Amsterdam is known best for the canals, the gorgeous architecture, the famous ‘coffee’ shops and of course Red Light District. The man-made canals in Amsterdam define the city and symbolize its beauty and liberal culture. There’s so many things to do to spend your time in Amsterdam, from cycling around the streets to gobbling up nutella filled pancakes…yum!!
I spent a total of about 72 hours in Amsterdam and this was enough to do all that we wanted. We stayed at a beautiful boutique hotel, Canal Boutique hotel & Apartments, (thanks to Booking.com) just a few minutes’ walk from the city center. It was the perfect spot not only to get to all the places we wanted to visit but also because it was more like a ‘bed only’ stay allowing us to explore the different food spots and delicacies in Amsterdam. My favourite spot was Pluk, a cute little healthy café with a very cosy setting, perfect for the cool weather. I had this interesting Chocolate Smoothie Bowl, a great start to the long day ahead.
I definitely did a lot of eating while in Amsterdam. However, I cycled my calories off around the city center, through the Red Light District and back to the hotel for the two full days. At first, it was a little confusing and hard to get used to, also because I had forgotten how long it had been since I rode a proper cycle in a while. After a few close accidents (highly exaggerated), it was a breeze (pun intended). Cycling around was such a fun and eventful way to the see the city and id definitely recommend it, for those fond of cycling. Walking around by the canals is a treat too, especially if you’re already living close to the city.
You cannot visit Amsterdam and not do the Canal cruise. Why? Because watching the sun set while floating around the canal against the beautiful backdrop of Amsterdam’s buildings is a different and magical experience, especially when shared with your loved ones. It was one of the highlights of my time in Dam. However, this is my personal feeling dependent on the experience I had while spending this time with the family.
Despite all of this, the best and most memorable place I visited while in Amsterdam was the Keukenhof Tulip garden. Located in Lisse, about an hour’s drive out of Amsterdam. It is the world’s largest flower park with approximately 7 million flower bulbs planted each year. The garden is obviously popular mainly during the months of Spring when the bulbs start to bloom. If you’re a flower person, even if you’re not it’s worth a visit because there’s so many varieties of flowers (about 800 types of tulips), so many different colours and breeds, definitely a unique experience!
The garden is huge, around 80 acres of land. With the huge spread of flowers, it honestly felt like a Alice in Wonderland ft. Wizard of Oz scene. The way the flowers are planted present an artistic vision, unique to the Kuekenhof gardens. Apart from the flowers, there are amazing artworks and fountains that bring life to the gardens.
At the same time, there are different flower shows every year with different themes. It was amazing to see the artistic ideas behind these shows and the way each had been presented. This year the theme was Flower Power, focusing on the strength of flowers.
This message was depicted by the participants in a number of ways and each shared a different message directed towards the theme. The exhibition took place in a huge room, some of the pieces were repsenting the history of Duch tulips, some were symbolizing Amsterdam and some focusing on the word ‘srenght’. The theme for the 2020 shows is ‘World of Colours’.
The tulips are not the only center of attraction here. There was a whole room dedicated to Orchids, from white to red, to yellow, to pastel colours, to purple all putting up a show for each visitor to admire. I’ve never seen any orchid apart from the original white one, I was in awe. Thanks to all these flowers and different colours, my day started off all bright and colourful. Something I would never be able to forget.
if you’re planning to visit Amsterdam next year plan you trip around this time so you too can see these beautiful gardens and shows. I wonder what they would come up with next year…
