Travel Amsterdam

October 11, 2018

My Fiancé and I had an amazing time visiting Amsterdam, we walked too much… so much that I had to buy new (more comfortable) shoes. We fell in love with the architecture and all of the river canals, it is such a unique and beautiful city. We were in Amsterdam for 2 full days, which was a good amount of time to see a lot of places. However, if you are into museums you could tack on an extra day or two because they have a lot of great ones.

Below I have listed our favorite activities and restaurants!

Attractions:

A’Dam Lookout – “Over the Edge Experience”
- What an experience! The lookout is one of the best ways to see the entire city of Amsterdam through a 360 degree lookout. On top of that it also is home to the tallest swing in Europe! When we arrived we first got to take green screen photos before taking an elevator all the way to the top of the building. In the elevator, there was a fun light show that made the trip up very quick and entertaining. After that we enjoyed drinks in the bar and walking around getting a bird’s eye view of Amsterdam. Next, you head up 1 last set of stairs to the rooftop deck and swing. The rooftop gives you a 360 view of Amsterdam, includes a bar and of course… the swing! It was a quick swing ride but definitely worth it! The swing brings you out over the building, now normally I am very scared of heights but this didn’t seem to bother me. However, my Fiancé (who has gone skydiving) was a little wary! But overall we both loved the experience and I highly recommend it.
Anne Frank House
- This is one of those museums you definitely cannot miss out on. It’s a historical story everyone knows about, but walking through the actual house and seeing the rooms her family and friends hid in was really eye-opening. If you do go make sure to get tickets well in advance as they do sell out fast.
  - We bought tickets 2 months in advance!
The Heineken Experience
- As someone who is from Colorado, I have visited several breweries and taken quite a few brewery tours… however this one was truly an experience. It includes the normal tour through the process of brewing Heineken beer and the history of the company. After that, you are emerged in interactive videos that give you a unique view of the beer-making process. Then the experience continues through fun games, karaoke, and you can even customize your own beer bottle. But of course at the end of the experience you enter the Heineken bar and get to enjoy 2 free beers!
The Ice Bar
- As the name suggests, it’s quite cold! I don’t even know where to begin, this was a very unique and fun experience. When you first arrive you get to enjoy 2 drinks at the bar where its warm, looks normal with a pirate theme. Then your bartender/captain of the pirate ship comes out and tells a little story (complete with a video) about why you are embarking in a freezing cold ice bar. After the video you get to grab a coat and gloves and are taken into the ice bar… where its freezing! Everyone gets 2 drinks to enjoy in an ice beer mug, shot glass or cocktail glass. It was cold, so drink fast! But it was so fun and the staff really made the experience!

Food (the best part right?)

The Seafood Bar:
- This was a little more pricey in comparison to the other places we went but it is well worth it! We had a cooked seafood platter for 2 people and it was probably some of the best seafood I have every had. Our platter had calamari, shrimp, clams, mussels, prawns, and the best buttery lobster I have ever had in my life. We also got a side salad and fries to split and it was plenty of food for both of us! I also enjoy a Bloody Mary, can’t say I have ever ordered one at dinner but it was definitely worth it, one of the best I have ever had, and I’ve tried quite a few.
Food Hallen:
- This is a great option if you cannot decide what you want, as the name suggests it’s a food hall with tons of different vendors. You can get anything from BBQ to Dim Sum, Pizza or Burgers, there is quite the variety to select from. We tried a little of everything and all options were phenomenal. We had Dim Sum and Potstickers, a BBQ taco, and a pizza and I honestly can’t decide which was better because they were all so good!
- Sidenote: IGTV video coming soon to instagram – Instagram.com/sarahstettler
PANCAKES Amsterdam Westermarkett:
- Side Note: Everything opens late in Amsterdam, so we stumbled upon it because it was actually open at 9:30 AM before our Museum tour… but it was a great find. They had all sorts of dutch pancakes from sweet to savory. Tyler enjoyed a spicy one with peppers and bananas (sounds strange but it was good), and I had a pancake with spinach, goat cheese and pine nuts… and wow, what an amazing combinations. Dutch pancakes are kind of between a crepe and a normal American pancake.
Bulls & Dogs Shakes
- Literally an instagrammers dream… we only had shakes here so I cannot speak for the food… but the shakes were unreal! The shake its self was very smooth and creamy (we both got chocolate) and then they are topped with an elaborate mix of whipped cream, syrup, candy, cookies you name it! I recommend sharing one!
Vapiano
- We stumbled upon this place after the Ice Bar and it was such a cool, fun concept. Basically you get a card upon arrival and then you can go to different booths and order food, whatever you order will be added to the card, and you pay for it all at the end. So we each got a bowl of pasta (which as a pasta queen I was very very happy with) in addition to a meat and cheese board and 2 glasses of wine. What was most surprising is how affordable all of it was… we got all of that for 35 Euros! Crazy! It was really great, an easy meal and delicious.
Ice Bakery By Nutella
- Nutella…. need I say more? They have tons of different dessert options; Ice Cream, Gelato, Sweet Belgium Waffles and more… and the best part is you can add Nutella topping to any of it! I had a cone with Raspberry and Pistachio Gelato of course topped with Nutella, it was the perfect dessert to end the night!
Avocado Show
- If you love avocados you CANNOT miss this place… it will forever be one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Every dish comes with avocado incorporated in some sort of way… for example a burger with an avocado bun. Tyler had eggs Benedict and each egg was in an avocado half! I had an avocado smoothie (which I have now recreated at home) and an avocado vegan poke bowl. The avocado was arranged around a bed of rice like a bowl and it was covered with edamame, mango and a few other toppings. HOLY COW one of the best meals I have ever had! Granted I LOVE AVOCADOS!