A Weekend In Amsterdam







Hello you wonderful lot!
Apologies I haven’t blogged much over the past week, as you know myself and the boyf jetted off to Amsterdam and going back to work has meant I haven’t had much time to put a post together. So I do apologise, but the good news is this is my Amsterdam blog post! Hurraaah. Admittedly when I originally went to Amsterdam I had the idea of making this blog post primarily outfit based but oh my god it was so cold. It snowed when we arrived, got drenched in the rain on plus the freezing cold wind that was present throughout the entire duration meant we got hit with all sorts of weather. Being typically me I didn’t pack the most appropriate of outfits (culotte trousers and crop tops I’m looking at you) so most of the time I was layered up in a longline coat with big bulky jumpers underneath which didn't photograph anywhere near as well as the original outfits I packed. So, instead of a more outfit based post like I usually upload, l I’ve decided to put together a little Amsterdam guide about what I loved and where you should go if you ever get the chance to visit. We had such a wonderful time (minus the occasional snow and rain downpour) and did a mix of things that I thought you guys would also enjoy, so let’s get going!

Coffee Shops


Left | CT Coffee & Coconuts: Ceintuurbaan 282-284, 1072 LR Amsterdam, Netherlands
Right | Lot Sixty One: Kinkerstraat 112, 1053 ED Amsterdam, Netherlands

  
Now I’m not talking about the Cannabis kind here (if you did want this kind of Coffee Shop there are loads of these dotted about- you can smell them before you see them!) but Amsterdam has the cool laid back Coffee Shop vibe nailed. I am a caffeine addict and I knew when researching into Amsterdam before we left that they had some awesome looking shops about so I was in my element. I honestly think had about four or five coffees per day to not only solve the caffeine fix but just to have an excuse to go in each shop to admire the amazing décor they had going on. The general style felt simplistic- think Scandinavian inspired- with such a wide range of different coffees and a sweet pastry menu to match. Two Coffee Shops we visited were CT Coffee & Coconuts and Lot Sixty One and both were incredible. Yes the coffee was amazing but the exposed brickwork and interior design in each shop, the chilled music and freshly baked goods are well worth a visit.

The Tourist 
I feel as though many think that tourist attractions are a turn off and in some ways I disagree. Yes, in every city there are certain tourist traps that are overpriced and aren’t worth the money for the experience, but also these tourist attractions are key ingredients within a country’s history and heritage. What would Paris be without the Eiffel Tower or Sacre Coeur? Or New York without the Empire State Building? Yes these may be extreme examples but to really get the essence of a country I feel as though there are certain museums/attractions/key landmarks that have to be visited. 

 Anne Frank Museum: Prinsengracht 263-267, 1016 GV Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Anne Frank Museum
The Anne Frank Museum doesn’t need an introduction. Everyone knows the heart-breaking story of Anne who goes into hiding in a secret Annex during World War 2 and creates a personal diary of her experience. Being a bit of a history enthusiast I have always wanted to visit the museum after studying it in History at school. Admittedly, if you are to go please go early as the queue can get very long (we arrived just after the 9am waiting time and stood in line for an hour) but the wait is worth it. Not only does it most definitely put our own lives into perspective but it also highlights just how important it is to recognise this history of anti-Semitism and to ensure that it never happens again. The museum is highly educational, honest and deeply moving. 

The Heineken Experience 

Less of the heavy, and onto the more… Boozy? Admittedly the main reason I ended up going to the Heineken Experience was because Jamie wanted to go, but it was a lot of fun even for a not so enthusiastic beer/lager fan. The ‘Experience’ takes you on a tour of everything Heineken- from its history in the heart of Amsterdam, its ingredients and brewing process, the distribution, advertising and most importantly, the tasting. The museum itself really gives an interactive and multi sensory experience- you can ‘be in the bottle’ of Heineken in a simulator, create your own personalised Heineken bottle as well trying multiple different games, photo booths and more. Plus at the end of the tour you get two free pints of Heineken, what's not to love?

 Heineken Experience: Stadhouderskade 78, 1072 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands


Sex Museum

The Sex Museum in Amsterdam is located just in front of Central Station in the middle of traffic madness. The Sex Museum, also called ‘The Temple of Venus’, is a mix of historical artefacts with the elements of an attraction park. Expect to meet Marilyn Monroe’s white dress flying up in the wind as well as interesting pieces of art, one-off objects and rare photography. Admittedly it is a bit of a laugh just walking through all these different areas of sex related objects (the enormous penis statue is a hilarious photo opportunity, (see photograph below!) but at only €4 its cheap and most definitely cheerful. Have a laugh walking through the museum and learn a fun fact or two along the way. 

Red Light District

Red Light District is one of those areas that we’ve all heard about: window after window of women standing in front of red-lit glass and in some respects it is everything you’d think it would be. The key thing here is to enjoy the honesty of it all as you won’t find it anywhere else. Amsterdam prides itself on its liberal and tolerant attitude by embracing the fact that people may be into prostitution, soft drugs and pornography. So instead of criminalizing everything what you see is what you get. Whether you just want to have a nose about, browse to buy or visit the odd sex show ensure you go at night, as that’s when the bright red and neon lights really make the the cobbled come alive. There is also an amazing Thai restaurant around this area called Bird Thai so when your feet are tired crash out and enjoy a Pad Thai to keep you going!



Musé Du Sexe: Damrak 18, 1012 LG Amsterdam, Netherlands
Red Light District: De Walletjes Area 

Canal Boat Tour

I think this was one of my favourite parts of our little weekend in Amsterdam. We went on a Saturday afternoon when the sun finally decided to make an appearance and it was so lovely to cruise down the canals getting a completely different view of Amsterdam from the water. The Canal trip itself comes with headphones so you can hear some amazing facts about Amsterdam and it highlights things that you’d never take much notice of if you were walking around on foot. We paid around €15 each for an hour trip through the canals that was also a welcomed sit down after plodding around the city all morning. Canal buses are also available to get from once place to another if you didn’t want to catch a bus or tram. 

Local Markets

We visited two markets during our stay. First was the Waterlooplein Market that previously used to be an old Jewish Flea market and is now seen today as the top market for all vintage finds in Amstedam. We arrived at 10.30am where the market stalls were still being set up so I’d recommend heading there more towards mid/late afternoon to really have a good rummage through all the incredible fur jackets, levi jeans and little treasures that could be found at Waterlooplein. (There is also an Episode Vintage store right next to the market that has a great choice of vintage product too!) The other market we visited was Noordermarkt. This isn’t a  fashion based market per se - there were a few bits but not anything outstanding worth noting- but Noordermarkt is a gold mine if you come at lunchtime. From fresh fruit and veg, cheese, meats, pastry and bread it was amazing walking through the market picking up a little tapas style lunch and eating it next to the canal. If you’re like me and you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth you have to visit the local bakery across the street called Winkel43- its been voted the best apple pie in all of Amsterdam.
 
 

Shopping


 De Negen Straatjes: Keizersgracht 217G, 1016 DT Amsterdam, Netherlands


And last but by no means least, how could I go to Amsterdam without checking out all their retail stores ay? There are some wonderful stores dotted throughout the city but in general I found the two best areas for shopping (by this I mean they have the best range of stores within a condensed area) were De Negen Straatjes (‘The Nine Streets’) and Kalverstraat. Kalverstraat is kind of like Amsterdam’s version of Oxford circus: you’ve got your standard stores like Forever 21, Berksha, Nike, Topshop etc but also some cool stores in-between like & Other Stories and Every Day Counts. (Any makeup fans I recommend going to Douglas at Kalverstraat as they’ve got an Anastasia Beverly Hills counter that we can’t get in the UK- dreamy!) If you’re more into independent boutiques then De Negen Straatjes is the place for you. These small cute streets are littered with independent boutiques, interior design stores, coffee shops as well as an Acne Studio’s store- surely a winning combination. Take a stroll through the canals and see what wonderful independent stores you stumble accross on the way. It's also worth noting that Amsterdam has an amazing array of Vintage stores. Both myself and Jamie picked up a few bargains from Episode Vintage (they have five stores throughout Amsterdam) which were all not badly priced and its amazing what you can find if you have a rummage. Other vintage stores that we visited to look out for were: Zipper, Retro & Chic, I Love Vintage, Wini and Laura Dols that will cater to any vintage enthusiasts taste.


So that’s all from me today! I thought I’d give you a whistle stop tour of our wonderful time in Amsterdam and just a couple of things I’d recommend going/seeing if you ever have the chance to go. One thing I didn’t mention was that an Apple Studel/Pie with a flat white for breakfast every morning is a must. Oh and beware of all the bikes- people are not joking when they said they are bloody everywhere! hope you all had a delightful week last week and postings from now on should be back to normal! Happy Thursday my lovelies!



Have you been to Amsterdam? What was your favourite part of the trip?



A x






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