Day 1 – Saturday (04/30/2016)

We took advantage of the holiday on 02/05 (Monday) and tulip season in the Netherlands (usually between March and May every year) and we bought tickets from Dublin to Amsterdam. Since we didn't have any days off, we ended up paying a hefty price for the ticket, but in the end it was worth it! 

We arrived in the Dutch capital at 9:30 am and while still inside the airport, we bought our train tickets to the hotel. We went straight to a little yellow machine in the middle of the lobby, entered our hotel station (Amsterdam RAI) as our destination and paid 8.50 euros with our debit card, including fees for both of us. Then we just looked at the monitors and went to the right platform…

We got off at the train station and in less than 5 minutes walking, we arrived at Motel One Amsterdam. This hotel is far from the center (20 minutes on tram 4), but it is super modern, the staff are very friendly and it was one of the cheapest we found for the holiday (considering reviews above 8 on Booking). We paid 238 euros for 2 nights (high season price) without breakfast, but we only paid 9.50 euros to have access to it. buffet free. We love it!

I put on the map below the our hotel (in blue), the airport (in green), the tulip garden – Keukenhof (in orange) and the main attractions we visited or just passed by (in red):

Ah! We bought the guide TOP 10 Amsterdam (DK Eyewitness Travel) to help with the itinerary. A helping hand with the detachable city map.

We left our luggage at the hotel around 11am/12pm and since the room wasn't available yet, we went for a walk downtown. We saw on Google Maps that the best option was to take tram 4 nearby, so we went to the station. We bought a ticket from the employee who was inside the tram. ticket of free transport for 48h for 12.50 euros per person, because the single ticket cost 2.90 and from our calculations it was worth it. Some photos of the tram and the fares (it turned out bad, sorry):

We got off at a station near the Begijnhof and we came across a stall selling traditional Dutch fast food. We ordered the most typical dish, according to our city guide and the vendor: raw herring with some spices on bread. I thought it was horrible (lol), but Celo loved it. I think it's worth trying, right?

We continue until the Begijnhof, a secret garden with elegant houses, a church and a chapel, which received official recognition of monastic retreat in 1346. The place is very quiet (you can hardly tell you are in a European capital) and around 100 single women live in the houses there. Don't forget to notice house #34, which is one of the only two wooden houses still standing (it is all black) and one of the oldest houses in the city. It was built before 1521, when they created a law to ban the construction of wooden houses because of fires. Another interesting point is that the chapel that is hidden inside two houses is the first clandestine chapel in the city, having been built at the time when the city became Protestant and therefore Catholics could only pray in hiding.

We walked along the Singel Avenue canal to the Dam Square, square considered the heart of the city. It is home to the Royal Palace (Royal Palace), the New Church (New Church), the most famous department store in the country – From Bijenkorf -, among other beautiful buildings. THE National Monument, a 22-meter obelisk in the middle of the square is a tribute to the Dutch who died in World War II. On this day, an amusement park was in the middle of the square and it was possible to eat some very tasty snacks, such as the typical Dutch fries and one special hot dog.

We passed by Magna Plaza, a very charming shopping mall, and we went to meet Celo's family near the Anne Frank Museum. They waited in line for two hours, but at least they got in! We tried to buy tickets in advance through Internet, but everything was sold out (and we checked about 2 months in advance…). It’s worth checking before your trip to avoid this line. Celo and I avoided the afternoon line (it was crazy!!!) and ended up going back at night, around 9pm, when the line was much shorter. (I read this tip on some blog, I don’t remember which one). On the other hand, we had to hurry a bit, because the museum closed at 10pm (I’ll tell you more about the experience in a bit).

We sat with our loved ones in the 't Smalle, A highly recommended café overlooking a charming canal. We rested for a while until they had to go out to take care of some business and we continued strolling through the streets of the canals. What a nice neighborhood! I wish I could live in one of the cute little houses and do everything on foot or by bike…

Important information: BEWARE OF CYCLISTS!!! They are everywhere and they are not very patient. I think they are fed up with the unsuspecting tourists who cross the streets without looking to the sides, like us. Oh, in addition to the bicycles circulating everywhere, it is quite common to see motorcycles on the sidewalks and bike paths too, so be extra careful!

We stopped at the store From Kaaskamer to buy one of the best things the Netherlands has to offer: cheeses! We asked the saleswoman for help and ended up buying a wonderful Gouda, half of which we devoured during our walking tour. I recommend it!

We continued walking calmly towards the region of Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the famous sign I AMSTERDAM. We strolled through the flower-filled park, enjoying the sunshine (something rare in Dublin!) and ended up not going into any of the museums, which are highly rated and were even in our guide to the city's TOP 10 attractions. We considered going into the Van Gogh museum, but since the line was so long and we're not fans of him, we ended up giving up right away. If you really want to go, I recommend buying tickets in advance at Internet (especially if you go during high season). Who knows, maybe one day we'll go, right? On this day, we prefer to take advantage of the opportunity to walk around.

We met Celo's family again and had lunch at the Italian restaurant Dante, which is very modern and spacious (we had two strollers), compared to the others open at that strange lunch time (4pm). Good food, but nothing that changed our lives… Oh, and pay attention to the restaurants’ opening hours! Most of them don’t stay open after 2pm/3pm. 🙁

We walked calmly through the city, passing by Red Light District (neighborhood where call girls display themselves in shop windows with red lights above) and when it was close to 9 pm, Celo and I got in line for Anne Frank Museum. They put up signs along the line telling us how much time was left until we got in, so we didn't have to wait to see if we were going to make it or not. Our sign said 30 minutes, so since the museum closed at 10pm and they say you need 45 minutes to see everything, we did the math and figured it was worth the wait. Luckily, we ended up getting in a little earlier than expected and were able to see everything in a hurry.

For those who don't know, this museum is famous for being the house where a little Jewish girl named Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis during World War II. They hid with another family in the annex of the house for about 2 years, until someone gave them away and the Nazis captured them. Anne and her sister died in the same concentration camp from typhus, but their father survived inside his camp and when he returned to Amsterdam, he found his daughter's diary. In this diary, the little girl wrote down everything she was living, thinking and dreaming and all the tour It's really very touching. I recommend watching the movie (or reading the book) before going there. Oh, YOU CANNOT TAKE PHOTOS INSIDE. Please respect this! I saw some clueless people doing it selfie. Oh anger…

On the way to catch tram 4 to our hotel, we stopped at Dam Square and we bought some delicious amusement park snacks. A practical dinner to end the day! 🙂

Day 2 – Sunday (01/05/2016)

The most anticipated day of our spring: a visit to the most beautiful garden in the world! <3

We had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel and left around 10 am towards the square. Leidseplein. We went there because that's where the bus to the tulip garden leaves from. Keukenhof. In fact, there are several steps…I will explain better below.

We bought the tickets through Internet well in advance, because we were afraid that the tickets would sell out since the place is so beautiful and it is only open for 2 months of the year (March to May – check the specific dates for each year before planning). After seeing how many people there were on our day, I’m starting to think that there is no limit to the number of tickets per day. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing… 🙁

We bought the tickets at website official (Click here) and we paid 29 euros per person for transportation from Amsterdam. The entrance ticket just for the garden, without any transportation involved, was 16 euros per adult, and if I had known all the hassles of getting there, I think I would have rented a car and bought this cheaper ticket. Less stress and maybe it would have been a little more expensive. Here are the details of our ticket (without our details, of course):

We got off at that square Leidseplein, we met Celo's family and walked to the bus stop indicated by Google Maps to catch the bus 197, as stated on our ticket. We showed our tickets to the driver, who almost ignored us, and the journey that was supposed to last 40 minutes, lasted 1 hour.

Bus 197 dropped us off at the airport Schiphol and when we saw the line for the next bus outside the airport, it was disheartening. We considered taking a taxi that would fit everyone, but the prices were between 60 and 80 euros. We had to wait in line, which took a little over an hour. Finally we took the second and last bus (number 858) to the Keukenhof and thank God we took seats: the journey that was supposed to take about 20 minutes took more than 1 hour because of the traffic. But at least part of the road had this view, look:

When we got to the garden, it was also discouraging to see the amount of people gathered to get in, but it didn't take even 10 minutes to get inside. I felt like I was at Disney during the holidays, you know? The good thing is that once inside, all the hassle seems worth it! Look at this beautiful entrance:

The flowerbeds are charming, with lots of intense colors, and the empty paths exude a delightful peace. It's a shame that there were few moments when we were able to enjoy the view without seeing a clueless person stepping into the garden amidst the flowers, even with several signs warning against it. Not to mention the 500 thousand sticks of selfie that get in your way and the ridiculous poses of people who only think about posting on Instagram and Facebook. Seriously, every time I see these faces and 500 photos in the same position, I think about how happy my grandparents and parents were without these bizarre things. Stop with these ridiculous duck faces!!! I needed to vent, sorry. 🙂

Now some beautiful photos for you to fall in love with too (I hope you can visit this place one day!):

We stopped to eat at one of the restaurants in fast food Inside the garden, although it was quite crowded, we managed to sit at one of the tables and leave after a little over an hour. We walked around the main lake, through the flowerbeds, played in the playground with the kids and even visited one of those very Dutch windmills. Near the windmill, there is a tulip farm with beautiful colors, but if you want to go there, you will have to pay extra for it (I think between 20 and 30 euros, from what I saw). There is a canal between the garden and the farm, so don't even think about getting away...lol. We decided not to pay and take pictures from afar...look how beautiful it is!!!

After the mill, we entered a shop souvenirs nearby and look at the surprise I had: a little old man making those very traditional wooden clogs in real time! Very cool 🙂

We left the garden around 6pm and the route back was the opposite of the one we had taken on the way there, but luckily it took less time. When we arrived in Amsterdam, we walked around the streets with canals for a while and then sat down at the restaurant. Trattoria Caprese. Cozy atmosphere and a local restaurant feel, you know? Like your family's favorite Italian restaurant. Everything I ate and drank was great!

After dinner, we said goodbye to the family and took our tram to the hotel. Despite the initial difficulties, we had a beautiful day, especially because we were with very dear people. Thank you for your company, my loves! <3

Day 3 – Monday (02/05/2016)

We had another wonderful breakfast at the hotel and rested a little before check out. We left our bags with the staff and went out to walk around the city, since our flight back to Dublin was only at 10pm.

When we got on tram 4, our tickets were no longer valid because we ended up missing the time a little. We ended up buying the single ticket option (2.90 each) and half an hour later, we were walking around Flower Market, the city's famous floating flower market. I confess that I was expecting something more impressive and floating, in a way that would sway a little, you know? But no… it’s one of those streets with canals and shops that are actually inside the canals, but they’re very safe. Flowers and products of all kinds for all tastes. How it made me want to have a garden! 🙂

We strolled around the city without rushing, bought some delicious cheeses to snack on and then went into the SexMuseum. We read some good reviews and since it only cost 4 euros and seemed interesting, off we went. At the end of the tour, we said “thank goodness it only cost 8 euros for the 2 of us”, if you know what I mean (weak, weak, weak).

In front of the museum, there are several boat companies that offer tours along the canals and we made sure to choose the cheapest and probably the worst one, PLAS.  Huge boats with few open windows, dirty and scratched glass and lots of wood to ruin the whole experience. Not to mention that the staff are not at all friendly and you are forced to listen to tour in about 4 languages. It's not like everyone has their own headphones and language of choice, you know? Anyway...it cost 10 euros per person, instead of the 15/20 from other companies and if I could, I would have insisted on the small boat without a roof, because it was a beautiful day. Don't fall for that scam, please! I only fell for it because Celo said he sold drinks on the boat...I think I imagined myself on one of those saveiro boat trips with carnival music, you know? Hahahaha. Look how similar *sqn*:

But, regardless of the boat, crew and audio, we sailed through beautiful canals, learned a few things about the houses and other buildings, and an hour later we were back.

We walked to the Old Church (Old Church), but when we were going to go in, we saw that we had to pay. I think it's really annoying to pay to go into a church, so we just enjoyed it from the outside. We passed by Dam Square and we try to get into the New Church (New church), but it currently houses exhibitions and you have to pay to get in. We only went as far as the ticket office. Oh, and the other buildings in the square, which were previously hidden by the amusement park:

We crossed the canal and went to the cheese shop Reypenaer, that has one option more delicious than the other. When we stopped over in Amsterdam the day we moved to Dublin, we bought a kit with 3 cheeses and they were all wonderful – I talked more about that in this post. That left an impression on me and I made sure to go back there and buy some delicious treats for our home. I highly recommend it!

We crossed the canal and decided to sit on the Van Zuylen's Cafe, which had some tables outside right over the canal. It was a beautiful day, so we sat outside, had a few beers and ordered some delicious snacks. Before catching tram 4 to our hotel, we stopped at the bar By Three Fleschjes, which looked quite interesting with its many barrels. A few beers later, we asked for the bill and left. We took tram 4 to the hotel, grabbed our backpacks and at the train station we bought the train ticket to the airport from a typical yellow machine. In less than 20 minutes, we were inside the airport and took the opportunity to drink a few last Dutch beers before heading back home.

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