Amsterdam visit

Trip Log: Amsterdam

Members: 2

Start time: 5:00 PM, Friday, 19th Apr, 2013

End time: 9:30 PM, Monday, 22nd Apr, 2013

Duration: 2 days + 1 night stay + 2 nights travel(bus)

Total travel: 18 hrs bus travel, 4 hr ferry travel

Timezone diff: 1 hr

Total walk: approx 8 km/day = 16 km

Trip Type: Leisure Trip

Total expense:

GBP 420, inclusive of bus travel, ferry, accommodation, food, museum entries, entertainment, transport

What went great:

- Beautiful city-walk

- Red Light District

- Anne Frank

- Comfortable stay

- Sunny

Bad:

- Heineken experience missed :(

- Late day start

- Lack of time

Weather: Sunny and pleasant weather

Day 1: 19th Apr - Ugly travel!

Beckton, London(home) -> Victoria Coach station, London (by Tube) -> Dover(UK) by bus (Eurolines bus services) -> Sea Ferry -> Calais (France) -> Day 2

Day 2: 20th Apr- Explore!

Amsterdam (Netherlands) by bus (same Eurolines bus) -> Hotel (Jordaan) -> Noordermarkt -> 9 streets -> Westerkerk -> Homomonument -> Dam square -> The Begijnhof -> Anne Frank Museum -> Leidseplein -> Museum quarter -> Red Light District -> Hotel

Day 3: 21 Apr - Short trip. Goodbye!
Hotel -> Centraal -> Leidseplein -> Amsterdam airport -> Keukenhof garden -> Heineken experience -> Hotel (checkout) -> Amstel coach station -> Calais(France) -> Sea Ferry -> Dover -> Victoria (London) -> Beckton (home,next day morning)

Itinerary planned before trip:

Travel day	Things to do	Notes	Fee	Notes
Friday, 19th April	Take evening coach to Amsterdam			Departure: 7 pm. Reach 60 minutes early. Victoria Coach Station, london
Day 1	Things to do	Notes	Fee	Notes
Saturday, 20th April	Reach Amsterdam early morning. Check into apartment. Quick change and breakfast.	Van Limburg Stirumstraat 8 apt. d, 4th floor Westerpark Amsterdam, Noord-Holland 1051 Netherlands                                       Paul's Contact no: +31 6 41901007		Arrival: 7 am. Eurolines Coach Station, Amstel Station, Amsterdam. Take the metro towards Central Station, change at stop Weesperplein and take the tramline nr. 10 direction van Hallstraat, take stop van Limburg Stirumstraat. It's a 2 minutes walk from there to the apartment.
10.00 am	Noordermarkt, Jordaan	20 mins walk from Westerpark	No	On Saturdays, a popular organic farmers’ market is held at the Noordermarkt.
	Head down to De9Straatjes--The 9 Streets	The streets are within easy reach. They are located in the canals and connect Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht together. 2 minutes away from the Royal Palace.	No	The streets are thus at the heart of UNESCO's World Heritage. 9 pieces full of picturesque monuments, full of history, culture, the most special restaurants, and galleries: a unique range of small, specialized and mostly authentic shops .
	Damrak/Dam Square	11 mins walk from 9 streets	No	Koninklijk Palais (Royal Palace) to the west side and the National Monument to the east. Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) next to the Royal Palace. De Bijenkorf or "The Beehive".
	Westermarkt		No	Homomonument, Westerkerk
	The Begijnhof	a hidden courtyard of cottages originally built in the 14th-century for a group of pious, charitable women (the Beguines). Gedempte Begijnensloot (alley just off the Spui) -- Open daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.	No	Drop into the Begijnhof courtyard at Spui to see the Netherlands' oldest timber house. The handsome wooden house at number 34 is one of only two that survive below the river IJ.
	De Wallen or the Red Light District	Don’t miss the vibrant Nieuwmarkt square, the gothic Oude Kerk or a walk along the centre of Amsterdam’s Chinatown, the Zeedijk (also home to an impressive Buddhist temple). Another site not to miss in this area is in the Oudezijds Armsteeg. There are six beautiful restored Delft Blue houses in a row.	Oude Kerk: € 5, I amsterdam card holders free
	Lunch break	Nieuwmarkt square
4.00 pm	Anne Frank Huis	Prinsengracht 263	Yes --Booked	20 mins walk from Nieuwmarket
	Leidseplein, Old South or Oud Zuid--Museum quarter	Amsterdam neighbourhoods	No	eat rijsttafel at Sama Sebo or Blauw Amsterdam (Vondelpark), one of the top Indonesian restaurants in the city. Rijsttafel, which literally means "rice table", is like tapas on overdrive: a feast of small Indonesian dishes, plus rice, that tests even the heartiest appetites.                                          Cobra Café BV | Hobbemastraat 18 | 1071 ZB
	De Pijp	Amsterdam neighbourhoods	No
Post 10.00 pm	De Wallen or the Red Light District	Look for the "Pimp Free Zone" stickers on window brothels for responsible fun.	No
Day 2	Things to do	Notes	Fee	Notes
Sunday	Morning as early as possible: Keukenhof Gardens (Tulip Festival)	8.00 am-7.30 pm	Yes  15 euros pp Combi-ticket: 27.5 euros pp	3-4 hours+1 hour transport
	Heineken Experience	11.00 am-8.30 pm	Yes 16 euros pp	1.5 hours
	Rembrandt Square	Sunday art market
	Back to Amsterdam. Take coach back to London	Depart: 9.30 pm		Eurolines Coach Station, Amstel Station
	HOLLAND PASS-7 tickets
	Tulip	Keukenhof		Departure locations:
	Tulip	Keukenhof		Schiphol Airport bus line: 858 (It is also possible to take the bus from Amsterdam City Centre, Leidseplein busnr: 197 to Schiphol Airport and from there you take the bus to Keukenhof)
	Tulip	Heineken	20% discount	Leiden Central Station bus line: 854
	Windmill	Keukenhof transport		Amsterdam (Damrak 34): Keukenhof Express departs 5 times daily. Within 50 minutes, Tours & Tickets takes you per luxury touring car to Keukenhof (maximum stay: 3 hours).
	Windmill	Keukenhof transport		MPORTANT: Your Holland Pass ticket (Windmill) needs to be exchanged at the following locations to get the round-trip bus ticket to Keukenhof; GWK Travelex Amsterdam (Central Station, Damrak, Kalverstraat, Leidseplein), GWK Travelex Schiphol Airport, Connexxion/Arriva desk (arrival hall 4) at Schiphol Airport, GWK Travelex Leiden Central Station or Visitor Centre Leiden.
	Windmill			You cannot use the Windmill ticket directly for the bus!
	Windmill	Can exchange windmill for one 24 hrs public transport pass
	Transport	48 hrs unlimited public transport for one person

Amsterdam - Let's just say it was interesting

Guest article by: Parul Gupta

Okay, so last weekend Varun and I jumped on a bus to Amsterdam for a weekend of sightseeing. I was excited. I'd seen photos of Amsterdam with its gorgeous architecture and stunning canals and houseboats. I expected to love it. I mean really love it. Instead, I'd have to say I found it interesting. It was crowded, vibrant, always open, and a little seedy. Amsterdam was a party. And not just any party. It was more like a bachelor party in Las Vegas. It's been quite sometime since I've been exposed to that much beer and weed. Really.

Coffee shops in Amsterdam don't sell coffee. Seriously. Did you know that?

The city center is called Damrak or Dam Square. More like Times Square. It's a large, open square, surrounded by shopping, restaurants and bars crisscrossed by myriad of trains, trams and buses and sprinkled with a gorgeous old church, a Madame Tussaud's, a Royal Palace and this guy.

Neptune at Amsterdam's Dam Square - it's certainly one  of a kind

I think I experienced a sensory overload standing in Dam Square. I'm not joking when I say there were "coffee shops" all around us. For those who haven't heard, a coffee shop in Amsterdam is a place to purchase and smoke marijuana. It's not legal, mind you, it's just tolerated. If you want that machiatto or latte, you'd better ask for a cafe. As for the weed, you don't really need to buy it to enjoy it. I think I inhaled enough second-hand smoke around town to enjoy an unintentional two day contact high. No wonder I was craving McDonald's. Especially the fries. And pancakes!

Amsterdam's canals and neighbourhoods are lovely

Once you get away from Dam Square, you find peaceful neighbourhoods with stunning canals, traditional architecture, street markets and fabulous museums. Food is a big draw. Waffles are a popular sweet treat here. And they cover them in everything known to man....chocolate, nuts, fruit, whipped cream, candy coatings...I could go on and on. There were so many awesome vendors. I'll let the photos tell the story.

Waffles...oh, sweet waffles. You are so delicious.

From clothes to antiques to cheese and produce, you can find just about anything in a street market here. It's a great shopping city. Here's a peak at some of the market vendors we loved, and a look at Amsterdam's famous flower market.

A woman on TV once said that good cheese "smells like a feet of angels". Ewww

I can't identify some of the mushrooms here, so I'll just call them delicious.

There's something for everyone at Amsterdam's street markets

An example of a flower stall in Amsterdam's Bloemen Market

Amaryllis for sale at Amsterdam's flower market - gorgeous!

And now you know how to say DON'T TOUCH in five different languages!

Cyclamen--these are stunning!

Amsterdam is one of the most bike friendly cities in the world but I had no idea just how many bikes there would be. Look at this bike parking around the train station--it's bigger than a parking garage!

Many staircases in public places had tracks for your bike, so you could easily push it up. Genius!

If there's one thing in particular that Amsterdam is famous for, it has to be their canal system. And there are so many of them--more than Venice! It's what keeps the city humming. Boats are everywhere, from sightseeing boats to delivery boats, houseboats to floating museums and bed-and-breakfasts. Water and controlling it are vital to Amsterdam's existence. It also makes for some beautiful real estate (and vacation) photos. Take a look:

Four main canals ring the city of Amsterdam

A gridwork of bridges cross the canals to connect each ring

A charming collections of houseboats line each canal

And a handful of tour boat companies ferry visitors around the city

And now, here's a little collection of various photos I took from around Amsterdam. They don't fit any specific category, but they are still worth sharing:

I just can't get enough of the architectural style. So very charming.

A cheese cave? Holy crap! It's a cheese cave!

Walk these streets and you'll call them hobblestones, too!

Yup. That's a public urinal and men really use them

Oude Church, Amsterdam. My winner for best organ pipes. Ever.

The Bulldog bills itself as Amsterdam's original coffee shop. Coffee shop=no coffee

I never thought the words "beautiful" and "train station" went together until now

And finally, a click from the famed Red Light District that I literally stole.

Men window shopping at Amsterdam's Red Light District, De Wallen

Since our trip was so short, we decided to treat it as if we were, more or less, living in Amsterdam. Just walked around, explored the streets and shops, ate and drank. We didn't go to many of the tourist attractions, other than visiting the tulip gardens and the powerfully affecting, Anne Frank House, which was incredibly moving. I would have loved to include photos from Anne Frank House but they don't allow any photos to be taken. I did get to see the Secret Annex where Anne Frank and her family went into hiding during the German persecution of Jews in Netherlands. The tulips are here of course!

Okay, kids. That's it for Amsterdam. Thanks for reading along. Coming up next will be my holiday dream trip to the Scottish Highlands (thank you Varun, for making it come true). Stay tuned!