Lost In Amsterdam?

Perhaps one of the good things about Amsterdam's city center is that it is very easy to find your way around it and you can easily cover the main city attractions on foot because it is compact. There are also lots of beautiful scenery to be found while you are walking so that one never gets bored: boat houses, canals, typical Dutch row houses, museums, and countless bicycles parked on sidewalks.

Waiting to board the tour boat. That's Amsterdam Central Train Station
on the background, similar to the Tokyo Central Station
in terms of structure and materials: red bricks.

It was our first time to visit Amsterdam. There was still a drizzle when we arrived so our spirits were dampened... I thought to myself, "We can't just go around with a little kid in tow at this condition" and Hubby, as if he read my mind said, "Why don't we take the river cruise while waiting for the rain to stop?" And river cruise it was!

Boat houses moored on the canals... There are about 2500 of them
complete with electricity and water. The government has no plans
of approving additional boat houses though.

After the cruise, the rain thankfully stopped. Following an itinerary suggested on the internet and armed with just a map that we got from the tourist information center, we braved the streets and the cold. We were warned to be careful of our belongings though because they might get stolen, what with lots of tourists.

Lots and lots of bicycles! After all, we are in the City of Bikes."


This was my lunch: udon wok.

There are lots of cafes and restaurants in Amsterdam so that you can enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee or lunch / dinner by the canal. Chinese food is famous and we had lunch at Walk The Wok, which can be found in Leidseplein.

No coffee for us... We had to forego having coffee here.
The air was just so thick with weed smoke. :D

Also found in the Leidseplein is the most famous cafe "The Bulldog". It was packed so we didn't get the chance to order. Plus, inside the people were smoking weed so we didn't bother entering. We have a child's lungs to protect. :D

Anne Frank's monument. We were just passing through...

We didn't visit the museums though because of time constraints. Perhaps on our next visit, we will visit them. Among the most visited are the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House and Rembrandt House.

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