Amsterdam and Bruges: Canals and Tulips
I’ve struggled with where to begin. In fact, I’ve been so paralyzed in this decision, that I haven’t even tried to write about my solo trip to The Netherlands and Belgium last spring. You see, it was so utterly perfect that I fear my inadequate words won’t capture the beauty and the wonderfulness of it all. But maybe I don’t need to. Perhaps I can share just enough of my week in Europe to inspire you to travel there or to take your own solo adventure and maybe that’s all I can expect from words on metaphorical paper.
I’m going to share my adventures in 3 parts - focused first on my time in Amsterdam and then Bruges, ending, as usual, with a budget post that will share all the details on how I used points and miles to save thousands of dollars on a luxury vacation. If you’ve read my posts before, you know I use A LOT of words. If you’re just looking for a summary of what I did and what I recommend, you can scroll to the bottom for brief information and links.
So let’s dive in! Picture me, sleep deprived, burned out, depleted and weary, sitting in the small Eugene airport drinking a mid afternoon coffee as I waited to board the first of three flights. Life had been hard over the previous months (years) and I was so ready for some time away and alone. I was also filled with anxiety - about home and work and travel plans that I was sure would inevitably fail. I wasn’t even entirely certain I should go on the trip. But I had a long day of travel ahead of me and there was no turning back.
I had decided that this trip would focus on two things - doing things I loved (and conversely, not doing things I didn’t love) and doing them as luxuriously as possible. I used and leveraged every trick and tool I had available to make that happen. My travel days were made somewhat more comfortable thanks to lounge access with my Capital One Venture X Card. At my first layover in DFW before the long flight to LHR, I was able to check out the stunning new Capital One Lounge long enough to try a locally inspired draft cocktail, grab a small bite to eat, and stock up on a couple of snacks for the 10 hour plane trip. With more time, I could have taken advantage of the relaxation rooms or even squeezed in a workout. Although I didn’t have time to use all of the lounge amenities, it was a welcome respite before an extended flight.
In London, my Priority Pass membership, also through my Capital One Venture X card, gave me admittance to the Aspire Lounge. It was capacity controlled, so make sure to hop on the Wi-Fi and join the virtual queue if you plan to go. It was a decent spot to escape airport chaos and freshen up before the final leg of my journey.
And then, I was in Amsterdam. Although I’ve heard nightmares about flying out of AMS, thankfully, flying into the airport was relatively painless. Once I cleared customs and immigration, it was an easy walk to the train station and even I, in my exhausted and jet lagged state, managed to figure out how to buy the inexpensive ticket I needed to get into the heart of the city. The bright yellow kiosks were user friendly and operated in multiple languages. The hardest part was making sure I found the correct terminal and remembering that I had to scan my ticket going both in and out if I didn’t want to get stuck.
To me, there is nothing more intoxicating than being in a new city or a new country, so despite my exhaustion, I had to repress a smile as the train made its way from the airport to Centraal Station. I began to feel the stress of the previous months ease just a little as I stared out the window and let my mind wander as I half listened to conversations I couldn’t understand. I was tired, yes, but also happy.
I arrived at Centraal and immediately walked out into the chaos of the city, overwhelmed in the best way. In addition to downloading a map to use offline (always do this!), I had used the street view to map and then “walk” the route from the station to my hotel prior to my trip. I knew it wasn’t far and I wanted to confidently make the short journey without having to pull out my phone or ask for directions.
After a brief walk, I arrived at the oh-so-lovely Kimpton DeWitt, my home away from home for the next four nights. My loyalty status provided an upgrade to a more spacious premium room and I was soon settled in. I was greeted with a birthday card, along with chocolates and a bottle of bubbly to help me celebrate. In addition to the gorgeous room, the hotel had all the amenities I love about Kimpton Hotels, including the complimentary wine reception each afternoon. Honestly, I was exhausted, so I walked downstairs and enjoyed a delightful dinner at Celia before FaceTiming my boys and calling it a night.
The following morning, I let myself sleep in and ordered room service breakfast. This might seem trivial, but to me this was huge. I’m terrible at actually relaxing on vacation, usually packing every second full of exploration or some meaningful activity. But this time, I was determined to do things differently, to have an adventure, yes, but to also give my body the rest she so desperately needed. So I stayed snuggled in my cozy bed until well after sunlight peeked through the curtains. And then I sipped mimosas and ate a croissant while listening to an audiobook. And then, when I felt like it, I set out to walk along canals and get just the tiniest bit lost as I meandered.
I eventually made my way to the Waldorf Astoria. I might not be able to afford to spend the night here, but I could afford a massage at the Guerlain Spa. The hotel was stunning and the service was impeccable. I gave myself an hour to enjoy the spa facilities before my 90 minute Imperiale Relaxing Massage (as someone who was not a hotel guest, I had to book at least a 90 minute treatment to have access to the saunas and pool - worth it). After my massage, I sipped hot tea and nibbled on chocolates as I pondered on life in a quiet, dark room. After many international trips and various levels of jet lag, I can confidently say that the post travel day spa appointment did wonders. 10/10 recommend. Going to the spa is very much a part of the culture here, so there was no shortage of options. However, I preferred somewhere where nudity wasn’t the norm (I know, it’s so American of me, but it’s my vacation, I do what I want), which narrowed my options a bit. Two other spots that were intriguing were the private spa suites at Puur and Urban Soak. However, the location and schedule of the Guerlain won and I’m so glad it did.
Sufficiently relaxed and re-energized, my next stop was the Van Gogh Museum. Again, a choice was made, this time to forego the Rijksmuseum in favor of the smaller and more focused Van Gogh Museum. Reservations were required and they do sell out of tickets, so this is a stop to plan in advance. I took my time, strolling, reading, appreciating. His paintings are as magnificent as his story is tragic. The dejected me that had two days before been sitting in a little airport drinking coffee was now perusing an art gallery in Europe and it was every bit as elegant and sophisticated as one could imagine.
I ended my first full day in Amsterdam with a sunset canal cruise. I chose Pure Boats because of the smaller boat size and the timelessness of the refurbished boats in their fleet. The wine and cheese were just a nice bonus. It was a genuinely perfect way to end my first day exploring the city - cruising along the picturesque canals, sipping wine, while I learned about the history of Amsterdam. Highly recommend.
After a day that was about as luxurious as I could both imagine and manage, I concluded it by ordering a room service hamburger. Because that’s what I wanted to do. Are you noticing a theme?
The next day, I booked a full day tour with Zaan Tours. One of the reasons I came to Amsterdam in April was to see the tulips and this was the day. I elected to go with a small group tour, which was a perfect choice for me. I chose the Tulip and Windmills Tour to make a full day of it. Our first stop was the charming village of Zaanse Schans, where we were able to experience a historical Dutch village compete with antique windmills. We learned about wooden clogs, Gouda, and chocolate. It was a pleasant, if windy morning. Our next stop was a Dutch restaurant for lunch. On this particular Sunday, it appeared to be full of locals out for brunch. Lunch was included with the tour. I elected to order a typical lunch - a pancake with bacon and cheese - although there were many delicious options available. The pancake was more savory than sweet, which I quite enjoyed. I couldn’t quite bring myself to add the usual accompaniment of syrup, though. After lunch, we were dropped off at the famous Keukenhof Gardens, where we had three hours to explore independently. I won’t lie. It was crowded. Like really crowded. I’m usually one to avoid crowds when possible, but there was actually something almost delightful about the fact that so many people wanted to spend an afternoon strolling through a flower garden. Three hours was just about the perfect amount of time for me to explore the colorful garden.
You can certainly get to the gardens on your own, but for me the logistics made more sense and felt less stressful joining a tour. My preference is always a small group tour, but larger tours are usually more affordable. If you’re hoping to frolic through fields of tulips undisturbed, Keukenhof is not the place for you. There are tulip fields throughout the country - Keukenhof just happens to be the largest garden convenient to Amsterdam. If you have your own vehicle or more time to get further outside of Amsterdam, there are places you can explore across the country. If you’re hoping to pick your own flowers, look for pluktuins, picking gardens. Of course, for the ultimate Netherlands tulip experience, you can rent a bicycle to explore. If you’re looking for a full breakdown of the best spots in the Netherlands to see tulips, I found a lot of great information in this post: https://theflyawaygirl.com/where-to-find-tulip-fields-near-amsterdam/.
After a full day, I stopped for an early dinner of classic Dutch dishes at Carstens Cafe, which was both well reviewed and conveniently located between the train station and my hotel. I enjoyed a yummy Caesar salad with farmer’s cheese (the oh so delicious unpasteurized cheese that is impossible to get in the US) and bitterballen - basically fried stew balls, which is waaay more delicious than it sounds. I was beyond exhausted after sleeping terribly and having such a full day. That didn’t stop me from getting a slice of apple pie to go, however, which I later enjoyed in my room before an early bedtime.
Monday arrived and it was somehow my last full day in Amsterdam. I managed to get a good nights rest - it’s amazing how much easier that is without a young child “snuggling” you (read: kicking/incrementally pushing you to the edge of the bed) all night, at least once the jet lag has resolved. By this point in the trip, I was approaching well rested and I was certainly relaxed. I had enjoyed the trip thus far and the Cora of a few days ago was becoming a distant memory. My final day in this city was devoted to one thing: trying all the delicious foods. I began the day with a food tour through the Jordaan district with Eating Europe, although based on my experience, I can’t recommend them. To keep it brief, the food was of course great, but one of the things I love about food tours is learning about the food and the history of the city. The tour guide was clearly inexperienced (this could be a pandemic related struggle as tourism was restarting) and shared limited information. Most of the trip, my fellow tour mates and I sat awkwardly, making small talk as we lingered longer than necessary at several stops. The tour was really well reviewed, so I may just have caught the tour on a bad day. And I did get to try a variety of classic Dutch foods; I would just have liked a little more context. Several of my fellow tourists were staying longer, having timed their visit with King’s Day, a national holiday where everyone wears orange and floods the streets for a day (and night) of partying in celebration of the monarch’s birthday (as such both the date and sometimes the name of the holiday change from time to time). I, on the other hand, was glad to be escaping the city prior to the chaos.
That evening, I again strolled the streets along the canals, taking in the gorgeous city. I treated myself to dinner at De Belhamel, a canal side restaurant serving a delightful blend of French and Dutch cuisine. It was a meal worth lingering over. As I slowly walked back to my hotel, warm from an excellent meal and a couple glasses of wine, all was right with the world.
You may notice one major spot is conspicuously missing from my itinerary - The Anne Frank Museum. This is an exact example of what I mean when I say I did what I wanted, expectations be damned. Arguably, this “should” be on any first time visitor’s must do list. But I didn’t want to. Because of the work that I do, I had been holding space for the pain and the heartache and the loss of others. And I needed a break. My mind and my body and my heart needed a break. So I chose not to go. I realize that having the choice to avoid that discomfort is a privilege. And this is me giving you permission to not do the thing you don’t want to do during your hard earned vacation.
The next morning, I would reluctantly check out of my hotel and head to the train station for my next destination - Bruges, Belgium. If you made it this far, congrats! If you just scrolled down for the summary, here you go.
Where I Stayed: Kimpton DeWitt
What I Ate: Celia, Carstens Cafe, de Belhamel
What I Did: Guerlain Spa, Van Gogh Museum, Pure Boats Sunset Canal Cruise, Zaan Tours Keukenhof’s Tulips and Windmills, Eating Europe Jordaan Tour*
Foods You Should Try: Allll the cheese, especially Gouda and Edam, herring, bitterballen, apple pie, stroopwaffels, pancakes (may be savory or sweet) and poffertjes (little pancakes with powdered sugar), Indonesian and Surinamese food, and wash it down with a shot of jenever or a pint of beer, (also, this is one place I wouldn’t go to a “coffeeshop”, although no judgement if that’s your thing)
*this is the one thing I don’t recommend based on my experience; reviews are good, though