahead of time to make sure you can do it.

It ends with a free tasting. Plus, they give you a green wristband at the beginning that has two little circles you can redeem for two free beers each. I don't drink beer so I took a sip, posed for a quick photo, and then offered it to my husband. He prefers wine but does enjoy a beer now and then. 

Once of my favorite things we did was to visit a teeny tiny hole in the wall art gallery with a small museum in its lower level. It was called Electric Ladyland and it is so small but really cool. It was about 5 euros to go in and you climb down the narrowest ladder steps to get to one room with a bunch fluorescent artwork. The guy who founded the "museum" is originally from Brooklyn, New York but moved to Amsterdam years ago. To be honest he came off as a total stoner but he was so passionate and knowledgable about fluorescence and natural substances that we just wanted to keep listening.

The art glows in the dark with such vibrance and he created a fluorescent "environment" that you can go and take pictures in. Did you know that sunblock is a blocker of fluorescence? So you aren't allowed to touch anything if you have sunblock on (we didn't). The colors were stunning and made from paints he mixed himself. He took so much time to walk us through each one of his treasures and the history of the art form. We left there a bit overwhelmed but really pleased we went. What a random experience.

How wild are those colors?! It's all from UVA and UVB lights bringing out the fluorescence. And apparently SO many common objects glow under the light. Who knew?! 

On our second day in Amsterdam we went to Keukenhof Gardens, about a half hour away by bus, to see the famous tulips. It was cold but mostly dry and we had an enjoyable time walking around the blooms.

I could do an entire post dedicated to Keukenhof but it is worth a visit if you happen to be in Amsterdam during the height of the season. The landscape is full of various types and water features. It was really picturesque.

There are all types of flowers on exhibit and not just tulips -- though tulips are one of my favorite types of flowers.

And yes I ordered some fries to walk around the park with. Delicious. Mayo and ketchup to dip.

After we returned to the city we enjoyed some really beautifully presented food at The Avocado Show. It specializes in healthier options that are pretty. I am obsessed with the poke bowl I had!

I also ordered one of their lemonades. It was the perfect mix of sweet and tart.

While we were in Amsterdam we did do some museums too, including...

...the Van Gogh Museum

...the Rijksmuseum. It was housing a Vermeer exhibit for the first time ever and tickets were impossible to come by so we enjoyed the rest of the museum.

...the MOCO Museum. It was featuring Banksy!

...the Diamond Museum.

We also visited Anne Frank House, which I cannot recommend this highly enough. It is a must visit in my opinion. 

You may be familiar with The Diary of Young Girl, the literal diary of Anne Frank whose family went into hiding for over two years during World War II in a secret annex at the property. I find that any time I get to visit a place with such incredible history I am so amazed by time. For example, walking through Pompeii in 2018 I kept thinking about what life was like for all of those people before Vesuvius erupted. When we were at Anne Frank's house I found myself wondering what it must have been like to remain so quiet and secretive for over two years. I thought being quarantined in my house during covid was hard...but hiding for your life in a war is entirely different! 

The property has been preserved, including the secret annex, and you walk through the actual spaces where the family lived in hiding. It was incredible. Stickers and posters they hung on the walls were still there today, the original kitchen counter and bathrooms, and the actual bookcase that concealed the entry to the secret annex. 

For other food options in Amsterdam we stopped at a herring street food stand. Delicious! I got the fried option and my husband did the raw option.

And for dessert we ordered some stroopwafels from Van Wonderen Stroopwafels. They have all different toppings you can have and it was hard to decide. 

I tried the salted caramel and caramel fudge. So tasty!

One of the last things we did when we were in Amsterdam was to visit the Amsterdam Palace.

I have a thing for palaces. I just love them. The grandeur, the beauty, the sheer WOW you feel when you walk around inside the impeccably designed and decorated rooms. The word palace originates from the latin palatine for Palatine Hill, which is in Rome and we visited in Rome in 2018. 

If you made it this far thank you so much for reading to this point. I try to keep these recap posts somewhat to the point but I always get carried away with all of the photographs! Join me next time while I recap our day trips to Gouda, Delft, and The Hague!