As my first trip out of Barcelona, Amsterdam was a learning experience. When planning the trip, my friends and I experimented with planning excursions as well as leaving ourselves time to explore on our own schedule. Our first full day consisted of touring The Anne Frank House, taking time to explore the city on our own, then ending the day at the Amsterdam Ice Bar. The second day, we got a birds eye view of Amsterdam via the A’dam Toren, took a cruise through the canals, toured the Heineken factory, and visited the Albert Cuyp market. We spent our last day continuing our self guided tour through the streets of central Amsterdam and its outskirts.
Amsterdam originally gained its popularity for its success in trading due to its many man made canals that weave throughout the city.
Amsterdam is also often classified by its tall, thin buildings lining the streets.
When thinking of the Netherlands, windmills often come to mind. While the classic windmill in a bed of tulips was not close by, I still managed to find this landmark before leaving.
I was lucky enough to travel to Amsterdam during its festival of lights.
During this festival, the streets and buildings of Amsterdam were illuminated by many different light structures.
I stayed in an AirBNB right outside the city which allowed me to explore its outskirts while traveling to my destination.
Foods and Drinks
The Amsterdam Ice Bar reassured me that I made the right decision in escaping the New England winter. Upon entrance to the bar, we were given (literally) ice cold Heineken.
Heineken was born in Amsterdam, and is seemingly the only beer every restaurant or bar serves. I was able to tour the factory and see exactly how it’s made- this was surprisingly one of my favorite parts of the trip.
During the tour, we were taught how to properly drink a Heineken. Key steps include:
– Raising your glass and saying “Proost!”
– Take a big sip to preserve the foam layer on top. This foam layer preserves the carbonation of the beer and keeps it from (in english) going flat or (in dutch) dying.
I also ate at a quaint little cafe called De Pont before embarking on my Saturday adventures. I was pleasantly surprised with my meal of a ham and cheese panini and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
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If traveling to Amsterdam, I also recommend going to Betty Blue’s cafe for brunch- I ordered an Eggs Benedict with avocado toast and a croissant with jam. The jam was homemade and so delicious especially when the croissant was warm.
I also highly recommend trying some of Amsterdam’s famous delicacies such as the stroopwafel and the street fries.
Stroopwafels are thin waffles separated by a layer of melted caramel and, in my case, dipped in warm nutella. Normally, stroopwafels are served with coffee or jot chocolate so they can melt on the surface however I purchased mine at the Albert Cuyp market.
Dutch street fries are french fries with flavored mayonnaise on them. After a long day of walking above 10 miles, my garlic mayo street fries were a great reward.
Another dutch delicacy is Poffertjes, or mini pancakes. After touring Anne Frank’s house, I grabbed some poffertjes with chocolate and bananas on them from a restaurant nearby- they were an amazing end to a great museum tour.
About Abroad 