After one weekend in Amsterdam it occurred to me, do I prefer this city more then my new hometown of Brussels?
It's hard to say. They both have these beautiful art nouveau stylish houses in their city centers, lovely cafes with sweets like chocolate, waffles and cheese, they share the same languages (Dutch/Flemish in some parts of Brussels) and they are both known for being quite liberal in an European context (Amsterdam probably more then Brussels today with their coffee shops and obvious red light districts). They both have about one million inhabitants (whether you count their suburbs or not), so it's not this massive big city you get really tired of walking around in (like with London, Paris and Berlin).
The Royal Castle in Amsterdam - located in the city center. However H.R.King Willem-Alexander and his family do not reside her, but closer to The Hague.
But certainly I see that Amsterdam is more crowded with people and is definitely a more touristic city then Brussels. Brussels is more a city you get to love by living there, I think. By getting to know the boroughs outside the EU bubble, by discovering the city by foot in their lovely wine bars in Ixelles and walking in the parks of Parc Bruxelles, Bois de la Cambre and Parc du Cinquantainare.
So my conclusions - it's hard to compare these two, because my relationships with them are so different. I'm only been a tourist in Amsterdam, but a resident in Brussels. And I love living here, where you have the combinations of hygge (I use the Scandinavian word here I find hard to translate into English) and political environment.
One day I will have this painting on my wall... dream on. At Rijksmuseum.
This weekend I went to Amsterdam with my brother and father. I visited Amsterdam first time four years ago and I've always wanted to go back. It's this kind of city where you just love walking around and admire their architecture. Exploring their small shops by the channels - and they have so many great vintage shops and markets you just have to take a look on. Amsterdam is also quite small in a European capital context, with 800 000 inhabitants in the municipality, but of course a lot more if you count with the suburbs around. Still - bigger than Oslo (600 000), which I consider to be large. But around one million is definitely what I prefer to the size of a big city. Not too big, not to small.
Me outside Anne Frank's House in Prinsengracht 263-267, which I visited when I was here in 2013. Omg, I can´t believe I´m only 21 here!
When it comes to museums I will definitely recommend to go and see Anne Frank´s house, located in Prinsengracht 263-267, in the city center. Probably one of the most popular tourist attractions, it's open every day from 9-22. Photos inside are forbidden and the flat where she and her Jewish family lived to hide away from the Nazis. For me, who read the book («Anne Frank´s diary») when I was 14, it made a great impression to see her hand written diary notes in the museum. A girl who was sent to the concentration camps in August 1944, only age 15, with so many future dreams when the war would end. She died just before it did so, in early spring of 1945. But her words live on, showing that even in terrible and uncertain war times people still carry their dreams and hope for the future.
The Rijksmuseum, history of art museum, is definitely worth a visit. A bit expensive (17 euros entrance), but when you see the paintings you'll understand why. The most visited museum in the Netherlands. Bro and I followed the crowd of tourists.
Last time I visited Amsterdam in 2013 the Rjiksmuseum, like the National gallery, was closed due to construction work. Completely heart broken back then, I was so happy to pay this treasure a visit this time. Filled with art from the middle age until the modernisation, the highlights were definitely the pictures by Theo van Gogh and Johannes Vermeer - and some unknown painters I do not remember the names of. But only a couple of Van Gogh's paintings are located here (you can see more in the actual van Gogh museum) and «The girl with the pearl earring» is at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Just in case you are really interested.
One of the very few van Gogh paintings at the Rijksmuseum - you may see more of his work in his own museum, only a few blocks away.
Other things to see and do in Amsterdam after the museum? Vintage! Last time I went here with a good friend of mine, at a time where she was about to get married. So she basically looked for a dress in Amsterdam and she found a very beautiful one (though she ended up wearing another one - good choice btw) in one of the shops we visited. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the shop, but you find them in many streets in the city center if you just google «Amsterdam vintage». One thing I've noticed is the great amount of cashmere cardigans they sell in the vintage shops, for like only 20 euros. That is quite cheap compared to the brand shops where you usually have to pay like 100 euros for a new one. At bought my self a cardigan there, at the shop «Episode»!
My dear friend Benedicte and I both love vintage! When we went to Amsterdam together in 2013 she was about to become engaged and was looking for a wedding dress.
And what about food? They have these delicious pancake restaurants you definitely need to check out. You should try it with one of their cheeses, like Gouda. I took it with Cheddar, onion and bacon, which was so good, and I spent like ten minutes to decide which one I wanted. Too many options. We ate at the Pancake house, but they also say the Pancake Bakery in Prinsengracht is the best one.
Pancake with bacon, onion and cheddar (the cheese melted inside). Mmmmm!
But wait a second. Shouldn't I mention the Red Light District or all the coffee shops? Well, it´s there. Also. But not my kind of place to hang out, although as the curious person I am passed them and moved on. Feeling the liberal atmosphere in this great city. It´s quite unique and why you may also call the city an escaping place for people from all around the world.
Next time I will rent myself a bicycle, just like I've done in Berlin and Copenhagen.
How to get there?
From Oslo: You can fly to Schiphol with Norwegian, SAS and KLM. The prices here are usually quite cheap if you book a long time in advance and it's cheaper to go during week days (like I did in 2013).
From Brussels: The train goes to Amsterdam like 1-2 times an hour (!) from both Gare du Midi and Central, so you can be quite flexible. It takes about 3 1/2 hours by train, but count in cancellations and construction work, like I experienced on the way and return. If you buy a ticket for a certain day you can decide what time of the day you want to go and you don't need a seat reservation (but be prepared to stand if you're not lucky to find a seat). With Thalys (which only goes from Gare du Midi) it's a lot more expensive (but takes less than two hours) and of course it's more comfortable. I paid 30 euros for one way-ticket from Brussels-Amsterdam (60 euros in total). For Thalys, the prices vary between 50-100 euros.
When it comes to hotels I will really recommend you to book a long time in advance, which we did not do this time (only like three weeks before), and then it was completely booked and we had to pay blood price for the hotel! Apparently a very popular city to pay a weekend visit, just so you know - a spontaneous trip here could be quite expensive, even with Airbnb. According to dad, Harlem is also a city nearby definitely worth checking out if you want a cheap place to stay only 15 minutes away by train. Many options!
