IamSTERDAM

The closest we came to a “tourist trap” in the course of our 18 days in Europe was Amsterdam, but considering what is on offer, tourists would be delighted to be trapped there.

The Thalys train ride from Bruselles, which are the same trains that start from Paris, is around two hours. Depending on where your hotel is, you could get down at Schiphol or Amsterdam Central. Amsterdam Central has to count as one of the best and the most beautiful transportation hubs in Europe.

Get off the train, buy a day pass for the tram, and off you go. If you want a taxi or a boat, get out of the back entrance. We took a taxi to the West Side Inn, situated at the edge of the town, near the highway. While it put us far off from the attractions, we could enjoy a quiet residential suburb, a excellent suburban shopping centre, and a less touristy canal, with the famous tram line number 2 taking us to the center of the town and its attractions in about 10 minutes.


In Amsterdam, a canal-ride in a must-do, as is a visit to the sprawling and splendid Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. These two were the highlights of our two day stay here. Both are unique delights, and must-dos. The canal boat ride, which starts right in front of the Central Station lasts for around an hour, and comes with multi-language commentary, including English. It is a good way to see the city in-depth, understand  its history, and get to know the story behind the key spots. .

It is bit of a hassle to get to Keukenhof, which multiple options that is sure to confuse the unintained visitor. We opted for the train to Harlem+bus no 171 combo. While this is the best option to experience the Dutch countryside in the company of locals, and see how locals get on with their lives, rather than in the company of tourists, this also involves a 10 minutes walk from where the nondescript bus shelter where the bus drops you off, to the gates of Keukenhof. The big deal in it is the walk being through desolate open fields where the wind can literally blow you off, if you have not already collapsed in the chill. The gardens itself are truly spectacular, and to do full justice to it requires a full day. There's a functional windmill in there as well, sparing you a visit to another windmill in Amsterdam. On our return trip, instead of the cold walk, we opted for the bus to Schiphol airport from the gates of the park, combined with bus no 197 to Amsterdam.


The Van Gough Museum, the Rijikmuseum, Anne Frank House, and Madame Tussards are the other hyped up attractions in Amsterdam, but we are not into these. If you have a child in the high school, visit the Nemo Science center, and also the Corpus at nearby Leiden, but otherwise, you can give these educational museums the wide berths. We rather made use of our limited time to roam round the city, and explore it at in leisure. There is of course, the famed Red Light area as well. In fact, the best scenery, as well as the best eateries, are in or very near the red light streets.

Prices for food and accommodation in Amsterdam are on the higher side compared to Paris, Belgium or Germany, but if you get out of the inner city full of tourists and souvenir shops, you can get attractive bargains. The rather efficient system of trams take you anywhere, including the outskirts within 15-20 minutes.

While in Amsterdam, make sure to grab a veg falafel from Maoz Veg Falafel centers that dot the city, and visit Hema for goodies of all hues. The price for a very filling veg falafel, with unlimited salads, is less than five Euros. The Albert Heijin supermarket is another placce to visit for quick and inexpensive supermarket meals and snacks.

If we had an extra day, we would have visited the Zandoovert beach, Volendam waterfront, and the Zaanse Schans windmill museum, but that is not to be, as other destinations beckons. Like Paris, Amsterdam is one place where we already want to return.

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