It was our first stop – the opening act – of our multi-country adventure.
We didn’t need to throw darts at a map to decide where to start – there was really never any decision about where to start.
Our neighbor and good friend, Monika, wanted to visit her younger brother who lives in Amsterdam and had asked us to take her along when we next traveled to Europe. Of course we agreed.
It was a direct, overnight flight, arriving around 8ish in Amsterdam, and meeting Monika’s brother at the airport – easy, peasy.
We wasted little time. What does one do when in Amsterdam? Ride bikes, LOTS OF THEM!
Prior to departure, we’d booked a bicycle tour to get ourselves acquainted with the city. It was good fun – roughly a dozen of us, and the weather was stunning. A great way to chase away the overnight flight.
The bike tour was a great way to learn about the city, the history, culture, etc, and get a bit of exercise as well!
The history lesson started at the bike shop itself. Turns out, the 3 X’s you see everywhere don’t have anything to do with Amsterdam’s red light district. They are the Saint Andrews crosses from the 500 year old Amsterdam coat of arms. Of course, that doesn’t stop the gimmicky association with the red light district.
Quickly, we were into some neighborhoods – off the beaten path and enjoying Amsterdam, including canal drawbridges, Vondel Park, and a short stop over at the Anne Frank house.
Our AirBnB apartment was in the Jordaan district – a lovely residential district, centrally located and with easy access to most everything. The apartment itself was on the 3rd floor, only 2 flights of stairs, but oh, what flights!
You can get a sense of steepness from the photo.
We visited the Rijksmuseum – the Dutch national museum. Some amazing works, with many of the Dutch Masters, including Van Gogh and Rembrandt.
Once of Rembrandt’s most famous – Night Watch – was undergoing restoration – a very elaborate scaffolding set up to work on the painting in the gallery itself.
And, of course, the Van Goghs.
We also visited the Van Gogh museum. Interestingly, one of his most famous paintings – Starry Night – turns out wasn’t there. Surprise – it’s permanently housed at NY’s Museum of Modern Art!
This trip was partially a celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. It seemed only fitting to include a bit of bling – an anniversary ring of rubies and diamonds – from Royal Coster diamonds in Amsterdam.
I’d been to Amsterdam, nearly 30 years ago – one of my fond memories was the food – a place where Indonesian food is prevalent. It was exciting to enjoy an Indonesian Rijstaffel (rice table) for dinner one evening.
