Yes, everything you’ve heard about Amsterdam is true. You can literally walk into a ‘coffee shop’ and order a wide array of products that are illegal in America. After a few hours at a coffee shop everyone’s next stop is one of the city’s famous pancake houses, but there’s much more to Amsterdam than smoking and eating.
I met my parents in Amsterdam very early Saturday morning and after a little hiccup in his travel plans, my brother, Jason, arrived early Monday morning. Although the weather in Amsterdam was probably colder than in Wisconsin, we still had a great weekend touring a city that can be described as nothing less than incredible.
1. Anne Frank House
Our first stop after our arrival was the Anne Frank House, where the Frank family hid for almost two years during the Holocaust. Thanks to my uncle, (Alyssa, consider this your shout out!) we got the VIP treat and a tour of the house from the educational director. We visited the kitchen, a room usually closed to the general public, where Otto Frank mixed spices for his wholesale business. The kitchen is directly below the annex where Anne and her family hid, so the family had to be very careful during the day, since the German infantry was a client of Mr. Frank’s.
2. Windmills
Just a few miles outside of Amsterdam, lay the Netherlands’ iconic windmills. We bundled up, my parents in their (not so) fashionable Amsterdam hats, and ventured to Zaanse Schans, a small town that gives visitors a snapshot of life in 18th and 19th century Holland. Once an industrial region, Zaanse Schans is now the home of museums, shops and craft demonstrations. Here, we watched wooden shoes being made, sampled Dutch cheeses and mustards, and toured the windmills. For those looking to stay in Amsterdam, Henri Willig Cheese & More has a store on one of Amsterdam’s major shopping streets, Leidsestraat, where you can sample all their cheeses, mustards and amazing cookies called stroopwafels.
3. Canal Tour
Amsterdam is made up of a series of canals, so a great way to see the city is a canal tour. Although Jason and I both took short naps during this tour, the canals allow you to see a majority of the city’s sites in just about an hour. Amsterdam’s canals are fresh water, not salt, and are therefore not subject to tides. Throughout the tour, we saw countless houseboats, of which the city currently has 2,500.
4. The Heineken Experience
Beer lovers can tour the historic brewery of Heineken beer. Here, we learned about the history of the Heineken Company, took a virtual brewing tour and of course, sampled some Heinekens.
5. Museums
If you’re feeling a need to get a little cultured in Amsterdam (or if your mom makes you go to a museum), there are many museums to choose from. The Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum are both closed for construction but many Van Gogh paintings are being housed in the Hermitage Museum. Don’t expect to find Starry Night there though; the famous painting is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
After Amsterdam, we headed back to Florence where Jason spent the week telling anyone who would listen about how he studied here five years ago. I loved showing my parents around my new home and taking them to my favorite restaurants. The week we had been looking forward to for months went by way too quickly and it’s crazy to think the next time I see my family will be in New York!
Ciao a tutti!!
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