We made the most of the hotel breakfast, as limited as it was, before checking out and ordering an Uber into the city centre. As events had unfolded we'd arranged to meet our friend Magdalena late morning and grabbing an Uber meant we could get close to our meeting point and as on time as we could manage.
Our drop off was perfect and only required a short walk with our case and backpacks.
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| Made it into the heart of the city |
Thankfully we were able to leave our bags at Magdalena's store while we enjoyed lunch at a nearby Korean BBQ restaurant. The advantage of hooking up with a friend meant finding the best places to eat!
A couple of hours later we left the company of Magdalena to take a walk to our next hotel and check-in. Now we always try to get the best deal on hotels and this can sometimes mean finding one off the main path, which we don't mind as it helps us to get our steps in for the day! And this time was no exception; we had picked the Hampton by Hilton which was to the east of the city centre and about a 30 minute walk…well it would have been had we (okay me!) been able to read Google maps correctly! We eventually found our way there and despite arriving about 30 minutes before the 3pm check-in time our room was ready which meant we could get ourselves all sorted and settled in.
Later on we took a walk back into the city centre and discovered the way we should have walked earlier and it was way easier, quicker and much more direct! Oh and it started to rain…and it was windy…so by the time we met up with Magdalena once again we were a little on the soggy side. We took a walk through the city to the gay district to have drinks (okay black coffee for us because that's how we roll!) with Magdalena and some of her friends as well as meeting her wife for the first time. And despite the rain we were able to sit outside and stay surprisingly dry and warm.
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| A slightly damp Chinatown |
As we said our goodbyes and ventured off in search of food we realised we knew where in the city we were and more importantly that meant we knew we were close to one of our favourite restaurants; Burgermeester! A great little find if you like good quality burgers and if, like us, you like to change things up a little by swapping the bread for salad. Their Beef Royale is fantastic and their truffle fries are a must have indulgence! Very yummy and very satisfying.
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| Beef Royale at Burgermeester |
Thankfully by the time we finished our meal the rain had subsided which meant the rather long walk back to the hotel wasn't too bad at all! A day of 21,500 steps!
The following day we woke to a grey and overcast day and with no real agenda other than to enjoy the city at our own pace.
The hotel breakfast fuelled us before we headed out towards the museum district of the city in the rain and the wind! Along the way we spotted a cafe called ‘The School of Life’ which belonged to the YouTube channel of the same name, a channel we were very familiar with. So it felt only right having stumbled across it, and not even realising it existed, that we stop for coffee and banana bread.
Having dried out and warmed up a little we headed back out and made our way to the Stedelijk museum. This was our first time visiting this museum and our timing was perfect as they had a new exhibition by the Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf; his works captured Amsterdam through the decades, with works that have been considered provocative and daring...there were some beautiful and interesting pieces in a display that led you through the museum.
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| Erwin Olaf Exhibit |
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| Exploring more of Stedelijk Museum |
As we headed back into the centre of the city we made best use of our navigational skills and Google maps! When exploring cities we have discovered a great way to discover more about where you are is to fire up Google maps, pick a destination and follow the directions…it might be in search of a coffee or a shop or a place of interest but not only does it get you to your destination you also get to see parts of a city you might not have otherwise seen. Today's target was Uniqlo! We don't have many of these shops in the UK and they are known for occasionally selling Disney themed clothes…which for me is a ‘must check and see'...unfortunately on this occasion there was nothing there to tempt me.
As the afternoon marched on, and not having eaten since breakfast we decided we were in need of food and amazingly Simon not only realised where in the city we were but more importantly he remembered a restaurant we'd eaten at during our first visit two years earlier. So Nader Steakhouse it was and we met the owner, Boris, once more who was just as lovely as he was the first time we'd dined there.
Our next little wander saw us head for a Dr Martens store as I'd fallen in love with the pair of boots that our friend Magdalena had worn the previous day and I hadn't seen before. Upon investigation the boots were also available in the UK and for basically the same price so I think they may go on my 'I'd really like to have' list.
Our walk back to the hotel that evening saw us stop at Boerejongens to pick up some 'special' red velvet cake as well as some evening snacks from the close by Albert Heijn.
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| Red Velvet Cake |
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| Amsterdam at night |
Oh and today's step count was another 21,000!
The following day was much brighter with clear blue skies, although it was still a little on the chilly side. Today we had another museum we wanted to visit but this time we headed out to the NDSM-Werf area across the River IJ by taking the free ferry located behind Centraal Station.
The ferry runs continuously and there is normally only a few minutes wait for the next one to arrive. The journey across the water only takes around ten minutes or so and provides some interesting sights along the way. Our destination when arriving was the Straat Museum; a museum located within one of the old shipbuilding units that now houses some amazing pieces of street art and graffiti. This is so worth a visit to experience these pieces of art up close and personal and see the scale at which they have been created.
This was our second visit and it still captivated us as much as our first time. One word of warning though as this is situated inside an old shipbuilding space there is no heating so visiting at this time of year it wasn’t the warmest, but they do have a very lovely cafe where we could warm up with a coffee.
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| View from above after coffee |
After we’d taken the ferry back over to the city we decided to go in search of some food and found another of our favourite places; Bakers & Roasters. We made best use of their all day brunch menu and enjoyed their Kiwi Breakfast which was scrummy.
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| Bakers & Roaster Kiwi Breakfast |
Despite feeling very full we headed off in search of chocolate and specifically Puccini chocolate; again another discovery from previous trips to the city. Their shops smell absolutely amazing and the quality of their chocolate is just divine. Suffice to say a variety of chocolate was purchased, some for us to enjoy and some for our kids back home!
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| Amazing array of chocolates that smell scrumptious |
The rest of the day saw us meandering around the city, enjoying the sights and sounds and racking up 23,000 steps!
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| Hat had to go on as it turned a tad chilly as we walked back to the hotel. |
For our final full day in the city we headed out from the hotel in the direction of ‘illy Caffe’ near to Centraal Station and somewhere where we knew we would get a very nice cup of coffee…in fact we had three coffees…an Americano each and for Simon a Caffe Viennese, an espresso with a generous amount of sweetened whipped cream!
Just around the corner from there is the 'Sexmuseum' so we decided to stop by and see what it had to offer. And while some of it was a little on the tacky and cheesy side if you take the time to look properly and take in the displays there is a great history there to be discovered. You just have to get past the giggles of twenty-somethings who’ve probably had a drink or two or a little ‘something else’!!
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| Sexmuseum |
As we ventured forth to explore more of the city we once again found ourselves at yet another restaurant that we’d had the pleasure of dining at before; Eggs Benaddicted where we enjoyed another late brunch!
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| Roast beef & eggs = yummy! |
Once refuelled we headed back out into the city for more of an explore and this time decided to try and find an art gallery by the artist Tim Cantor; can't actually remember the reason behind finding this gallery, but I do remember that me and Google maps are not a good combination and our route to find the gallery became rather convoluted but at least we saw more of the city and got even more steps in! Oh and we did find the gallery which, although small, had some lovely pieces.
The remainder of the day was more wandering, buying more ‘special cake’ (hoping for their salted caramel but it was not to be), drinking coffee and more steps as we headed back to the hotel for our final night before travelling home…
…or was it??
Oh and steps for the day were a mere 28,300!!
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