Wonderful Amsterdam- 2 days

Just let it go. That was our motto during these two days in Amsterdam. Discover as
much as possible and let the city have an effect on us. Especially the architecture of
Amsterdam (everything is somehow crooked and crooked bent and yet it´s just as
perfect) had a very special attraction for me and so we spent most of our time
strolling through the streets and being fascinated here and there by the partly
unbelievable interior, peeping into the windows. Surprisingly, the apartments are
often very visible and are not shielded by curtains from strangers by curtains.Surprisingly, the apartments are
often very visible and are not shielded by curtains from strangers by curtains. All in
all, I had the feeling that the people of Amsterdam live outside the door rather than in
the apartment.  Everywhere people were sitting on the entrance stairs with a book or
a glass of wine in their hands, and sometimes even the dining tables were simply
placed in front of the windows and people were had lunch together.

Of course we also visited some classics here and there, but we didn´t manage everything from
my well researched list. The weather and the mood were simply too good to run from
one "hotspot" to the next. Nevertheless, here is my To-Visit-List here for you:

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Dutch classic that should not be missed during the tulip season. We had actually
planned to visit the Keukenhof, the big botanical garden that is only open from April to May and is
tin a sea of tulips, but shortly before
our arrival there, we passed so many tulip fields that we spontaneously
decided to save the 18,00 € entrance fee per person and to instead stop at the free
fields. The best thing in the end is always for free and I can only recommend it to
everyone.  

In Amsterdam itself there is also a very interesting but also small tulip
museum where you can buy different tulip bulbs. A great souvenir, I think. If we stick
with flowers, I can only warmly recommend the Bloemenmarkt. It is the only floating
flower market in the world and it is wonderful to stroll along it and to be inspired by
the numerous colorful and extraordinary variety of plants. 

 

For those expecting a tip about Dutch specialties regarding food, unfortunately I have to disappoint you. Just like I was disappointed. In spite of several online researches, I did not manage to eat Dutch
frikandel, bitter cold or other local delicacies. But we discovered a really good
American restaurant. In the Café Sonneveldgeldg there is, under guarantee, the best
steak and the most tender spare ribs! So good that we were there again the next day!
And as an extra treat, you can enjoy is the view of a canal. 

What could possibly be the most famous waffles of Holland, with a lot of
instagram potential, are available at Van Wonderen Stroppwafels. But beware: No
matter what time of day - you always have to wait!

Otherwise, we passed countless cheese shops and of course the Dutch also have a cheese museum. But despite all the clichés, I can advise everyone to go once into such a cheese shop
once because the smell is simply ingenious (only if you like cheese, of course only)
and the variety overwhelming. In addition, there is the well trained staff and the many
cost tasting samples...delicious! 

By the way, we stayed overnight in the Hotel Maison. So shortly after Easter, Amsterdam was booked up to the last seat and incredibly expensive, but here we got lucky. For 380 € (2 nights for 2
persons) we had a view á la Hafencity and could reach everything relaxed on foot.
No hotel lobby, no breakfast and no luxury but everything you need and clean! You don´t want to spend your time in Amsterdam hanging out in the room anyway... 

Two days were simply too short and there is still so much on the To-Visit- List but the next trip is certainly not far away. From Hamburg it´s only a few hours by car. And what we would like to visit next, I`ve already written down for you.  And I’ve written down for you what we’d like to visit next time. Maybe one or the other is still ahead of us in this wonderful city:

- Anne Frank House
- Canal cruise incl. stop in a beer brewery
- Gondola park
- Red Light District De Wallen
- Albert Cuyp Market

Do you have any more tips for Amsterdam? I look forward to reading about your
experiences!