Amsterdam is an artistic city that features an elaborate canal system, many cute and crooked narrow houses and shops, interesting museums, multicultural restaurants, and lots of cyclists. This post highlights my trip to visit the city and my friend Charlotte.
We started our day off with a canal cruise. It was narrated by a few hilarious guides and featured unlimited cheese and wine refills. The weather was a bit dreary, but it was nice to see the city from the water while enjoying lots of gouda.
After our canal tour we ventured into some nearby shops, walked through the Red Light District, took some photos with interesting signs, and had a flight of beer and bitterballen (a savory Dutch snack that is a breaded deep fried meatball). The brewery, Brouwerij 't IJ, is attached/next to Amsterdam's biggest windmill. We also walked past a café with my name, so I had to stop for another photo opportunity.
I originally met Charlotte when I was living in Seoul, South Korea. So after going back to her apartment to change and relax a bit, we decided to treat ourselves to Korean BBQ and Soju at Seoul Sista. It was delicious and was moderately priced for unlimited BBQ choices. We then met two of Charlotte's friends at a nearby speakeasy, and ended the night by attending a Taylor Swift Dance Party.
The Taylor Swift Dance Party was not quite what we expected...more of a giant sing along with Taylor impersonators. We had fun, but I felt bad because my 4am (waking up around 2 am) jet lag was beginning to hit me. I felt kind of sick, so Charlotte was kind and we called it a night.
The next day we had some delicious tacos for lunch at Tacos & Tequila and then explored the Van Gogh museum. It was very rainy again, so a museum day was a perfect idea. After Van Gogh, I went on to the Anne Frank House and Museum. This was one of the best museum's I've visited. It was not only extremely informative, but designed well and at times interactive. I read the Diary of Anne Frank when I was younger, but after walking through I bought a new copy and read it on the plane ride back to Tbilisi. I recommend this tour to anyone visiting Amsterdam.
After my day of museums, I grabbed some freshly made stroopwafels from Van Wonderen Stroopwafels and went back to Charlottes. After a break and some packing for my morning flight, we enjoyed a traditional Dutch restaurant, Proeflokaal A. van Wees. It's a former distillery turned pub offering liquor tastings and classic Dutch food. We decided to split a genever flight with our meals. Genever (Dutch for "juniper) is clear, botanically rich, malted grain-based spirits that can only be made in Holland or Belgium.
Overall, I was sad to leave and wish I had a bit longer in such a fun city. It was nice to see a good friend, and I would love to go back and visit again soon. Thanks for an amazing weekend Charlotte!
Commentaires