Why Amsterdam in October and not some sunny beach in the South of Europe? If I need to be completely honest then there are two reasons for this. First, tickets for two via train cost 127.00 EUR. Secondly, I have not been to Amsterdam. I have read about this city (mostly small magazine articles), and I have seen videos of people saying it is one of the best cities in Europe. Thus I wanted to have my own opinion. I am not interested in marihuana, but I did want to see the Red Light street at night. Also, I wanted to expand my playing card deck collection and start benefiting from living at the heart of my beloved Europe.
My pictures and my text will tell the tale of how we briefly explored Amsterdam, the Venice of the North.
We woke up at 05:30. Before heading to bed we packed our weekend bags and did a last check around the apartment to see whether everything was locked and cleaned. Why cleaned? We like to come back to a clean apartment after our trips. The fridge also needs to be empty.
Our train to Amsterdam leaves at 07:44 from Brusseles-Midi station. Initially, we bought tickets for a direct train, meaning, with no change mid-trip. Only when we got to the Midi station and walked up to our train we saw that it goes only to Rotterdam-Central. To get to Amsterdam we will need to transfer to a different train in Rotterdam. Thus our first surprise of the trip. Luckily, it was not unpleasant.
After arriving in Amsterdam we immediately looked for a coffee place. I asked my lovely wife to find us a good coffee place, which she managed to do perfectly. This place is near the station, it is small and cozy, hipster even. At the entrance, we were greeted in English and asked whether we wished to sit inside or take away. We wanted to sit. Their menu was small, and by the time we arrived, croissants were gone. Therefore, we only took filter coffee and began to plan our day.
More or less our plan was simple. We wanted to walk around the center of Amsterdam, see its houses along canals, taste the famous stroopwafels, and visit the van Gogh Museum and the Sex Museum. And, if we manage and commit, also to visit a fragrance shop to buy something from Pierre Guillaume. Speaking for myself, I did not do any prior research on Amsterdam or the Netherlands in general. Thus I did not know about their most famous dishes. I most certainly did not know about Bitterballen.
The Stroopwafels were my wife’s idea. She wanted to try them. I had seen them but since I am not a big waffle eater even in Brussels, they were not very high on my to-do list. After our coffee stop, we saw a waffle house where a lady was taking pictures with a DSL camera. It was a small shop. Luckily, the camera lady almost finished her photo shoot for personal memoirs, and we got our waffles. Tasty.
Surprisingly or not, Amsterdam is already in Christmas spirits. Our first sighting of a Christmas tree this year. Furthermore, quite a few streets of Amsterdam were also with holiday decorations. To soon? Probably.
Would I like to live in one of these houses along the canals? It is legitimately hard to say. On one hand, yes. I like this old(-ish) architecture, and I have always wanted to live near the water. But to live near a river, a lake, or even the sea is different from living next to the canal. Bruges and Ghent also have plenty of houses in a similar situation as Amsterdam, even though they look great in pictures, I doubt that I would like to open my windows during a hot summer day. Furthermore, Amsterdam has an abundance of beautiful modern architecture. Sadly, I did not take that many pictures of those buildings but believe me when I say that this city is developing in the right way. Vintage meets modern style.
Our first museum was the Sex Museum of Amsterdam. The ticket cost 10.00 EUR per person. That is a bargain. Initially, we thought that it might be a small museum with just a hundred or so items. Boy, we were wrong on so many levels. It is a genuine Sex Museum with pieces from all periods of history, from the antique to the modern. It is not just a selection of dildos but everything you could imagine. This museum even has a couple of animatronics depicting sexual acts. I am currently in a playing card collection phase, thus I took a picture of sex-themed cards. I would argue that these are tasteful. Anyway, if you don’t blush after hearing the word “sex” or “penis”, I can wholeheartedly recommend this museum. Given its price, it is worth it.
After seeing penises in all shapes and sizes, we worked up an appetite.
The place is called Cannibale Royal. It has, you guessed it, a menu filled with meat. You could have steak, burgers, ribs, and more. I went for a 210-gram beef burger. Was it delicious? Kind of. Was it the best burger I had eaten? Of course not. But it was good enough for our first big meal in Amsterdam and the bar or restaurant, call it whatever you like, was a good find via Google Maps. For those wondering, that piece on top of the bun was grilled fat. I did not taste it.
A funny observation. A couple from Asia came into the bar. The man ordered a burger, but the woman a steak – a ribeye. When the waitress brought their food the lady did not believe that she got a ribeye. She asked the waitress to bring it back and ask if it was indeed a ribeye. The lady was even googling to see what a ribeye looked like and if the meat she got served was anything like that. When we left it seemed that the lady started to cut the meat. Let’s hope she liked it.
With my burger, I tried a local craft beer. It tasted like a typical Indian pale ale or IPA. Nothing significant apart from the name and logo.
After having our meal we decided to call it a day and go to our hotel on foot. On Google Maps it seemed doable, just an hour or so along the canal. Thus we started walking. The benefit of walking in an unknown city is that you get to see many interesting things. For example, this bridge. Nothing significant about it just that it looks uncommon, also it can be raised.
The first biography I read was “Losing My Virginity” by Richard Branson. Fun fact about me, I am a huge admirer of this man. If I have to name the one entrepreneur whom I’d like to meet and have dinner with then without any doubt it is Sir Richard Branson. Something about that man just fascinates me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to shake his hand while he is still alive.
Anyway, in his book he noted that one of his first homes after moving out of his parents’ house was a river house. He continued to live there even after having his first child and starting Virgin. Thus always when I see these houses I think of Sir Richard Branson. I hadn’t seen them before coming to Amsterdam. At least, I think I hadn’t. They look good, and, if I had a chance or choice, I would certainly consider living in one.
We did not manage to go to our hotel on foot. It started to rain. It rained a lot. Thus after walking for about 45 minutes we decided to pull the plug on our idea and called an Uber. Luckily, it came soon and we did not manage to catch a cold or get too soaked.
After checking into our hotel and drying up a bit, we decided to go back to the center to see the infamous red light street. We knew that walking was out of the question, so we looked for public transport options. Our best or only option was the metro. We bought a 24-hour ticket for 9.50 EUR each which to our mind is a bargain if you are a tourist. The public transport in Amsterdam is superb, to say the least. Metro arrives on time and is clean(-ish), their tram is also much smoother than the one in Brussels. This is not to say that the public transport in Brussels is bad. But we did get an impression that in Amsterdam it is a bit more advanced.
There are so many sex shops in Amsterdam. Probably hundreds. Many of them are located on the red light street. It seemed that in almost all of them, business was doing good. Which truly was a surprise, because you would think that two or three sex shops on a street would already be too much. Considering that there is also the internet where you can buy everything you need. But no. I am not saying that this is a bad thing. I am just pleasantly surprised that so many similar shops with similar merchandise can stay afloat.
After seeing the infamous street with its infamous inhabitants we went into a bar to have a beer and make a toast about our first day in Amsterdam. So far our impression has been good, we like the city. The bar is called Excalibur.
Good morning. Not the best bed where I have slept. I like my bed hard, not too soft and bouncy. This bed was way too soft for my back. Nevertheless, we both had a decent rest and we were ready for our only full day in Amsterdam. First things first, breakfast. We went down to the hotel’s restaurant. The hotel does not serve breakfast, but you can order one a la carte. I got eggs Benedict but my lovely wife chose scrambled eggs. It was delicious. My eggs were perfect. Again, I will not say these were my best eggs Benedict, but it did the trick. We are ready for what the day will bring.
On a side note, so far my best eggs Benedict have been in Brussels at a place called “Frank.”.
Construction is ongoing in Amsterdam. Our hotel was located in a neighborhood that is currently transforming. Our room was located on the sixth floor and when looking out of the window you could see cranes and building sites in all directions. Would be interesting to see in a couple of years how this neighborhood has changed, and how the newly erected buildings look.
We took the metro to go to our first stop of the day. The van Gogh Museum. We did not buy tickets in advance, we hoped to come early, stand in line, and buy them on the spot. Not the best idea. Online you can see that the Museum is booked until December, and you can not buy tickets at the entrance. Everything has moved online. Thus next time, when we come to Amsterdam, we must first buy tickets to the museum and only after book our hotel and train tickets. Probably we will need to do the same when visiting the Louvre. Now we know.
Luckily, right next to the van Gogh Museum was the Rijksmuseum. Tickets cost 22.50 EUR per person. Just like with the Sex Museum, it was worth every cent. This museum is huge with the famous portrait of Vincent van Gogh among its vast collection.
If by some miracle you have read this website before, you will know that I am a big admirer of watches and clocks and timepieces in general. Thus you may not be surprised that I took pictures of almost all the timepieces I saw. Most probably I will make a separate article about these beautiful objects.
The clock above is a mantle clock (pendule) made in Paris circa 1802 – 1803. The movement (replaced in 1811) was made by Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy (1780 – 1854).
“French decorative art was internationally acclaimed at the start of the 19th century. The most important Paris dealer at that time was Lignereux, from whom the English ambassador to France bought this clock. The secretary on which the pendule stands also came from this dealer. The woman leaning with her elbow on a stack represents Learning of Science.”
The one thing I regret not noticing and/or not reading about in Rijksmuseum was the Dutch East India Company. I have seen so many movies with references to this establishment, in a few articles it has been named as the most valuable company in the history of the world. I have tried to find a biography of this company but so far with no luck. There probably was something mentioned a bit more in detail about it, but I might have missed it.
Luckily, I did not miss my chance to taste Bitterballen or the Dutch meatballs. They are small, round, deep-fried balls with a crispy breadcrumb coating and a creamy, savory filling. The filling typically consists of a mixture of cooked and seasoned beef or veal ragout, although there are also vegetarian and seafood variations available. Bitterballen have a smooth, velvety texture on the inside and are often served hot. They are typically served with a side of mustard for dipping. I loved them. So much so that I had more of these lovely things for dinner as well. But my first taste came at the cafe of the Rijksmuseum.
After having tasted Bitterballen and drunk our second-morning coffee, we decided to go look for Pierre Guillaume. After doing a quick Google search by typing “Pierre Guillaume Amsterdam” we found a place called Perfume Lounge. We found out how to get there via public transport and went on our way.
As you can see below our trip was worth the effort. I bought myself a new fragrance by the one and only Pierre Guillaume. My wife also got a new bottle. This visit and purchase made us think about what would happen when we finally go to the Pierre Guillaume boutique in Paris. We will probably spend there more time than in the Louvre. Anyway, the Perfume Lounge is a great place in Amsterdam, the store manager is a wonderful lady who knows her stuff. I highly recommend it.
Yes, the book was also a purchase made in Amsterdam. Currently reading. So far so good.
After having just purchased our new Pierre Guillaume fragrances we decided to go back to our hotel via a short detour through the center. We got into a tram and were on our way. Completely by chance, I saw Amsterdam’s Apple Store. Since I am still in the market for a new laptop I wanted to see whether they have the new 14” Macbook Pro. They didn’t. But they had the old ones and I briefly played around with them. I think I want one. No, I think I need one. Am I ready to pull the trigger on this purchase? I am not sure, since I would very much like to buy my watch first. No, we did not go and see watches in Amsterdam. My lovely wife suggested that we should. But we did not.
It was after our Apple Store visit that we decided it was time to go and look for a demi bottle of champagne. Again, a quick Google Maps search and we were on our way.
While going to the nearest spirits and wine store we passed by the famous garden street. At least my wife said it was famous in Amsterdam, I do not know if it is true or not. My wife asked me to stop here and let her buy a couple of tulip bulbs. Which, of course, I did and she bought a whole bag of various bulbs. It will be interesting to see what comes of it this upcoming spring.
Remember what I said about those various sex shops? Look at the picture above and tell me what you see. One shop next to the other sells almost the same thing. And yet, all these shops are still in business and almost every single one had a couple of clients looking at their stuff. I am amazed about these small business owners.
An interesting building, right? Those window shutters look beautiful.
As you can see below, we managed to find our wine shop. It had this one demi bottle of champagne which we happily bought. It was delicious. We drank it as an aperitif before our dinner while playing cards. Fun fact, I bought in total five new card decks on this trip to Amsterdam. My collection is growing.
We had our dinner at 19:00 at the hotel’s restaurant. I had a medium tenderloin with fries and Bitterballen as sides. The steak was delicious.
My wife had fish of the season which currently was a mullet. She liked it. Do you know what a mullet looks like? I did not, nor did my wife and the waitress. We Google-searched and it looks like… a fish. Its white meat is a bit juicy and genuinely delicious.
Dutch fries are too crispy for my taste. Considering that in June I managed to break a tooth while eating fries I am not so keen on crispy things. Yes, they are delicious, but I very much prefer Belgian fries over Dutch. I tried them, I have an opinion and let’s leave it at that. Would you need to go to Amsterdam to try Dutch fries? No. Go to Brussels instead.
Sweet dreams. Our full day in Amsterdam is done.
Good morning. Today we go back to our beloved Brussels. Since we needed to check out before 10:00, we decided to look for breakfast in the city. I wanted a full English breakfast. On our last trip to Malta, I had one right before we headed to the airport. Thus another English breakfast right before heading to the train station seemed only fitting. It was good. Not the best I have eaten but certainly not the worst. It just made me want to try a legit English breakfast made in the country after which it is named.
Full of breakfast we decided to have one last stop before stepping on a train. My wonderful wife wanted to visit the botanical garden – Hortus Botanicus. Her wish is my command.
We both got what we wanted. I got to see butterflies.
Whereas she saw plants. A lot of green.
We spent at the botanical garden more or less an hour. After my wife was satisfied with the visit we headed to the train station. Along the way, this little red car caught my eye. Just look at it. A bucket on wheels. Something out of a Mister Brean movie.
Even though it was raining all the time. Even though we did not visit a Tudor dealership. Even though we did not visit the Van Gogh Museum. Our trip to Amsterdam was a success. I liked it. I tasted Bitterballen which I did not know existed before. We saw the Sex Museum and the Rijksmuseum. I bought five new card decks for my collection. We had champagne. We had an amazing dinner. And, of course, we both got new fragrances from the wonderful Pierre Guillaume. Thank you, Amsterdam.
I hope you enjoyed this article about our trip to the Venice of the North.
But now let’s get back to work. I miss my Parliament.
Kind regards,
Olaaf
