Amsterdam

When I was in Europe a couple of months ago, I went over to Amsterdam for a few days.

I didn't know what to expect to be honest but after visiting I would describe it as quirky and urban. What i did enjoy is that it's a place where you can walk everywhere. In between the streets you have these beautiful canals running through with lots of boats, which was very pretty.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of people there and all the bikes! Bikes are huge here, which I love as that makes it very individual as a place but crossing roads and trying to be careful not to have a run in with people on bikes was a challenge, but I got there in the end (you can of course avoid this by getting onto a bike yourself!).

In terms of food, you MUST try the famous chips with mayonnaise, you can't miss the shops, they are in every corner.  They also love their nutella, so expect a nutella shop selling waffles everywhere too. Another shop you see in almost every street is cheese shops! I stopped by at Holy Cheese which is an amazing shop that sells so many different types of cheeses (like truffle cheese!) and makes the best cheese sandwiches - make sure you stop by and try one! For a good Italian restaurant you should definitely visit Mazzo.

For a great shopping experience, head over to their main department store de Bijenkorf, it's probably the equivalent to Selfridges in London.

In terms of history you must see the Ann Frank house, the Museum of Bags and Shoes, the Rembrandt House Museum, the Van Gogh Museum and finally the Rijksmuseum (which houses famous paintings such as The Night Watch by Rembrandt). The Rijksmuseum were also showcasing The Miffy Art Parade when I was visiting, which was really cute!

The Royal Palace and the beautiful Vondelpark are also great places to see. Vondelpark also has great shopping and restaurants around there.

If you are looking for a place to stay, then check out the recently opened W Hotel.

One final hidden gem to complete your trip to Amsterdam, is a restaurant called REM Eiland. A bit further out from the center, this old oil rig in the middle of the Amsterdam Harbour has been converted to an impressive restaurant!

Finally, when you do visit make sure you take a pair of comfortable shoes (I would say trainers), there are a lot of cobbled streets!


F & F

xx