Hey!
Finally, I have some time to write again. With setting a bunch of grades and taking last-minute presentations, work has been chaotic! But, finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel and today is my last “real” day of work. After this, it is just easy days (football competitions, brännbolltävlingar, etc.) and in just a week and a half, I will be free for 7 months! Now, that is something to look forward to.
Alright, so last weekend I had an amazing long weekend in Amsterdam with my girlfriends from Norway. I worked a half day on Friday, took a plane alone to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and got extremely lost since I forgot that I needed to update my phone plan (since Daniel changed his). So, after wandering aimlessly without Google Maps trying to find the meeting point to pick up the key, I finally arrived at my friend’s parent’s apartment. Finally, the plane with my friends arrived and after a quick shop at Albert Heijn (which is definitely the best supermarket) for wine, cheese, and tapas, we settled in for our first night. I ended up staying in Amsterdam until the late afternoon on Monday. So, what do I recommend for a long weekend in Amsterdam?
Boat Tour:
First of all, doing a boat tour in Amsterdam is a must. There are beautiful canals throughout the entire city. I am really into boating, so is there even a better way to see the city than through the comforts of a boat? Hint, there is not. We chose to go with Those Dam Boat Guys since my friend’s brother is actually one of the co-founders. I would definitely recommend this company. Check out their Tripadvisor page to read over 2000 reviews about them! This is definitely a relaxed boat ride, and I found it a very personalized experience. Read through their website carefully since they very clearly state that you may take whatever you like on their boat. This includes, for example, food and alcohol. We booked a private tour and got to interact a lot with our captain. Some of my friends are quite history buffs, so I got to just sit back and listen to a bunch of facts. Our captain also pointed out some important landmarks, and we got to choose if we wanted to do the tourist route (Red Light District) or the more cozy route. We chose the more cozy route where we saw some of the most beautiful houses in the cities. I think this company is perfect if you want a personalized and fun experience. If you want a stuffy librarian to relay memorized facts for you, then skip this! Our captain was very knowledgeable about the city (he even studied history), but he also had dun, dun, dun, personality! For me, this was my style! Cozy, relaxed, and informative. I would especially recommend them if you are on a bachelorette or bachelor party. It’s the perfect place to enjoy some bevies and get the party started! They even have started to craft their own beer, so look out for that!
Shopping, Walking, Markets, and Day Drinking:
This a great way to pass the time! There are so many nice places to walk around. We actually spent two whole days walking and biking around. I biked on Saturday since we started our day off at a nice brunch place (read about this later!). After the boat tour, we just walked around the streets and took pictures.
On Sunday, they have the Sunday Market at Wester Park. Go there! There are food vendors everywhere and tons of cozy stalls with clothing and goods. I bought a nice gold ring with a leaf on it. Apparently, it is held the first Sunday of every month. I would actually plan your trip around this. They even have Tony’s Chocolonely (the best chocolate I have ever had) near the Sunday Market. Definitely go in and try all of the samples, and then, buy copious amounts of the Dark Chocolate Pretzel Toffee Chocolate. So good! We walked around The 9 Little Streets which is full of picturesque moments. We also did a lot of shopping. I would recommend & Other Stories and Costes. They are pretty decently priced and have lots of nice patterns and colours. It is nice to shop something that isn’t black for a change!
On Monday, we were at the flea market at the Noordermark in the Jordaan District. There you can also do some shopping!
Finally, the day drinking! There are so many cafés in Amsterdam that you can just find a nice place with an outdoor patio and enjoy some wine. I would suggest places within The 9 Little Streets. It was so cozy to just have a couple glasses during the day while shopping.
Food and Restaurants:
My favourite part of any trip is eating. I seriously like to plan my entire day around it. As I mentioned, I would definitely suggest eating at the Sunday Market at Wester Park since there are so many choices. We also ate at two brunch places, Gartine before we did some shopping and De Bakkerswinkel near Wester Park. Both places had a lot of choices with very fresh food items.
You also need to eat fries in Amsterdam. Our favourite place (which is near some good shopping) was Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx. These are Belgium fries with a bunch of choices for a sauce. I liked the sambal oelek and mayonnaise combination. Hot and fatty together–what could be better?
For dinner on Saturday, we ate at De School Amsterdam. It has a really cool atmosphere since it is within an old school. We took the 5-course dinner which was delicious. We were too tired to come back later, but I have heard that it becomes a fun nightclub. Based on what I saw, I will definitely have to check it out next time I am in Amsterdam.
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On Sunday, we ate at MAX Amsterdam. All I can say is eat there. It is Indonesian fusion cuisine and omigod it was so tasty. I did not take any photos but check out their website. I would recommend the 3-course Indonesian Rijsttafel menu. The starter was the best satay chicken that I have had! The main course was a vast selection of their menu. It was awesome to try so many new things. Dessert was also tasty and great for sharing.
I hope I have given you some ideas on what to do in Amsterdam!
xx
Jasmine
Photo Credit: My friend, Ricarda, the best person I know with a camera!