Amsterdam travel highlights

Amsterdam canal and boat - cultivatedrambler.com

OK, quick and dirty recaps of each city we visited coming your way! First off, our first stop – duh. Amsterdam.

stayed: An air bnb in the Leidseplein district. We stayed in a shared apartment on a canal (!) that was very easy to get to from the airport. We took the bus into town with no issues. It was a classic, old school apartment with crazy narrow, steep steps. I don’t know how an intoxicated person would make it up and down them without breaking a leg! It was very close to the museums and Vondel Park, but not so close to the bustling Red Light district and where I’d say the better restaurants are located.

Flower market, Amsterdam - cultivatedrambler.com
saw: A dad on his bike, with a dog in the front basket and his child standing on the back hanging onto his shoulders on the way to school. Talent. Pure bike talent. A lady on a bike full on kick a car who almost hit her and the street fight that ensued. I thought Amsterdam peeps would be a lil more chill then that :-/ Tons of canal boat houses that made me want one – BAD. School kids taking recess in a local park playing, wait for it, dodge ball. That would never happen in the U.S.! Such a dangerous game 🙂

conquered: Rijksmuseum. I die for those still life paintings. And Rembrandt? You’re cool and all but man, the crowds! Note to travelers – bring your own ear buds so you can follow the free app tour on your iPhone.

Rembrant Rijksmuseum- cultivatedrambler.com
Apple pie with extra whipped cream? ‘Nuff said.

The line for the Anne Frank Museum. We got in line a little after 8:00 a.m., thinking we’re smarter than everyone else. Yeah, not so much. Hundreds of others thought so too. We did eventually get in around 10:30 a.m. Note to travelers – purchase this ticket ahead of time if you can. That way, you won’t have to stand in that long line.

Mike’s bike tour. Highly recommended. I’d suggest doing a bike tour first so you get the lay of the land. Then you can go back to the places you thought were most interesting.

Mike's Bike Tour, Amsterdam - cultivatedrambler.com

other travel notes: Brown cafes aren’t THAT amazing. Everything purchased were spiffs. You might as well just smoke a ciggy, but I guess that’s how people can spend hours in the cafes and not end up on their faces. Make good shoe choices. I wore Nike Airs on our museum day and got a nice, painful case of planar fasciitis that took a week to clear up. You kind of need to be able to walk whilst traveling and this was a huge setback for me at first. I cried like a big ole baby but then discovered bike tours, which helped me stay off my feet AND still see the city. Mint tea. OMGee. Fresh mint tea. Just take sprigs of mint and shove them in a cup of hot water. Genius.

Canal view, Amsterdam - cultivatedrambler.com

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