Welcome to another travel addition of The Cherry On Top.
I've been taking you through some of Germany and The Netherlands, the past few months. I hope you're enjoying the sights and learning a thing or two about traveling in Europe.
Today, I'll go a bit more in depth on traveling to and touring Amsterdam in the The Netherlands. Many moons ago, I lived in Amsterdam Zuid. Not too far from the Van Gogh Museum. I can say with certainty that many things have changed. I've changed over the years as well.
When I was young and ready to conquer the world, I loved hanging out and visiting big cities. That is not at all the case any more. A gang groping and continuous harassment might put you off. I will try not to take this present day bias with me in this post. Hehehe...As always, I will attempt to be as factual and helpful as possible.
I'm using the free digital scrapbooking collection for all of my pages you see here and on the previous blogs about The Netherlands. You can get an idea how you can use the kit to scrap your own memories of The Netherlands or anywhere else on God's Green Earth.
We got very luck on the day we chose to hit up The Dam. Despite some very obvious geoengineering, there were some blue skies, but it was cold and as usual, windy. It felt really nice in the sun and any cafe offering a place in the sun, was packed with folks sipping on coffee or a biertje. (Beer) The building block most of the winter sun.
Just like Friesland, Amsterdam boasts waterways all throughout the large city of which you can take a little cruise. After touring the city for many hours, we decided we'd take a cruise to rest our weary bodies and warm up. That's something you might want to consider as well. Although, some take a tour to get to know the area and figure out where else they may want to go. You choose what's best for you and those you are traveling with if you're not traveling alone.
My friend and travel companion went especially to this shop in Amsterdam to get her fix. Hehehe...She loves knitting and is really, really amazing at it. To her delight, the owner of the shop was there! How cool is that?! Not only is he a celebrity, he's so very nice and even posed for a picture as well as gave all kinds of advice for choosing yarn and more. I let her have at it while I walked around the nearby streets trying to find a place in the sun.
As I was standing there sunning, I noticed that Amsterdam is much more heavily populated than when I lived there. During the day and late at night, the streets used to be relatively quiet. Nowadays, it's pretty tough finding a quiet place. This town in hopping! Again, we were there in the end of November. So, I can't even begin to imagine just how packed Amsterdam is in the spring and summer?!
There was a main street we were walking down that was packed body to body! It was a terribly uncomfortable feeling. If you easily get overwhelmed, you may want to skip this city, plan very strategically to stay away from the busy areas or visit when the weather is miserable, which really is a good fraction of the year. Hehehe...
Like most big cities, it is rather expensive, but not ridiculous. Unless, you plan on parking. There are a lot of ways to travel around the city center and the outskirts. Trams are dinging by often. Buses are a common site. There are water taxis and you could also rent a bike. At least you've got a lot of options. Staying just outside of the city will save you quite a bit for lodging.
Amsterdam is big time fabulous for museums, architecture, art, music, theater. They have absolutely everything you could possible want and more and probably a lot of things you don't want. Hehehe...The "coffee" shops and pretty ladies used as window dressing are sought out venues in Amsterdam. In case you didn't know, coffee shops often sell marijuana. So don't die of shock if you accidentally walk in to one of these places or you smell ganja as you're walking around the town.
Since I've already started on the unsavory topics (for some) I'll also add here that Amsterdam and The Netherlands overall is a very progressive place. You may see things that you won't in your own neighborhood. That's a huge part of the adventure for many, but if that kind of thing ain't yo thang, then again, plan your trip wisely.
Canal lined streets and the many bridges of Amsterdam give this town a lot of character and frankly, make it really, really easy to get lost! Hehehe...Don't be afraid to use a map or app or even ask for directions. We did all three. The people were pleasant enough when asking for directions, but be prepared that a lot of people don't know where everything is. Even when they live there because there is just so much and things change constantly.
I bet you can see why there were so many artists from The Netherlands. So much beauty and inspirational places and sights to see.
Here we are on the canal cruise. Serious bonus points for having wine available at the ticket office. We hit up the cruise for a rest and warm up and then planned on going to the Rijks Museum right across the street, but we were just too, late. Watch out for those closing hours! Europe is known for their terrible hours. Hehehe... I'm still spoiled from living in The States for so long. Most businesses open between 9 and 10 a.m., close over lunch for several hours and close between 5-6. I know, right?!
Below, you can see several bridges through the first bridge. I'm thinking there were 5. You can only see this from a boat. Another neat sight to see.
Amsterdam is an international city, to say the least. You'll see all different walks of life along the streets and in the shops. There's a mind numbing number of restaurants and cafes where you can grab a bite. From Turkish breads and pastries to upscale vegan and vegetarian menus and from fries in a paper sack to fine dining. If you can think of it, Amsterdam has it. For real! I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but if you are, The Netherlands is an excellent country for your menu choices. Many of the places I went in had just as many vegan and vegetarian items as they did "regular" items. Hehehe...
I highly recommend getting to know Amsterdam's layout and what's where before you go. Look for the top sites you want to see and watch how far you radiate out. What ya might have is a lot of lost time figuring out how to get where and if you only have a day or two there, you might miss out on important stuff.
Lines can be long if you go in the busy season. Keep that in mind as well when planning. Boat tours are typically around an hour and sometimes you can even get stuck in a "traffic" jam out on the canals. It happened to us. Ya may also have to wait in line for the cruise.
If you really want to immerse yourself in Amsterdam or any large city for that matter, you'll need a good 4 days. Especially, if you like museums and other cultural stuffs.
Here is the huge bundle of templates. I used a few in my pages. I put them in my shop for just a couple of bucks. Grab them and get scrappy.
And another...
And yet another fun freebie.
Finally! The Dutchie scrapbooking kit you've been waiting for with digital papers and elements. Go back and grab the other three freebies and add it to the kit and you'll be all set to scrap.
I still have a few more pages and more information over The Netherlands and Amsterdam. I'll add those when I've got it all ready.
We'll see ya then.
Let me know in the comments what you tend to do with the all of the fun freebies and any future travel plans of yours.
Happy travels!
