Getting Lost in Amsterdam -

Welcome to Amsterdam, a wonderfully friendly and inviting city with plenty to do and see for everyone. We are visiting in June, so most of the tulips are gone now, but still the city is glowing with colorful flowers in bloom all over the city.

A note regarding COVID-19 – Due to suggested National and State restrictions over the spread of Coronavirus, many attractions, restaurants, bars, hotels have been temporarily closed or offering restricted hours. Please make sure to check the website, social media and/or call ahead to confirm that the location is open.

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Easy to Get Around Town

Getting around Amsterdam is relatively easy as their transit offers trains, buses, and Uber for getting around, or you can just take your time and walk all over the city as we did. Of course, you also have the option to take ferries, canal cruises and biking is the transportation of choice for the inhabitants Amsterdam. Mind you the Amsterdam folks are super friendly, but do not get in the way of their bikes. Be sure to stay on the proper walkways for pedestrians and yield to the bikes at intersections or you may find yourself on the ground. Americans could benefit from following the Danish and bike to more places instead of always taking the car.

Amsterdam Activities

Things to see and do are plentiful in Amsterdam and depending on the length of your stay you may be able to see most of the highlights. If you’re like us, and only have a few days in town your will have to pick the tops on your list. For us, we definitely wanted to visit Anne Frank’s House and the Van Gogh Museum. We also made sure to take a canal cruise. Our friends at the Moxy Hotel also turned us on to a Music, Art and Food fest that was wrapping up soon and that was quite a bit of fun too!

Art Lover’s Paradise

Amsterdam is home to numerous museums and I appreciate the city’s love of art and history and meaningfully sharing it with their visitors. The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum and two of the most popular. They are highly recommended, but there are other popular and modern art choices as well. If you are planning a visit to Amsterdam be sure to purchase your tickets for the museums in advance or you may only get to tour the grounds outside the museums.

We visited the Van Gogh museum this time and it was lovely and gave a thorough understanding of Van Gogh’s appreciation and love of art. Van Gogh’s determination to learn and improve his style from the artists that inspired him is impressive. It was interesting to take the journey of his life and see how his art evolved.

Ann Frank’s House is a Must!

Ann Frank’s House is the one museum in the world I believe every person should visit. It is a modest museum to say the least, but definitely the most emotionally and thought provoking one I have ever visited. It is captivating to remember how a young teenage girl shared her story with the world after her death in the pages of her diary.

As heartbreaking as it is to know her fate, we are lucky to have been given such a precious gift of her thoughts, feelings, and reality of what happened to millions of Jews during the Holocaust. We must learn from and never forget what happened during one of the darkest points in world history. If you go, be sure to purchase your tickets online at Anne Frank’s House in advance because while they release tickets each day at 9:00 a.m. for purchase, they are gone in an instant.

Coffee House or Cafe? Choose Wisely.

Somber moment over…..let’s get back to the fun stuff in Amsterdam. Most know that Cannabis is legal in Amsterdam and believe me you will have no issues finding it if that’s what you’re into. Options for smoking abound and there are baked goods, mints, and CBD oil. Be smart and don’t bring it home with you if your country is not so cannabis friendly. Coffee Shops are for those of you looking to get into the groove. If you’re actually in the mood or coffee, be sure to visit a Cafe because the coffee shop may not have what you were looking for.

Canal Cruise are a great way to see Amsterdam

To really enjoy the extensive canals in Amsterdam I recommend a canal cruise and there are many to choose from. Choices range from single hour tours for the highlights, which cost between 12 and 16 euro per person, or hop on hop off boat options, dinner cruises and the like. We chose Lovers Canal Cruises and enjoyed the vantage point seeing Amsterdam by boat gave us. There is even a specialty tour group that offers a canal cruise through Amsterdam’s Infamous Red Light District, since most of the other tour operators have shied away from this popular and highly visited area. It’s a great way to see a large part of the city quickly if you’re not a walker like myself, but I encourage you to invest in some good walking shoes and just get lost in Amsterdam for a few hours. I think you’ll be glad you did. To learn more about the canal cruise options check out this great article, 6 best boat tours to take in Amsterdam.

Until next time, choose joy and live with abandon!