Amsterdam I love you!
Day Zero
20:35: Flight from BOS to AMS
Amid all of the delays and tribulations for the airline industry this summer, our flight from Boston to Amsterdam went off without a hitch. For the first time in two and a half years we made use of a Priority Pass lounge to grab some dinner. That's a win in my book and a great start to the trip!
Day One
9:10: Touchdown
Our flight didn’t miss a beat and we landed right around our predicted arrival time. A very short line at customs greeted us to the European continent. With everything flowing so smoothly we picked up an extra three hours in our schedule.
11:00: Arrival at Ink Hotel Amsterdam
Amsterdam Ink Hotel
We dropped our luggage to lighten our loads a bit on our backs before exploring. I wish I could go back to the days in which I backpacked around Europe, but for this trip I had to bring a small carryon given the number of climates we’d be in (moderate in the Netherlands, sweltering in Italy, and cool in Iceland).
12:00: Ferry to Amsterdam Noord
We caught the short (and free!) ferry to Amsterdam Noord. Amsterdam’s famous canals and old streets radiate to the South of the Amstel river, but up north a newly developed area is taking shape. Similar in my opinion to New York’s Long Island City or Boston’s Seaport, Amsterdam Noord is full of shiny (likely gentrifying) apartment towers, museums, and (of course given it's Amsterdam) miles of bike lanes.
12:05: Public Space for Coffee
The BEST coffee for a jet-lagged person
With the American dollar reaching parity with the Euro during this trip, we treated ourselves to artisanal cappuccinos to start the trip off with a caffeine bang. After a transatlantic flight with not much sleep this was sorely needed and energized us for the rest of the day. Plus the interior of this restaurant/coffee shop was to die for.
12:30: This is Holland
This is Holland outside the projector room
This was a fun detour but ultimately a tourist trap. If you’ve ever been on Soaring at Disney World then you’ve experienced something similar. This is Holland promotes itself as a 5D experience that simulates flying. Clocking in at about one hour, the self guided tour sends you through three rooms about Holland’s history (though this leaves out the darker periods like the Nazi occupation) before you reach the flying simulator. The “flight” lasts approximately ten minutes and continues to tell the story of Dutch history by flying over ten important sites: Amsterdam, a tulip farm, an area flooded in the great flood of 1950, etc.
14:30: Homomonument
Homomonument: a memorial for all queer people
This memorial for the LGBTQ+ community sits on a canal in Amsterdam and is understated. The biggest thing we noticed was not the monument, but the smell. It's right next to a public urinal that in the heat of summer reeks. Nonetheless, it's always heartwarming to see a public space dedicated to the community like this. Amsterdam felt highly queer friendly, and we started a "VW punch buggy" game but for pride flags while we were here. Since Amsterdam has so few cars, the game simply wouldn't have worked in its original incarnation. With our version, we were punching each other on the regular as we walked around.
16:15: Anne Frank House Tour
Anne Frank House – photos aren't allowed inside
This was our meeting point to meet up with our friend Catherine whom we haven't seen in over a year since she moved to Europe for grad school. Overall it was a somber beginning to this trip, but I think visiting is a must if you're in Amsterdam. Do note that that ticket book out far in advance. We booked our tickets approximately two months in advance to get this slot and the museum does not release same-day tickets.
I read Anne Frank's diary in high school and never thought that I would have the chance to see the actual place where her family lived. Walking up the (very, very steep) stairs into the hideaway was deeply moving and saddening.
One thing that a lot of people have gone through in the last two years with COVID is some sort of lockdown for days, weeks, or even months where they couldn't leave their homes. Now imagine that for years without the benefit of natural light (shutters covered the windows), no delivery apps, and having to stay quiet during the day to make sure those downstairs couldn't detect you. It's startling what those living in the secret annex had to go through on account of their religion. It's even worse to be reminded that they were weeks from liberation.
18:00: Dinner at Tujuh Maret for Rijkstaffel
The Rijksaffel spread... yum!
Holland's past as a colonial power comes with a lot of baggage. One result is that there are a lot of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam. On YouTube we learned of Rijkstaffel: a large sampling of different dishes. For €30/person we got to try a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that ranged from not spicy to quite spicy. With great company and great food, we really enjoyed our first dinner in Amsterdam.
20:00: River Cruise
Boat Tour
The final stop of a long day was a boat cruise operated by Flagship Amsterdam. The cruise was comprehensive in that it showed us a lot of the city, and our tour guide was both friendly and funny. In retrospect, however, booking this was probably a bit ambitious since we had little sleep on the plane and had walked around the city a lot already. I think this would have been a great introduction to the city earlier in the day, but a night timeslot meant that I struggled to stay awake. I was able to get a lot of fun photos from a different vantage point than usual, so just for that I'd say this excursion was worth it.