Amsterdam Take 2

Mario and I headed to Amsterdam for the weekend. We have both been there before but never together, so we decided to revisit and make new memories together. Our morning flight was about a  hour which had us in Amsterdam before lunch. ​

We took the intercity train straight from the airport to the main train station which was about 20 minutes. From there we walked about 30 minutes to our hotel. We got a room on the 11th floor, which was the top floor and gave a great over view of the city. Mario's Marriott status got us exclusive lounge privileges. We were able to enjoy breakfast, evening bites (dinner) and desserts. This helped cut our spending on food. 

The next morning we headed out to explore the city. We headed towards the museum district which was right down the street from our hotel. We saw the Rijksmuseum,  I love Amsterdam sign and Van Gogh Museum. The Van Gogh Museum has the world's largest collection of painting, drawings and letters by Vincent Van Gogh.

From there we followed the canals making our way towards the Bloemenmarkt or flower market. We took in the views of the canals, house boats and fall foliage.  We saw the Magere Brug or Skinny Bridge which was built in 1670 but renovated in 1969.  The legend behind this bridge is that two sisters lived on opposite side of the river so one sister built this bridge so they can visit each other. Mager in Dutch means thin. At night it is lite up but it was still very pretty in the day time. 

We passed the De Krijtberg church which is a Roman Catholic church. We continue walking towards the Jordaan neighborhood which is home to Anne Frank's house and the Westerkerk. When we arrived it was close to lunch so we decided to eat at the Pancake House. We had many choices to pick from when but we decided to go with the Dutch Pancake which has stroopwafel chunks ”traditional Dutch cookie”, cinnamon ice cream,, chocolate flakes and whipped cream. It was super yummy. After lunch we explored the inside of Westerkerk church and got a quick picture of the front of Anne Frank's house. We headed back to the hotel for a little rest.

After our rest and  dinner at the hotel, we headed out to see more of Amsterdam at night.  We went to Dam Square. This area was the site of the original dam built in 13th. You will find the Koninklijk Paleis  (Royal Palace) and Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and the National Monument which was dedicated to those Dutch citizen who died during Nazi occupation during WW2. From there we walked along the canals. We saw the Oude Kerk (Old Church). Then walked thought the Red Light district on our way to the hotel.

The next morning, we had booked a day trip to explore the city of Giethoorn which is known as the Venice of the North. We meet our guide and driver by the Magna Plaza which is a shopping center near Dam Square. There were only 6 people total, which made a very small group. Our first stop was Enkhuizen which is a 17th century port town. We were able to explore this town.

From there we traveled on a 20 kilometer long dike which is all reclaimed land crossing the IJsselmeer heading toward Giethoorn. Giethoorn has boat-filled waterways instead of roads and centuries-old thatched-roof houses. We took an hour long boat ride and then ate lunch. After lunch we walked the pathways exploring more of the city. Around 3, we made our 1.5 hour trip back to Amsterdam.

Our weekend in Amsterdam was filled with amazing weather and wonderful memories. We left around lunch the next day but had sometime to explore a bit more before we needed to board the train and head to the airport. Another great trip in the books!