On our return trip to the States, we chose a 5 day stopover in Amsterdam. This gave us single leg flights each day: much better for the little one! (LIS-AMS 3hrs, AMS-YVR 10hrs).
Amsterdam turned out to be one of our favorite places we have been! The culture is progressive, yet laid back. A wide variety of good food is available. The weather was perfect (luck?). And... bicycling is awesome!!!
Coming from Portugal, the food was a welcome change. Portuguese food is wonderful, but it lacks some variety and some of the options we are used to in the Pacific Northwest (gluten, dairy, etc. free). Stores in Portugal have staples (meat, veggies, rice, fruits, standard bread) at a reasonable (or cheap) price, but organic or specialty items are 2-4 x the price we are used to and with limited availability. The first store we went into in Amsterdam was like stepping into a higher end market in the Pacific Northwest, with even more variety and fun, unique options.
The only downside: the prices were at least as high as the Pacific Northwest. Coming from Portugal made the price a bit of a shock.
In Portugal, we would go to our favorite café in Oeiras: We would each get a couple of espressos (pronounced expresso in Portugal), a croissant, and a treat for under €4. Our first stop at a coffee shop in Amsterdam was about €20! Similar to the Pacific Northwest, but shocking nonetheless. We did like Coffee Bru in Amsterdam and would definitely recommend it!
It was the closest café to where we stayed. I knew nothing of Amsterdam before we went and chose the location based on Airbnb availability. It turned out to be perfect for our lifestyle. It is a slower, more laid-back area of the city. Oosterpark is great for kids.
All necessities are within walking distance. The apartment we rented was owned by a family that had LOTS of toys! Theo was in heaven.
Although we did not use it, we were very close to the Wibautstraat metro station. To get around the rest of Amsterdam we rented bicycles at de Stadsfiets nearby location. Bicycles are THE way to get around the city!
We had so much fun touring around Amsterdam on bicycles. Theo is now obsessed with bikes too! We were able to rent a seat for him to ride on the back of my bike. It is a bit intense getting started biking in THE biking city (more people per capita bicycle in Amsterdam than any other in the world). The speeds are not particularly high, but most people get around on bikes. There are 881,000 bicycles in Amsterdam (iamsterdam) for a population of ~851,000 (Wikipedia).
This makes for a surprisingly quiet city. I think the daily exercise adds to the relaxed attitude of everyone as well. People tend to be upbeat, light-hearted, and friendly.
The interesting thing about Amsterdam is the seedy side. A city that has legal prostitution and a liberal attitude to recreational drugs I would expect to be a poor choice to bring the family. On the contrary, it is one of the most family-friendly city centers I have been to. Walking through the Red Light District during the day is not a problem at all. We walked through to "see the sights" and get our morning coffee at De Koffieschenkerij. The coffee shop was busy with a wide variety of well dressed, nice people; not the seedy underside that I would have expected in the center of a prostitution market. Surprisingly, it feels MUCH safer than walking around downtown in Seattle or Portland! Yes, there are women (and men) in windows showing off their goods. Think of the mannequins in the window at Victoria Secret and you will get the idea.
We did not go out at night, but I have read that night is not particularly dangerous either. There is more of a party scene, but the government regulation keeps it from getting dangerous. (This is Google hearsay so don't rely on my expertise 😉).
There are many other things to explore in Amsterdam. If you like art, the Van Gogh Museum is a must see. It is a great collection and a very nice museum. Here is Theo with his first masterpiece:
We also went past the Anne Frank House. From the outside, there is not much to see. With a restless toddler, we chose not to go in, but we heard from many people that it is a very powerful tour and well worth the time. It is on the must-do list for when we return with older kids.
We biked past the Heineken Experience, through Vondelpark, and ate at Foodhallen. The park and Foodhalen are worth the stop. And, if you like beer, Heineken is a tourist classic. We also walked around the De 9 Straatjes (The 9 Streets). It is the shopping boutique center of town. I was less enthralled at the high price, trendy shops than Leslie, but it was still worth a walk around.
The other "must do" is find some real Gouda. We found a cheese shop fairly close to where we stayed: Wereldse Kaas Van Klaas. The proprietor was great and the cheese was awesome! Interestingly, he told us that the well-aged cheeses don't affect people as much (lactose issues, etc.). Needless to say, we ate a lot of cheese 😄.
I was probably more naive than most, but before we went I had no idea Amsterdam was full of canals. The canals go everywhere and are beautiful! We did not take a boat tour, but it too is on our list for next time. There are lots (1000's?) of options; I think we will opt for a small, private boat for a tour rather than a large tour boat (more our style).
Overall, we really enjoyed Amsterdam! The people are upbeat, friendly, and happy to help out. And very family friendly. In fact, kids were present often and tended to be very well behaved and happy. The kids at the water park in Oosterpark (picture at the beginning of this post) were having a blast and well behaved without parental intervention. The parents were sitting nearby chatting comfortably over a cup of coffee. We have since purchased a book about Dutch parenting: The Happiest Kids In The World (absolutely recommend it!). Dutch parenting is one more thing we are trying to bring home with us.
In the airport, we got Theo his first set of Legos (Duplo). Like father like son!
The final flight of our adventure went like a dream.
So... the European adventure is over (for now). We spent two months near my parents, working to refill the coffers a bit, and then moved to Bend, Oregon. We are finding Bend to be awesome! but more on that later. Yes, even though the experience is over, I will continue to blog as I find the time. The end is really just the door to the next adventure. Enjoy!
