The #1 Thing to *NOT * Do When You Visit Amsterdam

We scoured the internet for a place to stay in Amsterdam. Everything was booked or out of our price range but we did find a cute, cozy apartment in a town called Haarlem.

“Oh well,” I thought, “it is just a short bus/train ride to the city so we will just get used to public transport.”

And isn’t it funny how sometimes things just turn out better than you could have ever expected!

So, spoiler alert……the #1 thing to NOT do when visiting Amsterdam, is stay in Amsterdam. Pop down to Haarlem instead!

It was the most charming and walkable city we spent time in. A true surprise.

First stop, the local weekend market at the city center. Everything you would hope it to be. AND if eating your way through local cuisine makes the top of your list be sure to nibble on:

• Wood fired pizza

• Herring fish sandwiches

• French fries and mayo

Next up, the most beautiful flowers and blooms. Checking out at the local market, every single person, women, men and kids,  had a bouquet of flowers in hand. It is just part of the lifestyle. Flowers everywhere……out in front of apartments, inside on the tables and in bedrooms.

Then, the windmills. Charming and beautiful. So quintessenial. The highlight came when we rented a boat to give ourselves a tour through the canals. Four hours of snacking on stroopwaffle (our favorite!), jumping off the boat into the canals and seeing local life. It was nothing short of spectacular. Windmills along the way, the boys getting to steer the boat, seeing retirees sitting on their docks enjoying the day. The slow pace was so welcomed.

And, we didn’t want to skip Amsterdam all together so a short bus ride later and we were tromping around the iconic city! Watch out for the bikers everywhere, and I mean everywhere. A quick stop at the iconic “iamsterdam” sign and an afternoon at Vondelpark, exploring that park from top to bottom.

Vaarwel Netherlands!

xoxo- Jess