Hello again Amsterdam! The city of canals and bicycles! This was our second travel to Amsterdam, the first one was 2 years ago when we did our first Euro trip in 2014.
We prefer to be in Amsterdam as our based in Europe because Netherland is easiest to access as Indonesian national. Beside, I love traveling to Amsterdam, it’s beautiful & relaxing. This city feels like our second home. The building, canals, bicycles, the people, the food, everything feels connected to us. Probably because our country has been civilised by Dutch company for more than 300 years. Someday, I wish I could shoot a destination wedding here.
In this trip, we flied with Qatar Airways. It was our first time trying middle eastern’s airlines. With total travel of 19+ hours from Denpasar-Doha-Amsterdam, we don’t feel too tired as the inflight entertainment & service are super comfy. I think it’s worth the price as good flight experience will impact your condition & moods for the big trips.
Day 1: The Dam
As we always do when we arrived in Amsterdam, we always spend a day walking around near our apartment, just to let our body adapting to the climate & temperature change. Get some coffee as well as some fries & Amstel beers.
Day 2: Utrecht
On the second day, we visited our friends (Lisa) in Utrecht. They have been to Bali few times, and we kept contact each other since then. She invited us to their apartment, introduced us to their Cats, and also took us to try the most spicy sambal in the town, which literally freakin spicy hot!.
On our previous visit to Amsterdam 2 years earlier, She also invited us to her parent’s home and have dinner with the whole family.
Utrecht is a city in the central Netherlands that has been a religious center for centuries. It has a medieval old town, canals, Christian monuments and a venerable university. The iconic Domtoren, a 14th-century bell tower with city views, stands opposite the Gothic Cathedral of St. Martin on central Domplein square. The Museum Catharijneconvent shows religious art and artifacts in a former monastery. It takes an average of 30m to travel from Utrecht Centraal to Amsterdam-Centraal by train, over a distance of around 35 km. There are normally 112 trains per day travelling from Utrecht Centraal to Amsterdam-Centraal.
Day 3: Sarphaartipark
Though just steps from the busy Albert Cuyp Market (open every day except Sunday), this small park is a quiet, bike-free oasis with a large lake at its centre and a lively duck population to boot. It’s great for people watching or to enjoy a picnic on the grass, the park also happens to be in one of the city’s trendiest neighbourhoods, De Pijp.
Day 4: Amsterdam West
It’s our first time exploring the west side of the city of Amsterdam, It’s quieter area, and less tourist around. A green space where former gasworks buildings now house trendy brewpubs and coffee shops, plus the Het Ketelhuis arthouse movie theater. The Het Schip architecture museum is set in an area of red-brick buildings that showcase the typical style of the Amsterdam School. Stalls at Foodhallen sell dim sum and tapas, with more street food options at the Ten Kate Market.
This is last day in Amsterdam before we continue our trip to the next city, Berlin. And luckily got a chance to met Angen’s other colleague (Beryl) and we spend the rest of the day playing bowling.