A Weekend In Amsterdam

Last weekend I packed my bags and headed out to Amsterdam with my family to meet some dutch friends. I only had a couple of days before school, and exams are right around the corner so we made sure to do as much as possible before the stress begins. Although I only spent 2 full days there, Amsterdam is definitely one of my favourite cities because of its creative environment and friendly people. 

 DAY 1: 

Walk around Amsterdam 

On the 16th of April, our adventures began and we caught an early flight from Heathrow. Obviously, before the flight I had to get my classic Pret order of a croissant and coffee to wake me up. 

We arrived in Amerstdam around 2pm and drove straight to our hotel, Zoku. The hotel was nothing like anywhere I have stayed before; hanging gymnastic hoops in the centre of every room and funnily some of the rooms were also designed to be an escape the room game- I was lucky enough to have one of the special rooms. 

After freshening up, we all met downstairs and began walking to the centre of the action with our friend giving us a private tour of the city. First stop had to be Tony's Chocoloney's shop, a chocolate shop where you are able to create your own flavour and packaging of chocolate. 

The city was buzzing with tourists and cyclists whizzing past. Bright tulips bloom from every corner and the sun was out for the weekend- I knew this was going to be a great weekend! 

Dinner at Spanish Tapas 

After a long walk around the city, we headed back to the hotel to have a shower and get ready for dinner. The restaurant was only a couple minutes from the hotel so we decided to walk over and explore the city at nighttime. Inside the Spanish tapas restaurant, the walls were carved with the names of visitors. The tables were all intimately placed together, with the Spanish music playing in the background, tables talked over each other making the atmosphere full of energy, especially when each new course arrived. 

DAY 2: 

Easter Morning Church service 

The next day, we woke up reasonably early and although we were still full from the night before's tapas, we had to test out the hotel breakfast. 

As it was Easter Sunday, it was only right to visit a local church for an Easter service. The church was much bigger than you would have expected from the outside, especially in a small city like Amsterdam. 

Tour around the Canals 

After the calming church service, we were back out on our adventure- next stop the canals! We had booked a private tour guideboat to take us around the city through the canals of Amsterdam while soaking up all the Easter sun. We spent two hours in going around the city through the canal systems and half way through the tour we were treated to a lunch of sandwiches, desserts and lots of drinks. 

Anne Frank House 

After the city tour, our boat stopped outside a very important piece of history. The atmosphere changed a bit as we walked into Anne Frank's house. Everyone was given headphone and as you walked around the house, information would be given about the family, and the German invasion of Amsterdam during the Second World War. This was an amazing experience to see and would highly recommend to anyone visiting Amsterdam. 

 

Dinner at Seafood Bar 

After a very moving visit to Anne Frank's home, we headed back to our hotel to relax for a bit before we hit the underground and went to our next stop- The Seafood Bar.  This was a restaurant that basically only cooks with seafood, we decided to all shared platters and starters to try out everything on the menu. After filling up on anything and everything you can get from under the sea, we finished the evening off with a some dutch waffles. 

DAY 3: 

Breakfast at a local cafe

Before heading back of to London we wanted to explore a little more of our time in Amsterdam. Before heading of on our adventures though we had to stop of for a quick bite to eat at a local cafe. 

The Van Gogh Museum 

After fueling up we walked towards the 'arty' part of the city where all the museums were located. If I had more time in Amsterdam I would have loved to visit them all, however, we only had time for a quick pit stop in the Vincent Van Gogh Muesum before we had to catch our flight. 

Personally, I am a huge fan of Van Gogh's work and therefore, this was the perfect muesum to finish with. The muesum went dated back to all his early work, up to the work he did before his death, as well as, later art inspired by his style, and Van Gogh's tools and art supplies. 

Although my trip to Amsterdam was very brief, I felt I was still able to see a lot of what goes on in the city, and would love to go back again for a longer period of time to explore other areas that I wasn't able to do this round. I hope this inspires you to take a weekend trip away, and maybe even visit Amsterdam. 

One main thing you should take away from this trip though is to make sure to book a boat tour- honestly Amsterdam look so different from the canals and it's such a nice way to spend your day in the sun!

Love, Aria 

XO