I have added a new city to my Favorite City roster. I just took a wonderful trip with my daughter. We thoughtlessly left the rest of the family behind and took a Mother/Daughter trip over the Thanksgiving holidays. My family wiped away their tears as they bade us farewell. Thanks, Family, for not being too angry with us!! Heart emoji, heart emoji!
My daughter and I just returned from our quick excursion to Amsterdam, in The Netherlands. Amsterdam was a wonderful place to go. For explanation, my daughter had booked a solo trip there to take advantage of work holidays that didn’t eat up her vacation time. I, being recently retired and filled with wanderlust, agreed to accompany her on the trip. It was surprising that the trip came to be. But, yes, it did come to be. And we be happy that it did!
Amsterdam was an incredibly lovely city. Around every corner was a view even more stunning than the last.
We stayed in a cozy little Airbnb apartment on a canal in the area De 9 Straatjes (9 Streets), which is located in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to website destraatjes.nl, in the 3x3 block rectangle of 9 Straatjes, “you will find the most beautiful things, the hippest shops and the most special catering establishments.” I concur. Our location was fantastic. We were within a 10 - 15 minute walk or quick tram ride to everything we wanted to see in Amsterdam. And, we were on the go. I mean: On. The. Go.
Weather was challenging—cold temperatures, driving rain, heavy wind, and even a hail storm. But, we didn’t let it dampen our spirits. We ventured on, walking through the streets with all the other walkers and bicyclists. We were determined to be just as tough as all the locals who braved the elements on a regular basis.
Our trip had too many highlights to list them all. But, a few were:
>Van Gogh Museum. If you know me, you know Van Gogh is a favorite and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see the museum dedicated to his work. His life, while complicated, was inspiring. I was a very happy camper.
>Bloemenmarkt, floating flower market. I’m sure that Spring and Summer are ideal times to visit when tulips and other flowers abound; but, we loved the market, nonetheless, with all of the interesting shops and displays.
>Anne Frank House. To prepare for the visit I had recently watched Nat Geo’s limited series “A Small Light” on Hulu channel. I recommend it highly. I also re-read “The Diary of a Young Girl,” by Anne Frank. The museum, located in the building where the Frank family hid during WW2, was incredibly moving. Not many photos allowed, but here are transportation tags for Otto, Edith, Margot and Anne, as the family was forced to move between concentration camps after they were captured. And here is Anne's diary.
>Canal Cruise. So many canals, so much to see. Again, Spring/Summer/Fall might make for a better view of the city, when the tops of the boats can be lowered so you can see in all directions. But, still, a great cruise and a fun experience.
>Great Food. We ate some Dutch standards, but also found Incredible international cuisine. Simply scrumptious. Still licking my lips.
>Light displays. We were thrilled that businesses and neighborhoods started getting a jump on their holiday light displays. They were just starting to appear, but the decorations were stunning!
>Haarlem. We took one short trip out of Amsterdam to the small town of Haarlem. We enjoyed visiting the Saturday morning market there. And, also, one of my favorite sites of all. Grote of St. Bavokerk was a stunning church, whose history dates back to the 1200’s. Its towering Christian Muller pipe organ is simply magnificent, with over 5000 pipes! At one time, it was the largest and most famous pipe organ in the world. The massive organ was played by numerous composers, including Handel, Liszt, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and a 10-year-old youngster named Mozart. Man, I wish we could have heard it, but we weren’t there for services, so it sat regally, but quietly. Really impressive.
In closing, I will say that Amsterdam is an extremely easy city to navigate. It is stunningly beautiful, The people are very friendly, and we had no trouble conversing in English. I am definitely putting it, not only on my Favorite Cities list, but, also, on my Visit Again list. There are many things that we ran out of time to do, forgot to do, or didn’t realize that we should do. I'll be back.
If you’re looking for a place to go…..
