Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth, it is a city of freedom.” - John Green
Amsterdam has always been a dream destination for many people, including myself.
When I was presented with the opportunity to travel there, I just had to even if it was only for a day. There was so much to do, so much to see; the fresh air and the shining sun was beckoning me to enjoy the city as much as I can.
The Dutch architecture and the canals are what makes the city so spectacular and if you’re an art enthusiast, this is the place where famous Baroque painters like Rembrandt and Vermeer have lived and travelled.
If you don’t know Rembrandt, he was a Baroque painter who started his portraitist career in Amsterdam, which only continued to expand successfully.
His works range from self-portraits to landscapes to Biblical scenes and are widely known in the Western art world. Like many cities that once were home to significant figures, Amsterdam is not shy to show off to the world that Rembrandt once lived here and even has a square dedicated to him.
Rembrandtplein is a square in central Amsterdam and has a statue of Rembrandt in the center. Nearby the square, Rembrandt used to live in a house, which has turned into the Rembrandt House Museum where you can see the painter’s domestic life.
I did not have the opportunity to visit it as I wanted to see more of the city in my short time but I recommend booking the tickets online in advance if you do plan to visit.
Not far from the square is the famous Bloemenmarkt, which is the only floating flower market in the world!
It is made out of several stores that sell souvenirs and trinkets as well as the country’s national flower, the tulips. I was quite surprised to see so many tulips being sold there at this time of the year and was happy to see the variety of colours the blooms come in.
There were also tulip bulbs and seeds being sold, if you would like to try a hand at blooming some at home.
After buying some souvenirs, I continued my walk into the city’s center.
As you walk into the heart of the city, you will pass several canals and many of which a pretty bicycles parked at the bridge to really complete the aesthetic, peaceful vibe.
Amsterdam is a historically rich city; we already know famous artists lived here but the city was also under German occupation during the Second World War and suffered the consequences of the occupation.
The city was also home to the famous diarist, Anne Frank, during the war. Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl that hid in a secret annex in the house, where she documented her life in hiding.
She wanted to become a writer/journalist but sadly her life ended early. When her father was released and learned of her death, he published her diary to raise awareness of the discrimination and hatred of Jews during the time.
As you walk along the canals, you would see a little Anne Frank statue to commemorate her. Slightly further away sits the original house with the secret annex, the Anne Frank House, that is open to all to visit, which must also be booked in advance.
If you’re interested in reading her story, the book is called Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.
Nearby, there was the Tulip Museum and Cheese Museum sitting side by side, where you can explore the two specialties that the Netherlands is known for.
The Tulip Museum has a small fee to enter but you can always browse the wide array of trinkets in the gift shop if you choose not to go into the exhibition.
The Cheese Museum, on the other hand, is completely free and you can read and watch videos about how cheese was manufactured in the early days.
The Cheese Museum also sells interesting flavours of cheese such as truffle cheese, strawberry & champagne cheese and many others that you cannot imagine. It will be heaven for cheese lovers to experience and taste all these delicious cheese.
Another museum one should not miss is the Rijksmuseum, which is the art museum that houses 8,000 pieces that tell 800 years of Dutch history.
The museum also exhibits paintings of Vermeer, Van Gogh and Rembrandt—all pioneers of the art world! Close by to Rijksmuseum is the Van Gogh Museum, if you are big Van Gogh fan and would like to see only his masterpieces instead of several artists’.
Again, I recommend booking all your tickets online as they don’t sell tickets at the front desk!
As the sky was getting darker, I began to walk back to the city center where all the shopping districts were to find some Nijntje (Miffy) souvenirs to buy since Miffy is also a Dutch cartoon.
I found the Miffy Shop and inside they sold exclusive Miffy merchandise such as the ceramic Miffy items, crochet Miffy by a local company, and the original Miffy plushy with the orange dress.
The price range was not too bad as there were expensive and inexpensive items for people with different budgets to buy.
While walking around the districts, the one district that Amsterdam is known for is the Red Light District.
This street is very self-explanatory and it seems to be a tourist attraction as well so if you’re interested in having a look then you can walk down the street and have a look around.
Having spend my time there, I think it is safe to declare that Amsterdam is one of my favourite cities and I would definitely go back for a visit.
The city isn’t overcrowded like London and the pace of life there is really relaxed. I enjoyed this peaceful change of pace and it brought me out of my winter blues.
Written by Althea Scully