As you may recall, the first leg of our trip through Europe took us to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The city is perhaps best known for its Red Light District and its marijuana-dispensing “coffeeshops,” but there is actually a lot more to see, do and eat in the canal-filled Dutch city.
All in all, I took something in the neighborhood of 600+ photos in our three days there, but I’m naturally not going to post them all. Here are a few highlights that should give you an idea of what to expect should you make your way to the land of pannenkoeken and stroopwaffels.
The primary mode of transportation for the locals is the trusty bicycle. The terrain is very flat and you can park your bike just about anywhere. As a tourist, you can rent a bicycle too, but we found ourselves walking and using the metro as our main methods of getting around.
Amsterdam isn’t particularly known as a foodie kind of city, but there is a decent variety here to be found. There is a surprisingly large number of Argentinian steak restaurants, for instance, as well as a strong Indonesian influence. You’ll also find some locations that sell random deep fried things out of a wall for about a Euro each. No human interaction required. And you can’t visit Amsterdam without having some pickled herring.
What other attractions can you expect? A casual stroll along the canals is always nice, as well as a visit to the Rijksmuseum (buy your tickets in advance online and still expect to wait to get in), Anne Frank House, the Heineken Experience, and the Natura Artis Magistra Zoo. You’ll get the best value by investing in a Holland Pass.
The main library next to the central train station is worth visiting too. Yes, it’s “just” a library, but the architecture is amazing and the interior design is something else. They have iMacs set up everywhere, including access to a large music library.
I’ve got a lot more photos from my travels through which I need to sift, so you can probably expect a few more blog posts the other cities I saw along the way. Stay tuned!
Good food, good sights (in proper context per a recent post.) Looks like a great time Michael, and that is a really trendy, techno look for the library.