A Weekend In The Netherlands

I have always wanted to visit the legendary city of Amsterdam. Even though it was not planned, I knew I had to go during my Europe trip. With my flight landing rather late, I was oh too eager for the next day to arrive so I could start the exploring.

Evening view from my room

    To end my night I was able to use my Yelp app to search for a dinner spot. I was overwhelmed with how many delicious looking options I had. After being a little indecisive I found a vegan spot, Vegan Junk Food. I had not eaten typical junk food in a long time so I was pretty excited and this place being vegan was just the cherry on top. As soon as I walked in the door I was hit with the heavenly junk food aroma.  I knew right off the bat I was ordering the veggie burger with truffle fries. If you are vegan and visiting Amsterdam this place is a MUST! As I devoured this plant-based burger I shrugged off my calorie/carb guilt reminding myself that no animals were hurt for this amazing meal so I shouldn’t dwell on a diet (especially on vacation).

After my junk food dinner I called myself an Uber to head to Dam Square. (Yes Amsterdam has Uber which is great because the taxis there are quite expensive). This time of year in mid October it was pretty chilly outside. The energy in Dam Square was pure joy. The center was a mini carnival with rides, games, fried food, insane sweets and people of all ages. Having just ate there was no way I could enjoy a ride LOL. So I decided give in and order a dessert then walk it all off in search of a coffeeshop.

I stumbled upon The Green House. I had always dreamed to experience a coffee shop in Amsterdam and wondered what it would be like. What kind of crowd goes? How do you order? Living in California and Vegas, public smoking wasn’t new to me but social smoking was something totally foreign to me. The streets were filled with people so it was to no surprise that the coffeeshop was a bit crowded as well. I found some extra chairs at a table in the corner and took a seat down while my boyfriend went to the back bar to order a pre rolled joint. On their menu of pre rolls they have 7 different options. We ordered the Super Lemon Haze. For the table setting they had grinders, jars and papers. If you wished to use a bong or pipe to smoke your cannabis you simply ask one of the waiters to borrow, so cool! The customer crowd was completely diverse from one another. The Amsterdam coffeeshop experience was another check off my bucket list.

The next day I visited the Van Gogh Museum. There are so many beautiful paintings you can get lost for hours inside!

View from Farris wheel at Dam Square

Amsterdam is a gorgeous city where mostly everyone walks or rides their bike to where they go. Everything is fairly close. I love how eco-friendly it is. We walked around the city for hours everyday taking breaks at local bars, shops and other touristy places. I hardly eat dairy but I cannot help but really enjoy good cheese. I had to make my way to the famous Cheese Museum and try some local samples. Upon walking in, there were so many different cheeses to taste. The employees encourage you try to all you can! I tried a few of the most popular and then my favorite, goat cheese. I bought a delicious spicy mustard to pair with 2 smoked goat cheese blocks. After the cheese museum it only seemed right that I went to a beer tasting room. I’m not much of an American beer lover but I wanted to taste Dutch beer. The bartender recommended a dark sweeter tasting beer. It was crispy and full of flavor, not too heavy either!

I wish my visit to the Netherlands was longer so I could explore other parts of this gorgeous country. The Dutch were so polite and friendly, being there really makes you feel welcome. There are so many things to do you simply cannot cram them all in a short few days. I hope to come back for a longer visit very soon! Until then

xo,