For my 40th birthday my lovely lady took me away to Amsterdam...
The Netherlands was my home for a year when I was just 21-years old and is a place I’ve always wanted to return to. I love the Dutch way of life and the people are a perfect reflection of this. They are fun, friendly, and also have a very efficient infrastructure built around them. A perfect example of this are the cycle paths, found everywhere in Holland. They are endless and link together seamlessly, unlike the ones we have here in the UK(Ours are laughable in comparison, and any Dutchman would be left scratching their heads at our half-assed attempt).
Because of this all-in approach to promoting the cyclist, the Dutch literally go that extra mile. Without seeing it for yourself, you wouldn’t believe how many people get around by pedal-power...
Here’s a warning to anyone visiting Holland for the first time...BIKES RULE AND CYCLIST’ WILL NOT STOP IF YOU’RE IN THE WAY! (And that goes for people in cars too! Cyclist have the right of way over everyone)
Walking around Amsterdam and any other major city in Holland is much like playing a real life game of Frogger(or “Crossy-Road” as it’s now known)
(Pic source)[https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/2016/09/frogger.html?m=1]
Along with an endless swarm of cyclists, you also have to keep an eye out for cars, buses, motorbikes and trams! No wonder Cannabis is legal in the Netherlands....Assuming you do actually make it across the roads unscathed, by the time you’ve gone from Central Station into the Market Square you’re gonna be a nervous wreck and probably in need of a bong to calm you down.
Now, just like the cyclists, the Dutch have catered for those who partake in smoking cannabis. In other parts of the country these special shops are fewer in number but in the major cities, like Amsterdam, there are absolutely tons of them. Most you wouldn’t even notice because they just look like any old coffee houses and to confuse you a little further they like to call them “coffee shops” too... Not to worry though, the unique smell billowing out the door will put a stop to you staring curiously into the window like a visitor at a freak show.
Some of the “coffee shops”, on the other hand, are more obvious as to what their purpose is and a certain few have a reputation that precedes them...
The Bulldog is world famous and a must see for anyone visiting Amsterdam. Weather or not you smoke the green is irrelevant, The Bulldog is a flag-ship and the atmosphere inside is always superb.
As you can see, the Mrs and I really enjoyed visiting this particular “coffee shop” but not as much as we enjoyed the waffles that followed shortly afterwards 🤪
As anyone who’s been to Holland will tell you, and so too will all the folk who live here, there is much more to this wonderful city than just the coffee shops.
Amsterdam, with it’s beautiful canals and eclectic and often eccentric architecture, is even more romantic than an Italian Poet making sweet love on top of the Eiffel Tower. It’s a city you can easily fall in love with, while falling in love with whoever you go with ❤️
Whether it’s night or day, the city looks splendid and even if you’ve been a hundred times I imagine there are still things you’ve not yet discovered. Around every corner is something worth taking a picture of...
So, once you’ve soaked up the psychedelic night life and hopefully avoided everything and everyone trying to run you down on the roads, you may want to see what the city has to offer in the daylight...
It’s easy to assume the canal boats are just a tourist thing to do, or that you can see just the same on foot but please, please, take a ride on one of the many boats available. These canal cruises are as cheap as the mayonnaise drenched chips, which is quite a surprise considering that everything else in Amsterdam is extortionately expensive. I have two tips for anyone taking a canal cruise...
1st tip is; don’t be last on the boat because you’ll certainly get the seat next to the bog...
2nd tip is; look for a boat with good viewing windows. The one we ended up on was pretty good but the seat opposite ours had a Perspex roof which was blurry to look through and really ruined any photo opportunities.
The canal boats are all captained by a knowledgeable tour guide and the tales they tell are what separate seeing Amsterdam from the boat, rather than just walking around yourself. I can only assume that had I not taken a canal cruise and just been my own tour guide, I’d have certainly walked straight past Holland’s smallest house...
As well as this you get to see Amsterdam from an amazing perspective...
Tour guides are a great help, but it always pays to research a place you’re about to visit. We did just that and thanks to a great YouTube video we were never going to miss the world’s tastiest pancakes!
All I can say about this place is to remember to take two things...your appetite and your wallet!! The pancakes are absolutely gorgeous and the “stroop”(syrup) is to die for.
There are more pancakes than you could ever imagine and each one reduces you life expectancy by at least a year, which is probably a day for each calorie they contain.
After you’ve survived the sugar-induced coma, you may want to walk around a little more. There is so much to see in Amsterdam and some places you just don’t want to miss...
The A’Dam lookout
As you can see, the architecture is to the usual mind-bending style you find all around the Netherlands and right next door is a building competing for your attention...
As brilliant as the building above is, it has nothing on the A’dam tower. Not only is there an amazing view from the restaurant, which gives you a panoramic view of the city below, there is also a rooftop observatory equipped with a very special surprise(one that my Girlfriend has no idea I’d brought tickets for...😈)
If you’re brave enough to keep your eyes open, which my girlfriend was not, you get the most amazing view. Obviously, holding a camera whilst on the A’dam swing isn’t advised, but here’s a picture from the restaurant that gives you an idea of what we(I) could see...
Amsterdam is one heck of a city and a place you just have to see to believe. If I were to describe this place to someone from the outbacks of Australia I’d forgive them for think I was telling tales. Like I said at the beginning of this post, Amsterdam is a reflection of its wonderful creators. It’s a city that has something for everyone and not many places in the world can claim to do that. It’s for this reason that the Netherlands will always claim a place in my heart and ever since I worked there as a young man I knew I’d stumbled into somewhere very special.
So let’s all raise a glass...blaze a bong...or do whatever it is you do to celebrate...and say a big thank you to a world that gives us such fantastic places to be.
