My first taste of amsterdam, unsurprisingly, was at Schipol International Airport. After arriving from KL on a very pleasant KLM flight, (my colleague) Connie and I landed in 9˚C at 5:30am. But that was the extent of our first encounter with Amsterdam. We were on transit and Amsterdam had to wait. So close, but yet so far beyond the immigration gates.
But after four days in Monte Carlo and work finally behind us, Connie and I were set to take Amsterdam by storm! Joined by another close friend and ex-colleague, Winnie, Connie and I were set to paint Amsterdam a bold shade of red!
The weather was pleasant enough in the day (at least in the first two days) but temperatures dropped quite drastically during the night. But we were all ready to warm ourselves in one way or another. So we checked in at Hotel Luxer, very conveniently located on Warmoesstraat which is a 3-minute walk from Centraal rail station. Right after checking in, we walked a couple of streets down and in the midst of Chinatown, we checked out Steven's Bar and had ourselves a pint of a local ale. Yummy.
Now warmer, we strolled around Chinatown and the notorious Red Light District and eventually end up having dinner at a Tibetan restaurant... it was so-so and don't remember much of the food to describe! Now EVEN warmer, we strolled to the Amsterdam Ice Bar for our -10˚C experience... we just had to take the warm winds out of our sails la. Got a photo of me doing a bad impersonation of South Park's Kenny.
All of Amsterdam is walkable. Just watch out for trams and bicycles. And if you have had too many ice beers, watch that you don't walk straight into a canal; it's cold at this time of year! We took about 20 minutes to take a really slow stroll from the Ice Bar back to the hotel, passing Dam Square and many pretty night canal-scenes along the way.
The next morning, after fueling up on McDonald's (we had to... Connie insisted that we take a picture there as well), we walked about Damrak and Haarlemstraat for some souvenir shopping. It was a rainy morning and as with any where else in Europe, rain in the morning normally means a steady drizzle and greyness for the rest of the day. No different here, unfortunately.
So we stopped in at The Coffee Company on Haarlemmerdijk for coffee; or in my case, I had the most amazing hot dark chocolate. Enough fuel for more walking and shopping before stopping for lunch at La Pampa, and Argentinian restaurant. Delicious steaks.
On our last night, we decided on watching Boom Chicago's Upgrade Or Die. American improv theatre at its Dutch best. Winnie insisted that they do a musical skit in Chinese Opera style, so that was a refreshing breath of originality.
Our last morning began with a big breakfast at Prins Heerlijk, a cute little bakery just down the street from the hotel. Alas, this is where Winnie left us but that was not the end of the day for Connie and I. We trammed straight down to the Heineken Experience. I WAS a skeptic who wondered just how much of a story can be told about a beer. I was bowled over. It was a grand Experience and I recommend it for any first-timer to Amsterdam, if for nothing else then go check out the very cool, personalized merchandize available for sale.
Last stop, Albert Cuypstraat open market where I took the opportunity to invest in a pair of warmer gloves because although it had stopped drizzling and the sky was turning a bright blue, the temperature was reduced to about 8˚C in broad daylight!
And that was that. Amsterdam is a great, compact city with much to see and do. Best explored on foot or on bicycle. I am definitely going back!
But after four days in Monte Carlo and work finally behind us, Connie and I were set to take Amsterdam by storm! Joined by another close friend and ex-colleague, Winnie, Connie and I were set to paint Amsterdam a bold shade of red!
The weather was pleasant enough in the day (at least in the first two days) but temperatures dropped quite drastically during the night. But we were all ready to warm ourselves in one way or another. So we checked in at Hotel Luxer, very conveniently located on Warmoesstraat which is a 3-minute walk from Centraal rail station. Right after checking in, we walked a couple of streets down and in the midst of Chinatown, we checked out Steven's Bar and had ourselves a pint of a local ale. Yummy.
Now warmer, we strolled around Chinatown and the notorious Red Light District and eventually end up having dinner at a Tibetan restaurant... it was so-so and don't remember much of the food to describe! Now EVEN warmer, we strolled to the Amsterdam Ice Bar for our -10˚C experience... we just had to take the warm winds out of our sails la. Got a photo of me doing a bad impersonation of South Park's Kenny.
All of Amsterdam is walkable. Just watch out for trams and bicycles. And if you have had too many ice beers, watch that you don't walk straight into a canal; it's cold at this time of year! We took about 20 minutes to take a really slow stroll from the Ice Bar back to the hotel, passing Dam Square and many pretty night canal-scenes along the way.The next morning, after fueling up on McDonald's (we had to... Connie insisted that we take a picture there as well), we walked about Damrak and Haarlemstraat for some souvenir shopping. It was a rainy morning and as with any where else in Europe, rain in the morning normally means a steady drizzle and greyness for the rest of the day. No different here, unfortunately.
So we stopped in at The Coffee Company on Haarlemmerdijk for coffee; or in my case, I had the most amazing hot dark chocolate. Enough fuel for more walking and shopping before stopping for lunch at La Pampa, and Argentinian restaurant. Delicious steaks.On our last night, we decided on watching Boom Chicago's Upgrade Or Die. American improv theatre at its Dutch best. Winnie insisted that they do a musical skit in Chinese Opera style, so that was a refreshing breath of originality.
Our last morning began with a big breakfast at Prins Heerlijk, a cute little bakery just down the street from the hotel. Alas, this is where Winnie left us but that was not the end of the day for Connie and I. We trammed straight down to the Heineken Experience. I WAS a skeptic who wondered just how much of a story can be told about a beer. I was bowled over. It was a grand Experience and I recommend it for any first-timer to Amsterdam, if for nothing else then go check out the very cool, personalized merchandize available for sale.
Last stop, Albert Cuypstraat open market where I took the opportunity to invest in a pair of warmer gloves because although it had stopped drizzling and the sky was turning a bright blue, the temperature was reduced to about 8˚C in broad daylight!
And that was that. Amsterdam is a great, compact city with much to see and do. Best explored on foot or on bicycle. I am definitely going back!
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