Turning 30 in Amsterdam
Well, I am now 30. The big three o! I don't feel any different.... well, maybe a little more loved by my friends and boyfriend (I should just call him by his name, I make him sound so mysterious). Anyway, Bob (the boyfriend) planned a weekend away in Amsterdam. Everything had been kept from me for about two months which is rather impressive especially since my whole working life involves being one step ahead of my boss. It was so thoughtful of him and to top it all off we stayed in the most beautiful hotel.
As you walked up the very steep set of stairs to the entrance, there stood a huge book case in reception full of travel and design books which was just fascinating (I need this bookcase). The hotel (which was called Max Brown) was packed with quaint details and simple décor. And the bed was so high! On coming home my bed felt so small and low to the ground, so this just means getting a new bed for my next birthday.
We arrived quite late the night before so we immediately hit the hay. The following day we decided to have a stroll, which actually turned out to be more of a hike walking round most of the centre. The city is just beautiful, it is littered with cycles in front of tall coloured houses.... very picture postcard.
The house below had a dress in the window, so I scrambled up a set of stairs to take a the best photo I could. I struggled in a few areas to get a clear image, all the buildings were so high and that created some pretty awkward angles. The amount of times I stopped just to get that one shot must have rather annoyed Bob.
Last time I visited Amsterdam my friends and I visited the sex museum and the torture museum (we were obviously being very grown up at the time). So this time we decided to visit at least one art gallery. We chose the Van Gogh museum simply because I am not overly keen on the Baroque style of painting.
As with every trip there is always a section dedicated to food. And oh my goodness they had so many waffles! It was in fact where I discovered stroop waffles... interesting fact I hear you say (you can get them in lidl too, they will change your life).
I was also quite determined to go to a proper coffee shop (and when I say coffee I do just mean coffee) and we did, with real cake! oh so good!
Speaking of cake we also found a local bakery just around the corner from hotel. We bought the best cookies.... Just chocolate I promise.
Along with the copious amounts of food we came across we also found a few flower markets dotted around the city. The two images directly below are tulip bulbs and below that are some scrumptious looking pumpkins.
The Dutch seem to have such simplicity when it comes to designing interiors and the shop below I liked so much I took a took a few photos of the brands they sold, one of which I LOVE called Broste.
The second night after walking around quite as much as we did, we both opted to stay at the hotel for an evening meal because we were just absolutely knackered. But on the final night I said we just simply had to walk around Amsterdam at night because it had such a different atmosphere. All the bridges are lit with streams of lights that create beautiful reflections throughout the city.
We obviously stopped of to sample some delicious cheese and biscuits with a glass of vino at a warm and toasty restaurant not far from our hotel (mind due everything was very close to our hotel). We stayed in the Museum Quarter so everything was in a very easy reach.
As I mentioned above, we visited the Van Gogh Museum that showed Vincent's huge body of paintings. I honestly am not overly keen on his work but I always find on visiting retrospectives it can often alter your mindset about the artist themselves once you see their personal struggles and lessons they learn through life. He seemed very troubled, btu yet it did not deter him from his painting, quite the opposite in fact. And here are my cheeky photos below ( I say cheeky because I wasn't meant to take any... oops).
The whole weekend was amazing and I cannot thank Bob enough for everything he had planned. Amsterdam is beautiful and if you head there now at the beginning of Autumn you won't be disappointed. Turning 30 hasn't been the horrible age I had built it up to be, so far I would say this is the best age and the best birthday.
As you walked up the very steep set of stairs to the entrance, there stood a huge book case in reception full of travel and design books which was just fascinating (I need this bookcase). The hotel (which was called Max Brown) was packed with quaint details and simple décor. And the bed was so high! On coming home my bed felt so small and low to the ground, so this just means getting a new bed for my next birthday.
They also had in the bar a truck load of sweets and confectionary teasing you with their deliciousness.
We arrived quite late the night before so we immediately hit the hay. The following day we decided to have a stroll, which actually turned out to be more of a hike walking round most of the centre. The city is just beautiful, it is littered with cycles in front of tall coloured houses.... very picture postcard.
The house below had a dress in the window, so I scrambled up a set of stairs to take a the best photo I could. I struggled in a few areas to get a clear image, all the buildings were so high and that created some pretty awkward angles. The amount of times I stopped just to get that one shot must have rather annoyed Bob.
Last time I visited Amsterdam my friends and I visited the sex museum and the torture museum (we were obviously being very grown up at the time). So this time we decided to visit at least one art gallery. We chose the Van Gogh museum simply because I am not overly keen on the Baroque style of painting.
As with every trip there is always a section dedicated to food. And oh my goodness they had so many waffles! It was in fact where I discovered stroop waffles... interesting fact I hear you say (you can get them in lidl too, they will change your life).
I was also quite determined to go to a proper coffee shop (and when I say coffee I do just mean coffee) and we did, with real cake! oh so good!
Oh my goodness the cake was so yummy.
Speaking of cake we also found a local bakery just around the corner from hotel. We bought the best cookies.... Just chocolate I promise.
Oh and the meringues!
Along with the copious amounts of food we came across we also found a few flower markets dotted around the city. The two images directly below are tulip bulbs and below that are some scrumptious looking pumpkins.
The Dutch seem to have such simplicity when it comes to designing interiors and the shop below I liked so much I took a took a few photos of the brands they sold, one of which I LOVE called Broste.
The second night after walking around quite as much as we did, we both opted to stay at the hotel for an evening meal because we were just absolutely knackered. But on the final night I said we just simply had to walk around Amsterdam at night because it had such a different atmosphere. All the bridges are lit with streams of lights that create beautiful reflections throughout the city.
We obviously stopped of to sample some delicious cheese and biscuits with a glass of vino at a warm and toasty restaurant not far from our hotel (mind due everything was very close to our hotel). We stayed in the Museum Quarter so everything was in a very easy reach.
As I mentioned above, we visited the Van Gogh Museum that showed Vincent's huge body of paintings. I honestly am not overly keen on his work but I always find on visiting retrospectives it can often alter your mindset about the artist themselves once you see their personal struggles and lessons they learn through life. He seemed very troubled, btu yet it did not deter him from his painting, quite the opposite in fact. And here are my cheeky photos below ( I say cheeky because I wasn't meant to take any... oops).
The whole weekend was amazing and I cannot thank Bob enough for everything he had planned. Amsterdam is beautiful and if you head there now at the beginning of Autumn you won't be disappointed. Turning 30 hasn't been the horrible age I had built it up to be, so far I would say this is the best age and the best birthday.
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