A well spent weekend in Amsterdam

One can rarely go wrong with an Amsterdam getaway, especially if they are expecting it.

Two years back, while visiting my husband in Paris, having a spare weekend we decided to visit our
friends in The Hague in Amsterdam. So, we got on to the internet at 1pm on the Friday morning,
booked our tickets, and by 8 pm we were waiting for our last-minute bus to Amsterdam- not a bad
game, right?

If you have just a weekend in Amsterdam and you are perplexed as to how much you can fit in, the
answer is plenty. With its boat ridden waterways, compact streets and devout ways for bicycles,
getting around in Amsterdam is extremely easy. We started our weekend by taking a boat in the
canals, the waterway linking the city. We booked the tickets a day before, while I was browsing for
the tickets, which brought the price down to $11. Usually it costs around $15 on the spot. Since we
had friends in Amsterdam who had iAmsterdam cards, we booked blue Boats tours, which are
usually the cheapest option. We spent about an hour, roaming around the canals under the love
locked bridges and picturesque views.
Since we visited in October, we couldn’t go to the tulip garden. Instead we decided to visit the
famous Flower Market embellished with varied coloured tulips. Flower Market is a colourful street
to wander, shop around, sit back and relax with a coffee and ever so wonderful baked goods.
Amsterdam has plenty of flea and antique markets, which attracts a lot of tourists. Amsterdam has a
plenty of hidden areas to explore in the middle of the city, usually behind small doors or archways
not swarmed by tourists. With churches, convents, colourful houses around the green grassed
squares, it provides respite from busy city streets.
Next, we headed to Jordaan, which is a colourful neighbourhood, crammed with boutique shops,
inventing dining options, cosy cafes and by far my favourite part of central Amsterdam. I had the
most wonderful Apple pie at Winkel 43, which is a great pit stop for lunch.

Our next stop was Anne Frank House. Anne Frank Museum is a great reminder to the Europe’s past
and is a well-deserved spot on Amsterdam itinerary. It generally opens from 9 am to 7 pm but since
we visited on Saturday, it was open for extended hours. We stuck around in Jordaan neighbourhood
for dinner where culinary creations were in full swing. Whether you want something low key, high
end or something local, you will be presented with a lot of options. Next, we visited some bars and
smoke houses by the canal. The places were swarmed by tourists grabbing their drinks and enjoying
their time in Amsterdam.

Surprised to know that Amsterdam has over 50 museums, we started our second day with a trip to
one of the oldest museums in the city. The Rijksmuseum museum is famous for extensive art
collection and is a popular tourist destination. Even if one doesn’t plan to visit inside, the
architecture and iAmsterdam sign outside are worth a quick glance. Venturing back to red light
district, we visited the Museum of our lord in the attic which was a rather unusual option. It is said
the when religious censorship came in place during 1660’s, these three canal houses are secretly
knocked down and converted to churches.

While there are many places for brunch around the city, we opted for a small café/ book store which
served us one of the best brunch, lined with avocado, eggs, bacon in a very traditional and quirky
setting. After the sumptuous brunch, we were headed to Vondelpark. It is a sprawling green area
running alongside the city and between its lakes, walks, ice cream shops, one can soak up in sun (on
a sunny day of course) and enjoy a relaxed side to this city.

Before jumping on our trains back to Paris, we rounded off our Amsterdam weekend with a tript o
north of the city. We took free ferries running from behind the station, these are the quickest way
that takes you to recently developed and rather hip area. With rooftop bars, fake beach restaurants,
DJs and artwork, Amsterdam Noord is a modern alternative to the city traditional central area.
Enjoying the sunset, we ended our Amsterdam getaway with perfect cocktails at the top of the
A’DAM panoramic sky bar.