24 hours in Amsterdam: Foodies’ day out

 

’20 things to eat in Amsterdam’ , ’What not to miss eating in Amsterdam’ – While I roamed around the streets of the ‘Venice of the North’ with my cousin and his wife, lists of such sorts kept getting referenced over and over again. You see, all we had were 24 hours in Amsterdam and all that my cousin desired to eat and drink was too much to fit into that time slot.  But, trying out as much food as possible through the day seemed to be the main challenge at hand, integrated with  sightseeing for all and some shopping (especially for his wife). So, the three of us set off after the hotel breakfast – filled with delicious Dutch cheese, breads, croissants, coffee/hot chocolate, Ontbijtkoek (breakfast cake)  for a foodies’ day out in the Dutch capital.

Getting our city transport cards at the station , we headed towards the city centre and as Murphy’s Law would have it, it started pouring cats and dogs. Typical Dutch/German weather, you might say. As none of us were prepared, we ended up spending a good few minutes looking for umbrellas at the station. At the end of our detour, we could successfully exit the station with the same orange umbrellas (Go Netherlands!) which could be used only for 5 minutes or so as there was NO rain for the rest of the day.

Thanks to our transport tickets, we got on a tram to see the Van Gogh Museum and the touristy ‘I Amsterdam’ sign. A great photo spot if you manage to get a shot without people, that is.  Otherwise too, a good way to stretch your muscles and indulge in some acrobatics if you’d like to get on or around any of the letters spelling the city.

 

The atmosphere was very lively indeed, with coloured bubbles floating in the air and music playing in the background.

Just a short walk ahead of the sign, through the park, stands the Van Gogh Museum. If only it was as easy to get in as I thought. The entry was supposed to be only from one side and the queue reminded me of the ones in front of the Paris Catacombs or the Notre Dame. Nevertheless, the park makes for a good walk and you can also visit the Diamantmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum nearby. While getting back to the tram station, we noticed the House of Bols , a haven for gin and jenever lovers. Though we weren’t in the mood for an extensive tour and tasting , why miss out on the photo opp?

And then, their eyes met….my cousin darted off across the street and his eyes lit up as he bit into a sausage – the first street food item of the day. ‘Mustard ?’ ‘Yes,please!’

After he relished the sausage, we set off towards the canal, thinking of food and shopping again. The good thing about Amsterdam is that you can spot and walk over the canal at many spots across the city. Apparently,Amsterdam has about 100 kms of canals and 1500 bridges!

We got off midway and while the shoppers enjoyed their session, I plotted our next course of action in terms of food hunting. Good thing I had my MTX Sim, I could get internet access without heavy data charges. So, I figured we could go visit a FEBO vending machine nearby. I was curious to try out krokets and other snacks for under 2 Euros. I wasn’t disappointed with the kroketten (vegetarian) and my cousin liked the frinkandellen (with meat) too ; they certainly make for good fillers but we all agreed we needed to find a place for a proper lunch soon.

Walking past further shops, we came across a cheese and mustard store and were too excited to not enter and try out everything on offer. Various types of Dutch cheese are well known – some mild, some stronger, some flavoured. But, I hadn’t seen so many types of mustard sauces earlier. Plus, you could try out several combinations too! I would certainly recommend entering a ‘kaas’ store and trying out the cheese and mustard sauces if you get the chance.  Just that I now know that green pesto mild gouda cheese is not for my taste buds. If interested, you can visit the Cheese Museum or one of the Henrig Willig stores for getting an introduction to the various types of Dutch cheese.

Good thing I spotted some Stroopwafels being sold in that store and picked up a pack for trying out. Stroopwafel is basically when two thin waffles are stuck together with a layer of sweet syrup. Another Dutch snack off the list.

If it’s your first visit to Amsterdam, you might be interested in taking a canal cruise. For about an hour, you get to cruise along the city canal and admire the architecture of the city. Fun fact : you’ll notice that many of the buildings along the canal seem to be slanted.  Here is a great infographic and a shortcut guide to Amsterdam, by Savored Journeys. I wish I had seen it before making this trip, but nevertheless, you should look it up if you are planning to visit Amsterdam soon.

Local markets nearby are full of tulips and other seeds/flowers as well as a lot of souvenirs; so you can pick up some tulip bulbs if interested.  I would love to visit the Tulip Gardens at Kuekenhof some spring. The pictures look so dreamy!

We continued walking through the streets of the city, stopping at shops and looking out for foodie opps constantly. While the shopping enthusiast was busy again, the two of us wandered until we got our hands on the typical thick Dutch fries – patat or frites loaded with some delicious sauces and onions. You can also ask for some peanut satay sauce , mayo and onions – apparently a common topping combination.

I have to admit though that getting two big packs of fries with all those sauces wasn’t a great idea. It was getting messy, we were getting full and one of the sauces didn’t really suit us. Luckily, we found our third group member taking a break and ordering a delicious vegetarian meal including black beans, vegetables and rice.

So, now that we were full to the brim, we walked towards the Dam Square – the lively city centre, housing the Nieuwe Kerk, Madame Tausaads Museum, numerous cafes and restaurants. I have never been to a wax museum and if you haven’t either, that might be something of interest. And by the way, while wandering on the street leading to Dam Square, my cousin spotted an ice-cream shop that seemed to be full of locals. I think getting hold of that delicious, creamy ice-cream was definitely one of the highlights of our foodie adventure.

Spending time at the Dam Square was a delight but more than half the day was over and we had quite a few places to get to. So, for our next destination, we got on tram 14 from Dam Square to Flevopark and got off at the Pontanusstraat stop.From the distance, we could spot it – a picturesque windmill with the canal in the foreground. Netherlands used to have about 10,000 windmills in the past. Amsterdam still has 8 of them. Now, this was not just a windmill – the reason we were there was because there was a brewery just next to it too! The Windmill Brewery is a great place for those wanting to sample all the different types of Dutch beer and meet locals. Something in the air was driving the pigeons erratic too. Their constant attacks on all the food was quite an adventure in itself and made it easier for people to gel with each other. Pretty sure the pigeons were quite full by the end of the evening .

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With a great start to the evening at the brewery followed by walking around the area, we got back to Dam Square and stopped for coffee. It was getting dark and we decided to get to the Centraal and then go towards the Red Light District, followed by dinner. Unfortunately, a misadventure resulted in my cousin losing his day pass and even after a lot of enquiry and requests, we figured the pass couldn’t be replaced. However, time was short and there was no time for whining. So, getting a one-way ticket for him, we set off towards our penultimate destination of the night. Amsterdam is as lively at night as is in the day. There is no dearth of restaurants, cafes , pubs or clubs – depending on your mood and interest. In fact, we also found a museum open and decided to venture inside it. The Sex Museum- Temple of Venus , located at Damrak Street , costs 4 Euros to enter and showcases theories and events from the time of the ancient Greeks to Marilyn Monroe, Mata Hari and portrayal of the subject in movies, books and current times.

Red Light District – a controversial and touristy area of the city where you better not try taking out your camera. The streets on either side of the canal are lined with glass cubicles, pubs, clubs and the special coffee shops. And then, it’s on you as to how you’d like to spend the rest of the night – stroll around and get back to the city for dinner and calling it a day or explore the streets and try out what you please. You’ll always find the city bustling with people, no matter what time of the day or night it is.

 

 “Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find sin.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

 If you are still on your food quest, you can choose to try out one of the recommended places for dinner and then for breakfast the following morning. However, for us, things didn’t go as planned that night and the next morning. We ended up having Mexican food around midnight and could not manage having the ‘Eggs Benedict‘ my cousin had been raving about. But, that’s what happens a lot while travelling. Things don’t necessarily all go as planned. The important thing is to make use of the opportunity at hand and have a good time, wherever you are 🙂

I’ve had the opportunity to visit Amsterdam twice – both for about 24 hours. I hope to spend a longer time in the city at some point and experience the city at its best. Do you have any suggestions for me/ Comment below and let me know what you’d like to do when you visit the Dutch capital! And please do pin / tweet/ share this post on Facebook with your friends, especially the foodie ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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