Amsterdam 09 - 14 Apr, 2025
- Lydia Padilla
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Perfectly timed and fun little side trip with Kevin and Leslie to celebrate Leslie's birthday and see some tulips, which were in perfect bloom!
We lucked into some excellent weather and got some nice, sunny days. When they say Amsterdam is a city of cyclists, it's true. I've never seen so many bicycles anywhere. I still have anxiety crossing a street, two weeks later. In Ireland and Scotland we found ourselves continually double and triple checking both directions since the drivers are on different sides of the road than we are accustomed. But in Amsterdam, we were on high alert, continually playing Frogger - it was fighting a mix of cars, delivery bikes/scooters/random vehicles, but most dangerous was the crazy amount of cyclists. They are quite orderly but there are so many of them it's definitely NOT good to emerge from happy hour and find yourself in the middle of a street all of the sudden! We were each constantly (Lyd most of all) grabbing somebody by the sleeve, shirt or scruff of the neck and yanking backward to keep one of our group from becoming roadkill!
We weren't able to get into the Anne Frank or Van Gogh Museums but we did get to the Rijksmuseum, the largest museum in The Netherlands and holder of quite a few old-world Dutch treasures. Of particular note was the Night Watch, from Rembrandt, which is currently going through a restoration. I have included a couple of pics of the gallery, which shows the detail of the process and how the museum has allowed it to remain in public view while being re-worked. It's a fascinating process that includes removing the varnish and re-applying it, all while still on a very public but secure room. In addition to a lot of Rembrandts, a few notable paintings include the Milkmaid from Vermeer and Van Gogh's self portrait. BUT, what I really hoped to see was anything from my favorite artist, Hieronymus Bosch, a 14th century Dutch master and the creator of some amazingly lunatic-y paintings WAY before LSD was invented. More on him and the craziness in the upcoming Madrid post. But, unfortunately, the museum holds no pieces from the greatest Dutch/Flemish painter there was (sorry art students/Rembrandt lovers!) Still a GREAT museum and I would go back again.
***Pro tip*** The museums are REALLY busy and loud now, especially when you get a lot of tour groups (UGH!) or kids in the house. I wear my Apple earpods under the museum audioguide earpiece and turn on the noise cancelling. It reduces the caucaphony from the hordes and you can still hear the guides' voice. It really tunes out the craziness and provides you a little bit of peace and quiet for your visit.
***Pro tip 2*** Buy tickets to smaller museums early as they cap their admittance and sell out quickly. For instance, the Anne Frank can only admit a limited number of people so they are booked weeks and months in advance, even in slow seasons.
It's really easy and fun to wander aimlessly through the streets and canals of Amsterdam. Every canal is picturesque and quaint and you can get easily wrapped up looking for the 'perfect' picture opportunity, with each one slightly different and prettier than the last. I found my favorite pics were from the starry clear nights we lucked into, that created wonderful reflections from the stars, the buildings and most amusingly, the red light district. We wandered through the Red Light district and it was a little more interesting in movies than in real life, unfortunately. Not sure what I expected (maybe the crazy scenes from Eurotrip - 2004 movie?) but seeing girls/guys in windows, selling their wares, is just a curiosity and more like a carnival side-show. BUT, seeing how everyone behaved around it was refreshing. There was definitely more of a relaxed and mature attitude on the streets - nothing like the crazy drunken revelry you'd find in the French Quarter in New Orleans. There was still some drunkenness but nothing out of hand...ie.. no fights and no gutter/canal vomiting!
Social side-note - I love the openness of Amsterdam/The Netherlands and its people. Hash and marijuana and mushroom bars are everywhere, prostitution is legal, there is a no-harassment mentality...people seem non-plussed by trivial items; it's as if the government and the people trust each other enough to make decent choices and enjoy things responsibly and act with respect to others...sort of like children (and grown-ups) should act to each other. I'm sure listening to news/politics here in Dutch (versus my simplistic, English-only perspective) might uncover the same issues every other nation encounters (racism poverty, crazy billionaires ruining the world, take your pick of a myriad others), but it sure seems like this could be a model society and a blueprint for how to live and coexist with your neighbors a little more peacefully and successfully. Until you step into a cycle path with a wine buzz and get discombobulated, of course...
Leslie arranged a flower viewing trip for us to see the in-bloom tulips. I really didn't want to let anyone know how excited I was to do this, to be candid...haha! I enjoy the tourist stuff as much (or more) than anyone, but this surprised me. Driving along the side roads, the flower fields went on forever, like our soybean/corn fields but with beautiful pastel easter egg colors. The destination was the world-famous Keukenhof Garden, about 30 minutes from Amsterdam, by car...and then another 20-30 minute wait in a traffic jam. Apparently every female senior citizen tourist comes here at the same time. Definitely worth the time...but VERY popular during blooming season. And fortunately, if you're a guy, the bathroom lines here are short...you're SOL with the women's line, though! I guess if you're a single older guy this could be the mother lode for getting a date...but you might have to push the walker. The garden is expansive, similar to the Botanic Garden in St. Louis, but focuses on Tulips and flowers rather than every known plant species in the world, like the StL gardens. Everywhere you walk there are plots or fields of blooming flowers, looking like a real life impressionist painting. Even with our simple phone cameras the colors were stunning, as you can see below. Unfortunately I spent so much time in awe of the flowers that I forgot to grab a selfie...ooops! If you decide to go in flower season, make sure you book early!
