In July, I (L) visited Amsterdam for the first time. Similar to my prior travel experiences in Poland, I received a few recommendations and travel tips from my Dutch colleagues who are also here on an international assignment. An initially planned solo trip turned out to be one full of company! In my 3 days spent in Amsterdam, I met up with a Singaporean friend / colleague, and coincidentally, made a friend of American-Korean descent also on a solo travel.

Through this post, beyond sharing my favourite (or rather, touristy) experiences, I will also be sharing some tips for first time travellers to Amsterdam to save time and disappointment!

Streets of canals & bicycles are a unique sight in Amsterdam.

What to do #1: Visit Rijksmuseum

Greeting visitors before the museum entrance is a beautiful Gardens. It was a warm greeting with the beautiful blooms during summertime.

This Dutch museum focuses primarily on arts and history, with a pretty extensive collection of Dutch artists' works. The most famous artwork here is the Night Watch, which I heard is the only artwork that has a special contingency planned in case of a fire or if any disaster strikes.

I must say, I am still at a "beginner" on the topic of art appreciation. I am keen to learn and be exposed more to this area. So, if you have tips or sharing, feel free to share them with me via email! Renting the audio guide was a good decision in going through the highlights of this big museum. I particularly enjoy the process of figuring out what the artist was trying to depict and subsequently, hearing the stories behind them through the audio guide. It amuses me, more often than not, when my interpretation is markedly different from the artist's. What I have learnt through having viewed some of these major artworks, is that historical paintings are sometimes used for propaganda purposes, depicting a different scene from what was reality. Also, famous artists enjoy putting themselves in the paintings, as part of the scene depicted. Is that their hope for a shot to fame or to make it seem like they are part of the elite / royal group's events and ceremonies?

A favourite from Rijksmuseum - "Dutch Lady" looking surprisingly peaceful.
This image exuberates a nice warmth & fuzzy feeling

Of the artworks that I had gone through here in Rijksmuseum, my favourite pieces are the Dutch Lady (pictured above) and the Cupyers Library (pictured below).

One of my favourites - "The Cuypers Library"
looks and feels so inviting.

Top Tip #1: Rijksmuseum & Van Gogh Museum are situated close to each other. Plan your itinerary in such a way that you visit them on the same day. They are also a couple of museums in this area. If you are a museum buff, make sure to plan well! Besides setting aside some time to go through them, do check also the museum's opening hours.

What to do #2: Visit Anne Frank's House, even if you had not read the Anne Frank's Diaries.

Anne Frank's Diaries has been translated to many different languages and has reached a worldwide audience.

Top Tip #2: Make an online reservation for Anne Frank's House, to avoid disappointment and long queues.

Starting with a tip for 2 reasons. Firstly, without an online reservation, you will have to wait till 3.30pm, where the doors are opened to the public. And secondly, you will have to join a really long "snaking" line, together with others who have not made one.

Anne Frank's House struck me hard for 2 reasons. One, this secret annexe was a real hide-out for a family and their friends', fearing for their lives (or deaths), in the not-too-distant WWII. Secondly, I visited the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Krakow a few weeks ago, the visuals and stories of Prisoners-of-Wars were still fresh in my head.

The chestnut tree that still stands strong outside Anne Frank's House.
It feels like a "guardian angel" to this place, doesn't it?

What to do #3: Visit Van Gogh Museum

On a lighter and happier note, I enjoyed my visit to the Van Gogh Museum. This museum houses a series of paintings, drawings and letters by the famous Vincent van Gogh. As earlier mentioned, I have a really basic knowledge about art and the arts scene. Through this museum, I felt I had known a new person. A really talented individual of his time, who experienced sufferings. All these through his artworks, and short stories gathered from the audio guide.

Van Gogh enjoys painting self-portraits, through which
you can get a glimpse of how his life transformed with time. 

My favourite pieces from his collection include, the Sunflowers, and a scene that depicts 3 couples in a garden. I picked these up in postcards from the Museum Shop, which had now reached D's hands. His "Europe" postcard collection is definitely growing (with location and what I particularly like in each city) with my frequent weekend travels!

A painting that depicts 3 couples in a garden.
I love how each of them can be interpreted so differently, but still remain in context.

It was pity this talented artist suffered from mental illness. One of the craziest thing he did was to cut off his left ear and sent it to a brothel. As his illness increased in severity, he was subsequently sent to an asylum, where he eventually made the bold decision of committing suicide at a tender age of 37.

Top Tip #3: If you still have some time after Rijksmuseum & Van Gogh Museum and enjoy the contemporary arts, the Stedelijk Museum is round the corner.

What to do #4: Bask in the food scene

Food is often a big part of our travels. Beyond trying out traditional local foods & snacks (where else to find better right?), I can't miss checking out the best breakfast / brunch spots and am always in the hunt for the best coffee in town.

PS: Beware when you ask the locals where the best coffeeshop is, because you might be led to a shop that sells weed and not coffee! Proper, legit coffees are sold in "cafes". Weed is sold in "coffeeshops".

A fact indeed that in Amsterdam, you can find weed related products readily & easily!

Recommendation #1: The best stroopwafels can be found in Albert Cuyp Market & specifically, at this store called "Original Stroopwafels".

Stroopwafels from "Original Stroopwafels" in Albert Cuyp Market is a must-try!
The market close on Sundays. This photo taken is with the owner's son. The recipe is a family kept secret.

Freshly made stroopwafels are the best you can find,
and not to be missed when you are in Amsterdam!

An early start on my last day meant watching the Albert Cuyp Market open its doors to visitors. 

Recommendation #2: Dutch pancakes are not to be missed. I never knew pancakes were that big in the Dutch cuisine before my trip to Amsterdam. This was a personal recommendation provided. I came across a couple of different pancake stores on my trip there, but nothing beats this one that we visited - Pancake Upstairs! 

A cosy joint with just 4 tables, you MUST make a reservation before you visit. Each table only gets an hour to dine in, and the owner is not afraid to say no when reservations are full. There are no takeaways too, so be sure to reserve or be prepared to be disappointed (because they do receive reservation requests aplenty)!

Happiness spelt in my facial expressions when someone did not turn up for their reservations,
probably due to the storm that day, and we were really lucky to have a table!

We shared a savoury & sweet pancake.
Each pancake is made fresh on order and done on point.
The savoury one especially blew me away!

Recommendation #3: Did you know...Amsterdam is also known for its Apple Pies? Once again, my ignorance but I am thankful for the recommendations received all around! For the best Apple Pies in town, you need to have one at Dwinkel 43.

A place that specialises in Apple Pies, it was FULL HOUSE in the afternoon.
Thankfully this place allows takeaway, because people were flooding out of the cafe & lines are long.

Recommendation #4: Food is one thing that I would spend time and effort to research on before a trip. I recall D asking me once what my favourite food is, and I started listing them in this order: eggs done any style, although preferably poached, COFFEE, fruits, muesli, yoghurt, tomatoes, bread / pastry etc. And he said, you just want a breakfast buffet! That said, I love breakfasts, my favourite meal of the day because I believe in starting my day right. Of the breakfast spots I managed to check out on this trip, I recommend having brunch at Bakers & Roasters. A Kiwi (New Zealand) cafe that serves the best brunch (& possibly coffee too) in town. Go early to beat the crowds for brunch at Bakers & Roasters.

Recommendation #5: I never knew before, but food halls are a big thing in Europe. Since our trip to Lyon in France where we had a gastronomic experience of our lives, visiting the first food hall I have ever been in Europe, I look out for food halls in my various weekend city explorations. Food halls typically come in two forms. The first operate mainly from morning till late afternoon, where they offer a variety of fresh meats and produce and there are also stores that serve food by the bar. The second type operate from afternoon till late at night. They offer a variety of global food selections and play great music. One can always expect a bustling crowd. And in Amsterdam, the best place to have dinner is at Food Hallen. Not to be missed is a great Gin & Tonic cocktail bar on site!

I couldn't resist this Bitterballen tasting platter.
It consists of 5 different flavours -
1 traditional beef, 1 truffle, 1 bouillabaisse, 1 Tom Kah Khai and 1 goats cheese. 

This G&T bar on-site Food Hallen dishes out a great variety of G&T concoctions.

Recommendation #6: If you are on a healthy diet / lifestyle, besides the tasty but slightly sinful street food like Bitterballen and French Fries, there are also the healthier and inexpensive Herrings that you can also try!

Herring served sashimi style from street carts.
Slightly fishy, but when served fresh, they make a delicious snack!

A girlfriend who was in the Netherlands for exchange a couple of years ago, highly recommended a try at the french fries!
Quoting her, the potatoes here are so "sweet", you wouldn't believe it! To top it off, she had to mention that Singapore imports potatose from the Netherlands. Where else to get fresher?!
Vleminckx, apparently the most popular one here in Amsterdam, should not be missed!

Top Tip #4: The health food scene is pretty big in Amsterdam. So if you are a healthy eater, do check out Pluk for a tasty treat of acai bowls or Juice by Nature for a bottle of cultured Kombucha.

We were in love with this open concept kitchen!
Loads of fresh, vibrant colours - dream kitchen for the future.

I love acai bowls!
They are perfect as a sweet treat that still falls into the category of a healthy lifestyle.

What to do #5: Sign up for a Walking Tour

Whenever possible, I would start my trips with a walking tour. It quickly gets you to the "must-sees", and more importantly, the guides would share local insights and secret spots to visit which you would not get from searching on Google or reading travel guide books.

A walking tour offers insights to streets and buildings,
which we would have normally just walked past without knowing or thinking too much about.

I went on a free walking tour with Freedam Tours. It was a company started out of interest by a Geography teacher about 1.5 years ago. There are also a couple of other free walking tours available in Amsterdam, so pick feel free to just pick one that interests you or suits your travel schedule!

A beautiful day checking out the sights of Amsterdam.
This one taken at the Royal Palace.

The oldest church in Amsterdam, located right beside a canal.
This was the starting point for my walking tour.
Definitely iconic for Amsterdam!

What to do #6: Visit the Heineken Brewery for a Heineken Experience!

Did you know... Heineken originated from Amsterdam? 

It was shared that each horse here is named after a senior management
who made significant contributions to the Heineken business.
You know you had made a mark if you have a horse here. Each horse is also treated with utmost care, with a trainer dedicated to each of their lifestyle routines, & diet.

This is an experience not to be missed, even if you are not a fan of beers. Going through rooms of how beers are made, visiting horse stables (there is a history of Heineken & horses), followed by a 4D experience of the brewing process and finally ending the tour on a rooftop bar. The price of a ticket for the Heineken Experience also includes 2 beers (or soft drinks if you wish). It's a steal, isn't it?

What to do #7: Watch a local musical / concert / show

I did not expect to catch a local show here in Amsterdam and this was something decided on-the-fly. A Dutch colleague recommended checking out last minute discounted tickets, and I decided to go for "Boom Chicago - Shot of Improv". It was an extremely interactive show, with managing the participation from audience being key. As with all improvisations, the success of such shows was highly dependent on how well actors manage inputs from audience and think on the spot to create humour. 

Top Tip #5: Check here for last minute discounted tickets, with discounts as good as 50%. The catch, though, is you only get to see what discounted shows are available on the day itself.

What to do #8: Take a Canal Cruise

In a city renown for their canals, a canal tour is not to be missed!

Fun fact: The name of the city, Amsterdam is derived from its origins. A dam in the river Amstel.

Known as the "Venice of the North", Amsterdam houses a number of canals. Historically, this served the purpose of defense and water management. The modern day canals features streets with different "characters". This ranges from fashion, food, art etc.

A giant aquarium, also iconic to visit in Amsterdam!
Unfortunately, my 3 days in Amsterdam did not allow for this visit.

Views from the Canal Tour.
Fun fact: Houses in Amsterdam are built to an angle that leans slightly forward.
This is due to the narrow entrances & stairways, that requires large furniture to be moved into the apartment via the windows. With an angle that leans forward, it enables easier lifting of heavy and bulky goods up the apartment building.

What to do #9: Visit Zaanse Schaans (the land of windmills) for a day.

Zaanse Schaans has a beautiful collection of windmills brought from around the country!
Bidding the city landscape goodbye, it feels good to busk in the lands of mother nature.

If following the above recommendations still allows half a day more of explorations, why not consider exploring the outskirts of Amsterdam?

On my third and final day in Amsterdam, I decided to take a bus from Amsterdam Central Station to the Zaandam neighbourhood. Zaanse Schaans has a collection of 18th and 19th century windmills, houses that feature a variety of crafts and food, and museums (not pictured). 

Travel Tip: To get there, from Amsterdam Central Station, you can hop onto Rnet-bus 391, which departs approximately every 15 minutes. In the summer months of July & August, there is an additional option of riding on Rnet-bus 817 that departs from the same bus stop. Both options will bring you to Zaanse Schaans in 40 minutes.

Amsterdam is such a unique city. One that visitors can associate with the terms "canals", "Heineken", "red light district", "French Fries" and "coffeeshops". The city lives, breathes and thrives with vibrancy. Till the next time (hopefully with D ;))!

xx,

L

Last weekend, I made a spontaneous trip to Wroclaw. The trip was decided only two days before and I went ahead with booking train tickets after checking that the weather would be pleasant. I have learnt from my weekend trip to Warsaw that if the weather is miserably cold, it might be wiser to simply stay in Krakow and shelve the trip for a later date! That said, I have plans to make another weekend trip to Warsaw, perhaps in the later part of this month or in May.

Wroclaw was a city in my Polish cities-to-visit bucket list, prior to my arrival in Poland. I was charmed by the colourful block of houses that stood on its market square grounds. Given that it is a small city relative to Krakow and Warsaw, a day trip was sufficient to cover its key sights.

Once again, I decided to hop onto the first train that departed Krakow for Wroclaw. Being slightly closer by distance, I arrived in Wroclaw by 9am. Without having to check into a hotel, I was in Central Café for brunch by 9.30am. Despite being relatively early on a Saturday morning, Central Café was already bustling with a hungry morning crowd! Signs of a café that serves good food. The thing about cafes is that they typically have a few bestsellers (normally two or three of them), which makes for a tough decision in the context of solo travelers. This time around, it was a toss-up between having bagels or pancakes. Seeing how the staff were preparing freshly baked bagels from the counter, I couldn’t resist not trying them. I ordered the Bagel with Haloumi cheese and Spinach, and it was delicious!

Interiors of Wroclaw's Central Cafe

Pan Fried Haloumi and Spinach Bagel and Orange  Grapefruit Juice.

Playing around with the bagels - a selfie for D.

Strolling along the streets of Wroclaw's Market Square, it is noticeably smaller than the market squares of larger towns. I went in search of the colourful block of houses, known as Hansel & Gratel House, and located it without much difficulty. It was as beautiful and picturesque as the Google images that I had seen, which set the postcard theme for my mail to D this time around!

Wroclaw's Hansel & Gratel colourful housing block.

Wroclaw's Market Square from the front.

Wroclaw's Market Square from the back.

About 20 minutes walk from Market Square housed the Panorama of Raclawice Battle Painting. It was a sightseeing spot highly recommended by Lonely Planet and I was excited to see this painting, as I had not seen something similar to this before. The exhibition was accompanied by an audio guide, which presented the magnificent painting with an overview of its historical background before zooming into various scenes painted, where interpretations of the scenes captured shed more light around what happened during the Raclawice Battle.

Panorama of Raclawice Battle -
Can you tell which is part of the painting and which are actual live items?
Pity this photo appears flat. In reality, it is a 3D painting.
Unfortunately, this photo does not do it sufficient justice.

Wroclaw is also known as the city of Gnomes. There are a total of over 200 gnomes located across the city, with most of them situated in the Old Town area. I decided to find one of them and subsequently, I found this "hunting" game to be pretty addictive and found myself on a Gnome Hunting spree.

Having walked around quite a fair bit, I decided to take a short break and made a pitstop at Vinyl Café. It was pretty unique by concept due to its theme as an old records store. I had researched this place prior to visiting Wroclaw and found that they do a pretty decent cuppa! Unfortunately, I have recently stopped drinking coffee and switched to tea, juices and water. Hence, I went for their homemade chocolate cake and homemade lemonade - a perfect combination which I particularly enjoy. A visit to this cafe is highly recommend if you are in Wroclaw - it is very local and just a short walk from Market Square.

Vinyl Cafe has a retro / vintage records store theme and
does a pretty amazing job in home baked creations.

Perhaps it was because I had just recovered that I was feeling tired by the time it was around 4pm. Having clocked in all the sightseeing spots, I just wanted somewhere to rest my feet and people watch. Craving for croissants, I headed straight for Vincent Bakery, which is pretty known for their croissants and pastries. I loved how the place had intricate tabletop decorations! D was also home then, post dinner, and we decided to FaceTime each other there!

Because of the recent research on Paris, I was craving for croissants!

And there you go! It was a good day trip out of Krakow - Wroclaw definitely did not disappoint. I am glad that this day trip was a 50-50 balance of food, fun and adventure!

Till the next adventure, xx,

L