Welcome back to Part Two of my Amsterdam round up. If you want a recap of Part One click on the link.
Friday was possibly my favourite day in the Dam as we hired bikes from the hotel for 16 Euros and set off for the day on two wheels. We headed straight into the Vondelpark for a sunny but chilly ride around the lake before riding towards the Bloemenmarket.
The Bloemenmarket is a must see if you are in Amsterdam as it houses a collection of seemingly endless flower and souvenir stalls. It is also the Worlds only floating flower market. Cool huh?
Here you can pick up anything from tulip bulbs, to juicy green succulents to hand-painted wooden clogs. We grabbed a takeaway coffee to warm us up and spent the next hour slowly meandering through the markets.
The more and more clog stalls we came across the more I became tempted to buy a pair, and so by the end of the market I was the proud owner of a tiny pair of yellow clogs and a big smile on my face to prove it.
A few other souvenirs also fell into our bags from the Blomenmarket, including a bag of tulip bulbs for my mum and an Amsterdam fridge magnet (standard).
Next stop on the bikes was a ride to Wijdesteeg. A tiny side street just a five minute walk from Dam Square and home to some of the most vibrant and colourful street art. A multi-coloured brick road, a giant pink flamingo, a row of yellow ducks and a pint sized Einstein. What's not to love?
From here we rode north to the Amsterdam Library which offers up great panoramic views over the city. The library is free to enter so pop by and head to the 6th floor for the views.
Mid Afternoon we rode on to Rembrandtplain Square and this was one of my favourite spots from the trip. This area was once a Butter and Dairy market, but has since become home to an array of bars and restaurants which surrounds an inner square and a collection of iron statues. One of which includes the famous Dutch painter himself - Rembrandt van Rijn.
Our trusty trip advisor app then suggested we eat at De Nachtwacht (which translates to the Night Watch) and came highly recommended. The restaurant was fully booked but they did offer us up a seat at the bar area. In hindsight this was much better as we got to chat to the bar tender who recommended some great red wine for us to try. A shared rack of ribs and a lot of red wine later, we cycled home that evening feeling very full and content. Happy Anniversary to us.
On our final day in Amsterdam, the day didn't get off to the best of starts.
We had pre-booked tickets to tour Anne Franks house through tour operator - 'Get Your Guide' and told to arrive for 9am. Our meeting point was to be at the Anne Frank statue where we would be met by our guide who would issue the tickets and take us through. Sadly an hour later there was no sign of the guide and a group of 20 very cold and disappointed tourists. After contacting the tour company when we returned we were offered no explanation as to why they had cancelled the trip, but they did offer to refund our money. Needless to say that I will not be using GYG again for future travel trips. Such a disappointment!!!
We had pre-booked tickets to tour Anne Franks house through tour operator - 'Get Your Guide' and told to arrive for 9am. Our meeting point was to be at the Anne Frank statue where we would be met by our guide who would issue the tickets and take us through. Sadly an hour later there was no sign of the guide and a group of 20 very cold and disappointed tourists. After contacting the tour company when we returned we were offered no explanation as to why they had cancelled the trip, but they did offer to refund our money. Needless to say that I will not be using GYG again for future travel trips. Such a disappointment!!!
However, onwards and upwards we decided next to visit the Bodyworlds exhibition. The museum houses over 200 anatomical specimens of real human bodies that have been donated for scientific purposes and reveal the true complexity and vulnerability of the human body.
After what was quite a heavy tour around the human body, we decided to lighten the mood by popping over to the nearby Grasshopper for a beer.
The Grasshopper is right on the outskirts of the red light district and so we decided on another wander around and ended up at the Condomerie. Big ones, small ones, multi-coloured ones, glow in the dark ones. This places houses them all. Go for a laugh!!
We then happened to stumble into Amsterdam's Chinatown. Red lanterns and lots of crispy ducks hanging in restaurant windows. We stopped by the temple and inhaled the wafts of incense before walking on.
We concluded our whistlestop trip to Amsterdam with a big cheesy fondue. A big old saucepan of gooey cheese topped with spices. A perfect end to a great weekend.
Amsterdam, I will be back.
Thanks for reading. Back soon.
Nic x
