Janette Kim Design | Photo | Video

Blog

Amsterdam

 

Andrew and I traveled to Europe to celebrate Grace and Paul's wedding in Portugal. We flew into Amsterdam, then to Portugal, and returned home from France. We made the most out of this trip and got to explore each country for a few days. Plus non-direct flights to Portugal were more affordable this way via Wow Air. I'm anxious to share our entire trip but per usual I will share them one at a time. 

First...Amsterdam. We spent about three days in Amsterdam and it was actually the perfect amount of time to fully explore this cool city. One of the neatest aspects of this city is how the majority of people commute by bike. Our Airbnb host was kind enough to provide us a couple of bikes but I couldn't ride it because of my extra petite legs. Luckily, I got to sit on the back seat of Andrew's bike while he did all the peddling up and down the hills. We were able to knock out a bunch of food places, museums, and the infamous Keukenhof Tullip Field. Man, sometimes I don't know how we do it but we managed to fit almost everything we wanted to do in such a limited amount of time. If I were to change one thing, I probably would've stayed at one of those cool boathouses on Airbnb. 

Things to know about Amsterdam

  • People kept warning me not to go to the Red Light District. To be quite honest, I had no idea what that was so I googled it and I still couldn't comprehend it. So what did I do? I went to the Red Light District to educate myself duh! Trust me, I figured it out after "window watching" a few shops. It's a tourist spot and interesting to see how liberal this city is.

  • Perhaps I'm totally wrong, but I feel like this is the home of hipsters and I mean that in a good way. Everyone is very well dressed, on bikes, cool, and it's not like they're even trying.

  • The men in Amsterdam are very handsome (modelesque). The waiters, the busboys, the baristas, the cops! Don't worry, Andrew saw what I saw and understood how mind blown I was.

  • You might run into a few ignorant people. Yeah, yeah "Ne Hao, ching-chong" tell me something I haven't heard before.

  • Amsterdam does not have your ordinary coffeeshop. You'll see several places with signs that say "Coffeeshop, Koffieshop, or Koffie huis" which is actually a Cannibis shop.

  • The canals are what make Amsterdam so distinct from any other city. It's definitely sweet to see these boat houses and floating townhomes all across the city but the city starts to all look the same after awhile.

PLACES WE VISITED IN AMSTERDAM
PIQNIQ | PLUK : Cute cafe | WILDERNIS : Just a plant shop not worth going to | BERRY : Not enough time | FOODHALLEN : Definitely go here! It's a cool indoor food market that has a variety of foods from Chinese, Sushi, and unicorn ice cream | SPAGHETTERIA : I was so excited about this place but the pasta was okay. At least the atmosphere was nice! | I AM AMSTERDAM | BAKERS & ROOSTERS : This place had a lot of high reviews so I wanted to check it out. The French Toastie and their fruit bowl were delicious! It's a local hotspot so go early! | VAN GOGH MUSEUM RIJKSMUSEUM : Very popular museum but I felt it was overrated | PANCAKE BAKERY : HUGE pancakes and delicious! There is usually a line but it goes by fast! | ANNE FRANK HOUSE : An absolute must-go! Everyone has learned about Anne Frank's story but to step inside the house where she went into hiding and wrote her diary to escape the Nazis was crazy. It was intimate, emotional, and unimaginable and I'm really thankful I got the opportunity to see it in person. Tickets go fast so purchase 2 months prior! | COFFEE AND COCONUTS : Pretty and spacious coffeeshop | COTTON CAKE : Cute boutique and cafe in one | THE AVOCADO SHOW : Personally, I try not to order Avocado Toast and at restaurants since I can easily make it at home. The Avo Rose and Poke Bowl at The Avocado Show on the other hand is so worth it! | CITY CANAL CRUISE : Nice way to end the trip | FOODISM : Not enough time | KEUKENHOF : We purchased our tickets in advance but they chopped off all the tullips early. A tourist trap and not worth going to unless you go during the peak season | TOASTABLE : Not enough time | BLOEMENMARKT  | KOFFIESCHENKERIJ DE OUDE KERK : Not enough time | EYE FILM MUSEUM : Architecture of the building is cool but not worth going inside