Some more lockdown travel nostalgia for you …

Amsterdam is one of those cities I was a little sceptical about – I’d seen so much of it on TV, film and travel blogs yet imagined it couldn’t possibly be that picturesque in life … but it is!

Or at least the areas we saw certainly were! Canals run alongside cobbled streets, traversed by those recognisable low arched bridges every two hundred metres or so. The quintessentially Dutch narrow buildings line each street, just as the many houseboats border the canals. There are bicycles EVERYWHERE and a specific aesthetic is created by an array of colourful window boxes throughout the day, and numerous strings of lights at night. The atmosphere is relaxed yet efficient – having lived in the UK for most of my life, it is always a surprise to see public transport arrive on time! And the Dutch just seem effortlessly cool, in style and attitude. It’s a contradictory statement but Amsterdam is somehow old and modern at the same time …

The only slight dampener on our trip was the weather. We went in mid-January and, although I’m usually a fan of winter/Christmas city breaks, it was just that little bit too cold! We did find ourselves struggling to walk on the icy cobbles and occasionally having to shelter in various cafes (not coffee shops – you’ll quickly learn the difference…). Not a hardship however as the food and drink was delicious. Above all else, I’d recommend stroopwafels , poffertjes (mini pancakes), and apparent Netherlands staple of chips in a cone with lashings of mayonnaise.

Amsterdam To Do List:

• Anne Frank House – probably pretty near the top of most lists and definitely worth a visit. The rooms of Prinsengracht 263 are now part of a biographical museum and the whole set-up is entirely apt.
• Canal Boat Trip – early evening just before sunset is the best time.
• Van Gogh Museum – though unfortunately ‘Sunflowers’ had been removed for restoration when we visited.
• Rijksmuseum – the highlight of which, for me, was seeing the dolls’ house that inspired Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist!
• Zaanse Schans – the famous windmills are just a short train ride from the city. It was snowing the day we visited, but around April/May time you can see the windmills against a backdrop of blooming tulip fields.
• Jewish Cultural Quarter – there’s an emotive display in the museum of ‘left-behind’ items, accompanied by the stories of their original owners.
• Moeders Restaurant – a fairly quirky eatery, decorated with pictures of strangers’ mothers. But go with it – it was my favourite restaurant of the trip. And get the ‘stamppot’!
• Shopping – Haarlemmerstraat and the Jordaan area are full of independent boutiques and little vintage shops. I was on a tight budget, but could have spent a fortune there!
• Go For A Wander – Amsterdam is a great city to just walk around, taking it all in. Prinsengracht and the adjoining canals are especially lovely.

PSA: Watch out for the bikes! Seriously – they are silent but deadly and Dutch cyclists could not give a flying stroopwafel that you were already at the crossing!