Getting to Know Northern Venice - Amsterdam

Getting Around and Living in the Netherlands

We flew from Rīga to Eindhoven with Wizz Air and then took the train to Amsterdam. That worked out cheaper than booking direct flights to Amsterdam. An excellent solution for all types of public transport is the OV-Chipkaart, which can be purchased and later topped up at the Eindhoven railway information centre or at the special yellow and blue machines. (We did not find such an option at the airport.) It is valid for travel throughout the country. The quirk is that when boarding transport you must check in, but when alighting you must not forget to check out.

To purchase an OV-Chipkaart you pay 7.50 euros, and it can be topped up at a machine by credit card in various amounts. When checking in on city public transport, 4 euros are reserved, and for inter-city travel 18 euros. So you should make sure that such a sum is on your card. Travelling with an OV-Chipkaart it is possible to save 1 euro on each journey. Travelling between cities and around Amsterdam, the total came to 90 euros each, despite the fact that we also walked quite considerable distances on foot.

In Amsterdam we planned to stay four nights, so we diligently looked through both booking.com and airbnb.com offers. We opted for the second option. Some effort was needed to find a reasonably decent and visually appealing option that offered a private room and was not too far from the centre. In the end we were lucky and got a nice private room for 63 euros per person per night (504 euros in total). We booked it after Midsummer for mid-August, as the selection was shrinking by the day and flat owners sometimes also declined.

Given that we are keen on visiting various exhibitions, expositions, and gardens, on the first day of arriving in Amsterdam we also purchased the I amsterdam city card for 72 hours. It provided free entry to most major city museums, the zoo, the botanical garden, and also included one canal cruise and unlimited use of public transport. The cost of one such card per person - 77 euros. Later, calculating costs with and without the card, we realised we had saved as much as 50%.

Unlike Latvian tourist centres, in Amsterdam city cards cost money. I amsterdam city card holders receive a booklet listing all possible card benefits and discounts. Google Maps and the 9292.nl app on the phone helped with navigating the city and distances.

Amsterdam Cheese Museum

Essentially a shop with an exhibition about the history of cheese making. This concept is very widespread in the Netherlands - look, learn, and shop. Most often the exhibition or masterclasses are free of charge, but no tourist's heart can walk past the shop's delicacies or beautiful items without picking something up.

On the ground floor dozens of different varieties of cheese in various colours - yellow, orange, green, reddish, and even bluish (with lavender). All could be tasted with or without jams or pesto. In the basement an exhibition and a photo booth where one can be photographed against a background of cheese and windmills and send the picture to oneself by email.

I definitely recommend dropping in, if only for the chance to taste many cheeses to your heart's content.

Amsterdam Tulip Museum

On the same street as the cheese museum and with the same concept. Only the exhibition has an entry fee - 5 euros. Unless you are an ardent tulip fan, in my opinion it is not really worth visiting separately. Three small rooms in the basement with pictures and video about tulips' journey from Central Asia and the Arab lands to Europe.

Tulip bulbs can be purchased there for a home garden, terrace, or balcony. Bulbs are packed in quantities of 10 in paper bags. A picture of what the flowers look like is enclosed, and planting instructions are provided.

There are also many and various souvenirs with tulip patterns.

A Boat Ride on the Canal

Four companies provide tourist group excursions (individual trips in special boats are also available) in the city. The trip lasts 1.5 hours and it is possible to board at several stopping points (see the map). The price of one trip per person - 17 euros, or use the I amsterdam city card, where it is included in the price.

I recommend using it in every city where canals are available. At least so far we have never been disappointed, including the trip along southern Venice many years ago. First, it is a chance to rest one's legs while at the same time viewing the city; second, it gives you an overview and better orientation in the previously unfamiliar city.

In Amsterdam riding along the canals was doubly interesting, as there are very many houseboats on them. One could curiously peer into windows, onto terraces richly decorated with smaller and larger flowerpots. Moreover, genuine astonishment was caused by cars parked along the edge of the narrow streets, a few centimetres from the edge of the water. Many rows of stacked bicycles.

A boat sailed past carrying a sizeable cargo of bicycles fished out of the canals - some thoroughly rusted, some fairly recent. Amsterdammers joke that the city's canals consist of one metre of water, one metre of various rubbish, and one metre of bicycles.

Amsterdam - A Modern Babel Where Everyone Understands Each Other

Criss-crossed by many canals and cycle paths, Amsterdam unites 173 nationalities among its residents and the many hordes of tourists streaming in from all corners of the world. On the streets one encounters representatives of all races; many different recognisable and unrecognisable languages can be heard. Pedestrians dressed in shorts, jeans, saris, hijabs, kippot, and who knows what else. The city takes pride in its liberalism and openness toward people of all religions, beliefs, and orientations.

From time to time one can see rainbow-coloured flags flying on building façades and Coffeeshop signs flashing by, offering legal narcotics. There are also many small shops with colourful cannabis leaf souvenirs and space cake, about which the shopkeepers say it is just a gimmick, not the real thing.

Coffeeshops do not offer ready-made joints for purchase, but rather sell grass by the gram for you to roll yourself - which, in theory, only experts know how to do. The price of grass per gram ranges from 5–8 euros, i.e. one joint. Tourists are kindly offered ready-rolled cigarettes with tobacco and a very minimal addition of grass.

A characteristic feature of the red-light district: many loud tourists and pink elephant signs (whatever that might mean). There are also many various eating and drinking establishments. Also the famous Dutch waffles - do not buy them there, as the price for one is 4–5 euros; elsewhere at least half as much and the quality more enjoyable.

Hortus Botanical Garden

One of the oldest botanical gardens in the world. Entry fee per person - 9 euros, but it is worth it. I very much enjoyed the tropical house with the aerial walkway and the wide world of plants. In one of the orangeries the air was noticeably hot and humid, where one could wander between lianas along small dirt paths. Next to it, a desert imitation with many and various cacti - prickly ones, flowering ones, ones resembling cushions and other shapes.

A special surprise was the greenhouse with flocks of colourful butterflies flying about, settling on plant leaves, flowers, and visitors' shoulders. A beautiful pond with large white water lilies.

Artis Zoo

I won't hide it: the main reason for visiting the zoo was, of course, our favourite animals - those proud birds that cannot fly - penguins. The attractive little birds did not disappoint. We arrived right at feeding time, so those present could also listen to a commentary in Dutch.

Otherwise a spacious and well-kept garden with relaxation oases and children's play areas. If you enjoy the animal world, it is worth visiting. Entrance ticket per adult - 21.50 euros.

Van Gogh Museum

We set off there on the early morning of the third day, and it was a good thing that we made the effort to get up earlier, despite the laziness of the holiday. For already at 10:00 a sizeable queue had formed at the museum entrance. The situation was also helped by the I amsterdam city card we had purchased. At the adjacent Rijksmuseum, tickets were already sold out until the evening. So in front of the museum we had to make do with just being photographed by the large red-and-white Amsterdam letters, around which hordes of tourists swarm from morning to late evening.

Entry to the museum - 17 euros. The lucky ones who got inside photograph selfies with their tickets and boast to their friends in video chats; I boasted on Swarm. The museum over four floors introduces the artist's life and created works. Each floor is dedicated to some phase of Van Gogh's life and creative output. The paintings on the top floor are the most "Van Gogh-like" - there are the yellow sunflowers, Gauguin's chair, the story of the cut-off ear. I couldn't resist - I bought a reproduction of the sunflower painting on canvas for 50 euros. It smells of oil paint. It stirred memories of the times when I still painted myself.

Photography is forbidden in the museum.

Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art

Entry is free, no queues; ticket - 15 euros. One must be prepared to open one's mind and heart and abandon any criticism. The ground floor exhibition seemed rather dull, but further on there were genuinely interesting exhibitions. For example, the works of Polish avant-garde artist Edward Krasiński from the 1960s–70s, works of South African photographer Zanele Muholi - beautifully composed photo portraits of Black people, and a discovery - young German painter Jana Euler ("After Supper," 2017 large-format canvas; "Whitney," 2013; and other works).

On the ground floor a spacious art bookshop and various design items. As you can see, we also found a fruit-peeling knife that when folded forms the shape of a penguin.

NEMO Science Museum

From a distance it resembles a sinking ship. On the sloping roof a wide terrace with wind and water objects, benches and tables placed around. Entry fee - 16.50 euros. Essentially aimed solely at families with children; there is little for adults to do. Moreover, all information is only in Dutch, with demonstrations additionally explained in English. In that respect, Tartu's AHHAA centre is a head and shoulders better. It was more of a dislike than a like, due to the large crowds and noise. The disappointment was offset by the splendid view from the rooftop terrace.

Where to Eat in Amsterdam?

Wherever you look, potato crisps, waffles, apple pie, and breadcrumb-coated fish are at the top of the menu at eating establishments. I'll introduce a few places worth mentioning, all of which can be found on Google Maps by name.

Restaurant at the zoo De Plantage - elegant, with a distinctive interior, a large common hall with high ceilings and orangery-type windows. For some reason, by association, it called to mind the concert hall in Haapsalu, but on a much grander scale. Portions small, restaurant-style. The venue is rather for enjoying the interior and a glass of wine, not for a hearty meal. Quite a few local visitors, despite being next to a tourist attraction. A meal with a glass of wine and beer - 35.75 euros.

British pub Small Talk not far from the modern art museum. Enormous portions with the customary chips, greens, meat, or fish skewers. The hunger pangs were silenced for a long time. Old-fashioned pub interior, a labyrinth of small rooms over two floors. Through the window a view of the street flooded with trams, cyclists, and cars. Lunch for two - 33.80 euros.

Grand Cafe Heineken Hoek - a place to enjoy the popular commercial Dutch beer, and also a place to have a hearty meal. I was lucky enough to order the hot chocolate, which is served in a cup with a saucer on which rises a freshly whipped mountain of whipped cream - delicious.

A fairly small fish restaurant De Gouden Hoek in a neighbourhood adjacent to the centre - a Fish & Chips eatery, i.e. fresh fish in breadcrumbs and potato chips with French mayonnaise. On each table a sizeable carafe of water. At the end of the meal, two white mint tablets are served with the bill. Dinner for two - 27.80 euros.

Good to Know

- On the streets, priorities in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities are divided as follows - first cyclists, then cars and public transport, then pedestrians.

- Bear in mind that if you go shopping at a supermarket, you must have cash on you, as credit cards are not accepted in some of them.

- At public transport stops there are very convenient electronic display boards showing arrival times in real time. If delayed, the minutes count up. However, if the bus is fairly full of passengers, it will not stop at subsequent stops - you will have to wait for the next one.

- The Dutch are very responsive and talkative, ready to help, explain, tell you things. Don't hesitate to ask for directions or information about a specific place on the street or on public transport.