Passangers: 2 Adults Time of Travel: February 2019
Martin and I met online in autumn 2018. As single parents, the first meeting was a bit difficult. So it happened that our first date was a speed date with only one hour of time. Nevertheless, we both knew immediately: ThatÂŽs the one! As early as December, Martin and his daughter M. (2016) moved in with me and my two children J. & T. (2009 + 2013) and our "journey" took its course.For our first Christmas, we both gave each other a weekend trip for two without knowing. Funnily enough, it was also packaged almost identically to a Marco Polo travel guide. So our first little trip took us to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. As we live in Germany, NRW, arriving by car is very easy. After 2.5 hours we arrived. We stayed at a good friend of Martin's. He has a great little apartment on the 16th floor on the outskirts of Amsterdam with a panoramic view of the whole city. For me, with an extreme fear of heights, this was a huge problem. Riding up by the elevator was still ok. What followed almost made me turn around and go home. Access from the stairwell to the apartment was via an open outdoor arcade at a dizzying height. I was about to crawl on all fours that way. But that would have been too embarrassing. With my eyes firmly fixed to the ground and both hands on the right and left of the railing and the wall, I finally made it. Puuuhhh! But the whole thing was actually worth it for the view from the living room window. Unique! We took a short breather and head into town...again via the terrible arcade....
But now to the highlights of our city trip:
We went to the city center by public transport. We found the prices for this to be relatively expensive, but the journey and connections were good. Due to a track closure, we took a free ferry the last stretch, which was a really nice introduction to the city. On site we then let ourselves drift through the many small and large alleys. We usually use google maps and walk everything to see as much of the city as possible. In Amsterdam this is easily possible without having flat feet in the evening. The Nieuwmarkt with street food and the countless tulip stands that are great to look at, the picturesque ring of canals and the crazy nightlife in the red light district at the Achterburgwal (note: you should definitely not go here with your children in the evening) are of course a must for every visitor to Amsterdam.
Of course we also did a classic canal cruise. Martin had already booked the tickets for this from home at blueboat. With the number of boats and providers, it would certainly not have been a problem to book the trip spontaneously. Most tours depart from downtown Heineken or Hard Rock Pier. Even if these trips are decried as a typical tourist activity, I have to say it was really great and we would do it again at any time. Although we were there in February, the temperatures on the outside deck were bearable. Our journey went through old and new town, past colorful little houses, one slater than the other, sometimes they seemed about to fall over, under bridges that made you duck your head, along a number of crazy houseboats and on to ultra-modern buildings and museums. There was so much to see and discover and by the way, the captain gave us a lot of interesting information. So after the tour we had a good overview of the whole city and already saw all the sights from the water.
A cheese tasting was also part of the gift. I can really only recommend to each of you: do it! It was such a cool experience. Our tasting took place at Reypenaer. Through a small rustic shop we went into the vaulted cellar of the building. Together with other cheese students from all over the world, we took a seat at the wooden benches for two. After a short film about cheese production, we started. Everyone was given a piece of paper on which they were asked to mark which cheese they liked - we were absolute advocates of mild cow's milk cheese. The right wine or liqueur was served with each cheese and without knowing what we were trying, we happily ticked off whether this cheese tasted like sheep, cow or goat, like earth, flowers or honey, how it smelled, whether the consistency was creamy, crunchy or crystal-like and whether it had to go on the yay or nay side. To our great surprise, both of our favorites ended up being a goat's cheese. With a certificate for professional cheese test participants and a package of our new favorite cheese in our luggage, we moved on to the bustling, colorful city, happy and slightly tipsy.
Another attraction that really impressed us, but is not found in many guidebooks, was the museum "OnsÂŽ Lieve Heer op Solder", a secret church in the attic of a trading house in the middle of the red light district. The house is so inconspicuous from the outside that we actually walked past it twice. The tour starts in the basement of the house with a lot of information about the history and origin of this special church and then continues into the really amazing church on the upper floor. In fact, we've never seen anything like this. Check it out and be amazed. It's really crazy.
Finally, another recommendation from the culinary area. In Amsterdam we ate the absolute best pancakes of our lives. As always, Martin had sifted through hundreds of reviews on Tripadvisor and came across a little restaurant called Upstairs. An extremely steep staircase led us up - and then straight back down again. We didn't have a reservation and there are only 10 spots that are almost always fully booked .So make sure to reserve in advance. Impressed by the ambience with the most unusual tea cups and pots on the ceiling and walls, we made a reservation for the afternoon and passed the time on the city's canals. What can I say: the wait was absolutely worth it. These pancakes are super fluffy, the topping is super rich. After a big pancake with strawberries and chocolate sauce I was full for the rest of the day, but I would have loved to have eaten three more because it was soooo delicious! If we come back to Amsterdam again, the first way will definitely lead us directly to the Upstairs!
Fun fact for all lovers: according to legend, a kiss on the "Magere Brug", a bascule bridge made of wood and metal in the center of Amsterdam, promises eternal love! It worked for us.đđ
The bridge is also wonderfully illuminated in the evening, is opened and closed several times a day for large ships and was also seen in the James Bond film "Diamonds are forever".
Next stop: Prague
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