Amsterdam, Netherlands
Day 1 - Onwards to Amsterdam!
Min had only ever flown once and it was high time we took our adventures across the sea, we had a few destinations in mind but Amsterdam seemed like a good first trip! We flew from the diddy Southampton Airport, which I loved so much more than places like Heathrow or Gatwick, it was quiet and so easy.
Min was so very nervous on the flight but did really well, however was very grateful to get their feet on the ground again! We took a pre-arranged car to our hotel, Hotel Mai Amsterdam, which was a quirky and wonderful place, it felt like a home rather than a hotel. The location was fantastic, just next to Central Station, the Red Light District, and China Town.
We settled ourselves in, checked out the downstairs bar, then crashed for the night ready for a full day tomorrow!
Day 2 - Wandering the streets
At the end of our street was Cafe the Schreiertower which we popped in to for some pancakes, which they offered gluten free as an option, these pancakes were amazing! And this cafe became our breakfast stop each day - I highly recommend!
We spent the rest of the day exploring our surroundings, visiting some shops, picking up some groceries, and just ‘living’ in the city while trying to get used to the bikes!
While exploring we discovered Dutch Courage, a cocktail bar a short walk from the hotel which also became our regular haunt. The mixologist here was so friendly and we got to chatting about mixing drinks as I liked to make cocktails at home, he also introduced us to an old fashioned bitter which is now a key part of a lot of drinks I make at home.
Day 3 - Canal Tour
While in Amsterdam we had to do the tourist thing and enjoy a boat ride around the canals, which was a wonderful way of seeing the city and gave some great views. We learnt a lot taking this trip and got to see the buildings from a much better perspective.
We also did a bit of touristy shopping and picked up some cheese to create “Hotel Picnic” which is what we call lunch in hotel rooms.
In the evening a friend came to visit from the Hague and took us to AMOI an Indonsian fusion restaurant which offered a great selection of food and drink. We also visited two gay bars in Amsterdam that evening Cafe Saarein and Cafe ‘t Mandje. The cafe’s were nice, Saarein felt very welcoming and had a good atmosphere while Mandje didn’t make me feel all that welcome.
Day 4 - The Naughty Stuff
Day 4 was dedicated to the naughty stuffy; we went to Sexmuseum Amsterdam which had an eclectic collection of sex themed art and history, Erotic Museum which was my favourite of them with such a great collection of art, history, and knowledge, then Red Light Secrets the museum of prostitution which was informative but my least favourite of the three that we went to. Later in the evening we went to Casa Rosso to watch multiple performances and live sex shows, I was expecting something a bit sleazy but it was a fantastic experience and a lot of fun, much classier than I had expected - I do recommend this.
Day 5 - Homewood Bound
On the last day we had time to explore the surroundings a bit before packing up, we also had a pretty little pigeon come and say goodbye at our room window. Amsterdam’s airport was a lot bigger so we had a little walk around to see if there was anything decent in Duty Free - there wasn’t - before setting off. Min was better than the last flight but still quite nervous in the air. While flying back we flew over Boom Town which was interesting to look at from the air.
Amsterdam was a lovely place that I would like to go back to again, but maybe not the same area, it would be nice to visit some different parts. I will miss Dutch Courage though, that place was fantastic, so warm and welcoming, very friendly.
