rick steves' amsterdam

Okay, okay, I'm not even remotely close to being a travel expert, but I definitely learned a thing or two on this trip.

First, which I knew already, make friends! We stayed with my dear friend, the Dutch Egyptian who was house sitting for her aunt and uncle. She's currently studying in London, but it was cheaper for all parties involved for us to meet her in Amsterdam. Their home was outside of the center but gave us a fun feel for the rest of life in Amsterdam.

Trains are not for everyone. By this I mean, me. Unless you are traveling extensively across Europe in not a lot of time (i.e. all of Europe in two weeks), or actually know what you're doing, train tickets are not as cheap as the average American thinks they are. Sorry guys, it's a harsh reality, but it had to be faced sooner or later. Thanks to the Dutch Egyptian we discovered Eurolines, an international bus service. By train, our tickets easily would have been around 100 euro each, but by bus our combined ticket price was less than that. Trains are extremely reliable and run at very punctual times, which is something I quickly learned was not as applicable to the bus. On both legs of our journey we arrived nowhere near our "arrival time." That said, we did make it on average 45 minutes early. We saw a lot and were able to pass through a few towns we otherwise would never have seen, which was great. And really, I don't think it took us much more time than the train would have.

Beware of bikes. There are very specific lanes for bikes in the Netherlands, not just Amsterdam. There are few things more Dutch than riding a bike. Do not get in a cyclist's way! The Dutch are unfailingly kind, until you're a pedestrian crossing in front of their moving bicycle. 

The internet and dinner time are your friend. We made a rather brilliant discovery that you could buy tickets for the Van Gogh museum in advance, meaning we could skip the queue which would easily have taken an hour for us to get through. This was extremely convenient for us as we, a) had access to a printer, and b) had limited time on Sunday to tour the city.

The night before, we took advantage of everyone eating and made our way to the Anne Frank House. Now, this is the one museum I had seen in Amsterdam before, but I waited significantly longer in the middle of the day to get in. While there was still a bit of a wait, the line moved and we were inside in no time at all.

I would highly recommend both of these museums. The Anne Frank House is extremely humbling and puts in perspective everything from World War II. The Czech and I also learned a great deal from the Dutch Egyptian who shared stories about her grandfather who worked in the resistance. The Van Gogh museum was a highlight for me, as I missed it on my previous trip. Personally, I am a huge fan of collections that highlight one artist. Through them, you get to see the brilliant as well as the epic failure that got them to where they are. I think the Czech had more fun watching me be "in the zone" with Van Gogh than he really cared about the art.

Use the tram. The first time I went, my friend and I walked everywhere because we thought public transportation would have set us over our scant budgets. Due to our housing being a further out this time around, trams were essential. We were able to get 24-hour passes for a measly 7 euro each. That got us on all public transportation. It was so much cheaper for us to do this than buy single journey tickets each time.

Stroopwaffel. They're cookies. Two thin waffles with caramel in between them. You'll thank me later.

Hema. Dutch equivalent to Target. GENIUS!!

Wander the canals. Outside of the main shopping streets, the canals are lined with some of the coolest local shops and cafes I've ever seen. They can get pricey, but so worth a visit. We were able to pick up a reproduction historical map of the city for a few euros at a hole in the wall bookstore.

English is your friend. Unlike in other countries, the Dutch are more than fine with you only knowing English and not having a clue how to speak Dutch. As my friend, DE explained it, "We {the Dutch} don't expect anyone to know our language, who would? So we learn other languages."

Buy tulips. Take them back to your hotel with you. They're beautiful and so inexpensive.

And lastly....

stay tuned next week for insights on Italy