Sorry it has been so long since I’ve posted! I am noticing a trend with this…I will try to get better about it!

Beautiful antique door handles at the Noordermarkt flea market

Last week I was lucky to be hosted by some amazing friends, and spent more time in Amsterdam, a beautiful and historic city. Here are 5 of the things I’ve enjoyed doing the most from my trips there:

Riding Bikes: 

Wheeeeeeeee!

Amsterdam is a cycling city. This is for real. Last summer when I visited, Lauren & I were given a city tour on our rented bikes by Job, a native Amsterdamian (Amsterdamese? What would it be?). Riding a bike for people in Amsterdam is second nature, and although sometimes it was chaotic and there was a ton of bike traffic, I found it a great way to see the town, easy to ride (it is FLAT!) and affordable to rent a bike (there’s a rental place next to the train station).

Also, if you can’t ride a bike, make a friend with a local who can and just hop on with them! 🙂

Zaanse Schans/typical Dutch village: 

It was a beautiful day for an autumn stroll!

Zaanse Schans is really touristy. Yes, this is true. But that did not make it any less fun for me to check out a “typical” Dutch village, with its beautiful architecture, windmills, cheese shop, clog-making museum & store and more. Only 20 minutes outside fo Amsterdam, there are buses going to Zaanse Schans from Central Station.

Museums:
If you’re an art lover, a film aficionado or just want a warm place to hang out indoors for awhile, check out the many wonderful museums of Amsterdam! Last summer, I went to the Van Gogh Museum, which was an interesting and in-depth look at Vincent Van Gogh’s work. The most valuable thing I learned at that museum: we pronounce his name TOTALLY WRONG.

The Rijksmuseum is worth going for the Rembrandt alone, and I had a fantastic time puzzling through the modern and contemporary art at the Stedelijk Museum. Another museum to check out is the Eye, dedicated to film, with a permanent exhibition downstairs, a bar/cafe, and lots of cool movie screenings and cinema-related events!

Eating: 
By now you’ve probably figured out my love for food and all it entails. Well, Holland was no different, and I spent some great time helping a friend bake some Dutch Apple Pie. Another great Netherlands treat are the pannekoeken, which you can taste all over Amsterdam. Of course, the best place to way to eat them is with good company.

Noordermarkt:
I’m a huge sucker for markets, open-air, covered, flea, farmer, whatever. The coming together of the senses epitomizes a market, no matter where you are, and the Noordermarkt is a very hip one to check out! Mondays from 9-2, and Saturdays from 9-5, the Noordermarkt has everything. From trendy antiques to hip vintage clothes, to bags made out of men’s business attire and lots of fair trade vendors, you can satisfy shopping cravings. For the foodies at heart, the farmers’ market on Saturday is one of the best organic markets I’ve ever been to. I even found a great loaf of gluten-free bread! We snagged some cheese, bread, and pizzette and ate along the canal. Not a bad way to end my trip to Amsterdam!

Organic deliciousness