Flight went well, and we were delivered safe and sound by 11:00 AM (CET or AST +5 Hrs). Then some chores! By the time we taxied to our gate we had already locked in Airalo e-sims… that may have been a record for us! Passport control was downright friendly as the NL Customs folks were super kind, baggage store was easy peasy and we found it quickly, we nailed the entry to the city via NS Train #2 (thank you Mister YouTube) and by noon we were rambling in what were very warm streets in Amsterdam (30°C).
Sometimes things change for a reason. At about a week out I got an email from Sandeman’s Walking Tours saying they had to cancel our booking scheduled for 1:30 on July 1st! With downright hot temps… we were thinking what a fortunate occurrence it had been cancelled as the walking tour may have been the end of us after little sleep and a two hour city hoof. Instead we opted for a more “Lumsden-like” offering, the Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam – Museum of WWII Resistance. Air conditioned, informative and “just plain speaking”… this museum was just what we needed!
We tackled things head on… and clumped the visit into several thematic drops. Firstly, we got totally wrapped in the WWII testimonials from multiple perspectives, whether it male / female, sympathetic / revolutionary, or even National Socialist / Dutch Resistance. Exhibits explored the impacts of Nazisim in the Netherlands, examining the Holocaust and devastating impacts on the Dutch Jewish population. A peripheral we hadn’t considered included the impact this era had on the elephant in the room, the collapse of Dutch Colonialism and a “New Way” for peoples experiencing the system post WWII.
Hung on the hanger of Dutch colonialism, our next visit came highly recommended by fellow travel planner Mike Hinchey. Prior to arrival we made reservations at a restaurant for the Dutch-Indonesian mainstay, Rijsttafel (Rice Table) at a local, positively reviewed Sampurna. A “colonial holdover”, this traditional Indonesian cuisine became incredibly popular in the Netherlands. Authentically prepared and seasoned mildly, we absolutely fell for the food and the relaxed, homestyle vibe of the eatery. Shout out to Mike for that info… good call!
Requiring a walk post-meal, we set out on foot once again to follow up on the Caitlin Gallagher recommended Café Chris to share in the ambience of a traditional brown cafe. Although warm 🥵 inside, the Amstel was more than cold and we were kindly welcomed by service staff with conversation and even some phone charging time at their counter. I suspect the business is a true “local” for patrons in the neighborhood! Great Gallagher/Grant tip 👍.
Our final scheduled item for the day, once again sourced through Hinchey, was a canal tour with Those Dam Boat Guys. It began with a stop (of course we were early) and refreshments at Cafe de Knoop, a bar just around the corner from the dock for the tour. That tumbled into a full on “Canada Day 🇨🇦” session, with the folks present hailing from across the true north (even the bartender) sharing in the time old “Do you know…? ” conversation and having several hits. Excellent stop.
Speaking of “Excellent”, the tour with our guide, Peter, was first rate and had a keen sort of swagger… lots of learning mixed in with canal ambience and a smash of that Dutch edge! With just 8 passengers we had lots of opportunity on the 1.5 hr sailing to meet the others patrons (all Yanks), explore a huge expanse of canal, dabble in science, history, economics and “life” in Amsterdam. Money well spent and a “Dam Good” twist on sailing in the huge, sterile gracht boats… personal, informative and we recommend highly (as Mike did). Gotta love the word of mouth travel tips shared by friends on this day!
This one night stand with Amsterdam ended with a seamless tumble back to Schiphol Airport, via train, to our evening stay at the chic citizenM Schiphol located a short, 5 minute walk from Arrivals/Departures. A last little treat prior to turning in after what was, in essence, a 36 hr run without sound sleep, was a glass of Heineken and “bitterballen” sampling in the hotel lounge! Neat Dutch drinking treat… 😋. Then crashed in prep for a busy tomorrow of travel and visit. First day was hard outta the gate (+22,000 steps), but we wouldn’t have it any other way ❤️!!!
Glad to hear your flight went well. Looking forward to seeing what lies ahead! 🏃💨🏃♀️💨
Wowsers… warm in Amsterdam… wasn’t expecting that after watching weather updates over the past week. We got things all up to date overnight and after reflection, I’d say Tuesday was a busy day. Hoping Canada Day 🇨🇦 was a gala affair in the ‘Nish. As always, so glad you are following along… hoping you have a restful start to your summer 👍!
What a day you had! WW2 Resistance Museum and a canal tour…I’m equally jealous of both! 😉
You may need to buy a new pair of shoes with all those steps! LOL
I’m responding on Day 8 of the trip Patrick… all has gone super well to date! A special trip through these countries 👍. We’ve seen some awesome attractions for sure. As for the steps… we’ve settled into a 22,500 average, which is a lot of coming and going! Glad you’re following along with us!
Looks like a very busy first day on the ground… although I’d expect nothing less! Looking forward to following along!
Yep… it’s now Wednesday PM and we are officially hitting the wall! In Copenhagen right now and putting up the feet in our little vacation space here. Looking forward to seeing some of the spaces you and Evan enjoyed while here! Glad you’re following along 😂
Dam good way to ring in Canada Day🇨🇦 😉🚣♂️🚣♀️ Love the pics, history, and stories- excited to follow along!
Welcome along Terri… we’ll have a little history, samples of good food, the odd travel tip and maybe even some hi jinx! Hope all is good and that you manage a well deserved rest and time with the kiddos! Take care…
Blue Rodeo didn’t disappoint but I missed Pete playing at Columbus Field on July 1st.
You didn’t waste much time on Day 2. Glad you found a War Museum!!
Glad the concert went well… we saw a clip of Pete playing with Dru and the were having fun 😂 at the field. Tuesday and Wednesday were loads of fun… these are major European cities and the people here seem to love being outside. We’re doing our best to keep up with them 😉!
Wow. Talk about squeezing everything in, as you folks are known for. Glad you were able to check out the Rijsttafel and the Damn Boat tour. And bitterballen!! Attempted them at home but never quite matched what we had in Amsterdam. As you’ve mentioned, there are so many ways to prep for travel now. YouTube, travel forums, general surfing and chats with other travellers. Gotta be organized.
Thank you so much for the recommendations… they were absolutely “spot on” Mike, and what they really allowed me to do was focus on the “new” areas while using your most tried and trusted “nods” to efficiently handle a couple of new experiences in Amsterdam! Love that word of mouth referral!