Sunday, May 09, 2010

Party in Amsterdam

After a peaceful and beautiful train ride through France and Belgium, we arrived at Amsterdam Centraal Station around mid-day. We checked into our hotel and had a delicious lunch at a cafe on Museumplein, seeing preparations already underway around the city for Queen's Day (April 30), the biggest national holiday in the Netherlands to celebrate the Queen's birthday. Originally our plan was to hit the Van Gogh museum after lunch, but my travel partner said she was tired and would prefer to do the Heineken museum.

I like the Heineken museum. First, because they give you two beers as part of your tour, and second, they've done a great job incorporating multimedia elements to bring the beer brewing process to life. We enjoyed it.

The next day we went out of the city to Keukenhof Gardens, known for its beautiful tulips. I had first heard of Keukenhof nearly a year before, and when we planned our trip for April, I knew the tulips would be in full bloom. They did not disappoint. Tulips in every color were a feast for the eyes. I couldn't stop taking pictures! They were so beautiful.




Then we went to the Anne Frank Museum -- amazing and moving -- and took a canal cruise. And that night was the eve before Queen's Day. Festivities were already underway, and we enjoyed the music and laughter on the Leidesplein. And I had fun dancing with this adorable guy.



The next day was Queen's Day, and everyone was wearing orange. It was amazing how many people were in the streets. There were street fairs and carnival booths and concerts. Everywhere you went there were crowds and a party. To escape that for a bit, we toured the Van Gogh museum, always amazing, although I missed Starry Night this time. It must have been out on loan to another museum. We didn't really engage in Queen's Day. NM really didn't like the crowds, and we were both tired from all the activities we'd been packing into each day. But we did see entrepreneurial kids -- not selling lemonade -- selling Heineken! I had to take a picture.


And the next morning we flew to London for a one-day stopover.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Emily! what superb pictures!! and I hope you brought that nice looking Guy home with you :) you have really captured your trip to Amsterdam...Lovely. :) xx


A.Norma.

Emily said...

A. Norma: Ha! Sadly, no. There was no room for him in my luggage.

Unknown said...

Love the update on the Netherlands! I'm originally from Holland, MI (city of the Tulip Time Festival - and a big Dutch ancestral presence). So, the Netherlands are on my short list - even though I've seen more than a fair amount of tulips in my days.

Thanks for sharing! My passport is anxiously awaiting for my travel savings to build!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that you were able to experience Amsterdam on Queen's Day! I love Queen's Day! And not only because orange actually doesn't look too bad on me :)

What did you think of Dutch men? I find them very goodlooking but a tad on the dull/uncharming side...

jman said...

Here in New Amsterdam Queen's Day has a very different meaning, especially in the Village and Chelsea! As for Starry Night I think you can see it any time you want - it is in MOMA. Friday evenings admission is free.

Great photos of the tulips. They look spectacular. Glad you didn't feature yourself in the photos otherwise we would have been focusing on your two lips. But seriously folks.

Did you visit any of the coffee houses? Try any of the Dutch dairy products? They are really delicious.

Looking forward to the London photos and accompanying travelogue.