Amsterdam

One Day Wasn't Enough

Amsterdam is one of those places that feels like you stepped into a fairytale. The streets are cobble-stone lined, there are canals flowing through the city with flowers lining the bridges, and the locals glide around town on their bicycles.

We only had one day to enjoy in Amsterdam at the end of a trip with my parents, but the moment we drove into Amsterdam we knew one day would't be enough. Our first stop in Amsterdam was the Anne Frank House Musuem. The museum is an interactice experience as you walk through the multi-storied house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis in 1942. Anne Frank's words were drenched in honesty, with signs of fear and hope. Her writings were far beyond her years, lining the walls of each tourist filled room. I would recommend this museum to anyone visiting Amsterdam, even if they only have a day to visit. It's an experience one shouldn't miss.

Since we had a very early start to the day driving from Belgium to Amsterdam then straight to the museum, coffee was a must. We walked almost a mile to reach one of the best coffee roasters in Amsterdam, Monks Coffee. Monks Coffee is an airy inviting space. We ordered a bite to eat and lots of coffee from the kindest baristas. If we had more time in Amsterdam, I would have picked a book to read and nestled in for hours.

Instead we took to the streets, meandering past canals and looking for our next stop. We stumbled into one of the many cheese shops in the city and tried a variety of different cheeses. There wasn't one bad tasting cheese; they were all delicious! We strolled the streets and walked along the canals for hours until we returned towards our AirBnB in the neightborhood of Jordaan.

Jordaan is a quaint trendy neighborhood filled with cozy pubs and good eats. As our last night of our trip, we were in search of one of Jordaan's cozy pubs that we could enjoy a couple drinks. We found the perfect qaint and low-lit pub with plenty to choose from. There was hardly any light in the pub except for the candles lining the tables with large bouquets of flowers on the largest of tables. Most of the tables though were small and low rounds with enough room to fit the single candle and a couple drinks. We cheers'd over some local beers and champagne. After a couple of drinks, we worked up an appetite. The menu ranged from standard bar fare to local specialties. So, we went for the local specialty, ossenworst. Ossenworst is typically seasoned beef, lightly smoked and eaten almost raw. When we ordered it, we weren't quite sure what it was. We had just known it was a local specialty. Needless to say, we were very surprised when the nearly raw meat came to the table.

I had never eaten raw beef before. I'll be honest, I was not thrilled to try it. The amount of times I had been told not to eat raw beef as a child made the idea of eating the ossenworst almost unbearable. But, I tried it. It was the smallest bite possible, but it was a bite. And it was delicious! We ended up eating almost the entire large portion alongside the olives and bread.

Our one day in Amsterdam only scraped the surface of what the city has to offer. I look forward to exploring more of the cobbled streets, Van Gogh museum, and ride along the canals.