Amsterdam in March is very windy
Before we start, we have to go back to Christmas last year...
My boyfriend and I were thinking about the presents and what gift to give each other. And because we both had no wishes and preferred to spend time together, we decided to go on holiday instead of buying expensive gifts.
And after many hours of thinking we decided to go to Amsterdam by train. (So none of us has to drive car for hours, no tiny streets to pass and no super expensive parking)
We booked our train early enough, so we got 80,00 EUR to move there and back and that seems pretty cheap. We rented a hotel and informed ourself what would be nice to see. (You have to know that we both are not good at city trips. We walk around a city for a while and when we think we saw everything we get bored and wait to go home.) So you see, we had to do some preparation before our trip.
Luckily we were early enough to get tickets for the Anne Frank House and also booked a Grachten-Tour. And because it can't be a holiday without bouldering, we got to know where the good bouldering gyms are. Luckily one was next to our hotel.
So here we go... The first day in Amsterdam
We left our home city about 7 am, of course really tired. The drive should last about 3 to 4 hours and we arrived in Amsterdam about lunch time. We got a coffee in a cute café near the central station and decided to go bouldering first, before we could check in. Even 3 km does not seem so far, it was stressful to walk with a heavy backpack. 
Especially when it's very windy and you've got the feeling of walking against the wind. This isn't fun. Trust me.
About 3 pm we went over to our hotel and rested for some hours.
We decided to walk back into the city for dinner and reach for de Pizzabakkers. It is a nice spot with super delicious pizza and a gregorios team. Although the restaurant was filled, they had a spot for us, it was next to the kitchen but a nice experience. My boyfriend spent the most time watching the cooks and sometimes didn't notice I was talking to him.
After dinner we made our way back to the hotel. Time to sleep...
The second day
Afterwards we went shopping in one of the vintage stores spotted around the city. I like to browse through the old stuff, but I think it is quite expensive. My boyfriend found a nice button down he was looking for.
For lunch we walked down the street to a bagel shop which is located next to a channel. It's a tiny, cozy place and spartanly furnished, but the sun came through the old windows and created an awesome light. (The bagels were delicious by the way, I recommend the hummus bagel)
There is no city trip without any book store, so we headed to the American book store. (To make sure they offer english books). It's a big store and you can probably find any topic (they had a full shelf with books about tattoos!), but to me the store was not cozy enough. I like it to have some space, maybe a chair to sit down and read a few pages of the book you're going to buy. But I think the Dutch building type doesn't offer that opportunity, because the floors are close and each building doesn't have that much space.
All this walking around the city made us pretty hungry again, so we searched for a burger store for dinner. In the west of the city we found burgermeester, a diner furnished american style. The fries were awesome and they offered meat and no-meat burger.
The third day
On Sunday we rent two bikes to move quicker around the city. I recommend star bikes rental. It is located near the central station and if you do not care about the look of the bikes, because they are older ones, you get great bikes for little money.
Because our train was canceled for monday, we had to spend the morning searching for possibilities to either stay for another day or move back to Germany on any other way. We decided to stay, that seemed to be the easiest way. (Also we were able to get the money for the train back from the DB)
So we left the hotel about lunch time and made our way across the city by bike. The infrastructure for bikes is amazing in the Netherlands. You have extra streets just for bikes and the traffic lights change pretty quick.
We headed to Vondelpark and had a nice walk through.
On our way back to the city we stopped at food hallen and had a cup of coffee in a café nearby. Afterwards we visited the Anne Frank House. It was very impressive to walk through the old house and the rooms the family actually lived in. If you want to visit the museum, keep in mind to book your ticket early enough via their homepage. They don't sell tickets on site.
The fourth day
Our last full day in Amsterdam started with leaving the first hotel and bouldering to bridge time. It was really windy again and it even started to SNOW! We call that April weather in Germany, which means the weather can change within seconds and you can never leave the house without an umbrella.
So we drove through the city to beest boulders, a big industrial hall with a lot of space and boulders in any grade, and spent a few hours there. Sadly, I think because of the size of the gym, the boulders were extremely dirty sometimes and there was no possibility to get any grip with your shoes. Very frustrating. But the style of the boulders was cool and varied.
For our last day we decided to stay at Hotel not Hotel, a funny hotel, designed differently. They have different themed rooms, like an old camper or a tiny house, located inside the hotel. Some are apparently and some are hidden. If you want to know more, check it out by yourself, it's worth it.
Finally back home
Well, there is not that much to write about our last day. We got up early, checked out and left for the central station. Got some sandwiches for breakfast and arrived at home about lunch time.
- Amsterdam is a really nice city with a lot of beautiful spots
- You can spent a lot of money, but it's possible to save money by missing things like museums and walk the city by your own or by bike
-Do not go in march. It's really windy and the weather can change within seconds
-Prepare yourself to smell weed everywhere
-Try to avoid the main spots, they are full of tourists and not that special. Look for spots the locals spent their time
-Try some fries and the cheese
I think I will come back. But maybe in May or June... Who knows.
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it may help you with your trip to Amsterdam.
See you on my next post;
Teresa
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