Amsterdam Part 1

My main focus today is to visit two of the more popular Amsterdam Museums. Because the GoCity pass doesn’t cover these museums I need to make reservations ahead of time and I slot both these visits on my first full day in Amsterdam. 

Anne Frank House

The first museum of the day is the Anne Frank House. This is a museum that is built around the home of Anne Frank where she hid from the Nazi’s for two years. It’s a very popular exhibit and I needed to book my Tickets well in advance to secure a spot. Unfortunately, beyond the entrance they don’t allow photography on the premises so I don’t have too many photos inside the actual building itself. However, the Museum is very well done. It talks about Anne and her family’s life before the occupation, how and when they needed to go into hiding and their life whilst hiding. It also talks about what happens to each member of the family after being found by the Nazis. In some ways its a somber story, but at the same time its also inspiring how resilient both Anne and her family are. All in all it’s a very well done museum that tackles some very heavy subject matter respectfully. It’s one of the top tourist attractions in Amsterdam, and I can certainly understand why.

There is also a very nice little cafe within the building itself. By the time I was done walking through the museum, it was snowing outside. Being able to take a load off, grab a coffee and pastry and also decompress a little from the exhibit is certainly welcome. Watching the light snow fall over Amsterdam is a pretty sight and a great way to spend the late morning.

The Pantry

Once the snow had died down, I decide to take a little walk over to a restaurant called the Pantry. It’s a small restaurant but serves many traditional Dutch dishes. One of the dishes I’m actually very eager to try is Snert (which is Dutch version of split pea and ham soup). I had been looking all over for it and found that the Pantry serves it! In my excitement I must have eaten it before I took a photo because looking back now I can’t find one at all! 

However what I do have a photo of is another local dish called stamppot. This is a mash of different vegetables with a smoked sausage. In my case there were three versions of mash, potatoes with carrots and onions, potatoes with sauerkraut and potatoes with kale. Given that it is a cold day, both comfort dishes really hit the spot!

Van Gogh Museum

After lunch, my next stop is the Van Gogh Museum. This museum houses the largest collections of Van Gogh art in the world. Vincent Van Gogh is a famous Dutch painter and so its no surprise that this museum is one of the most popular stops for tourists when visiting Amsterdam. The museum is very large with various permanent and temporary exhibits. While I don’t claim to be very well versed in the world of art. I did spend a good few hours walking around each floor admiring the different pieces on display. There is also a focus on the life of Van Gogh himself, from how he grew up, to his artistic influences, and finally to his end of life. I think even if you’re not an art lover it’s still a worth while visit. 

Again, I’m not a huge appreciator of art. However, I did find a few pieces interesting. This one below is painted on both sides. It’s explained that to save money, he reused the back of a previous painting of still life to paint his self portrait. So its kind of neat to see two works by him on the same canvas.

Van Gogh Pokemon

Oddly enough, just as popular (if not more depending on who you ask) there is also a collaborative exhibit between the Van Gogh Museum and Pokemon. I didn’t know this was being exhibited but it is really neat to see!

Not only is it subject matter I’m a bit more familiar with. But it also takes that subject matter and emulates famous Van Gogh art! While the exhibit itself is small compared to the rest of the collection, it did draw a crowd. Myself being one of them.

Heineken Experience

By the time I leave the Van Gogh Museum, its the late afternoon. I decide to make my way over to another Dutch institution: Heineken! As part of the Go City pass I get one free admission to visit the Heineken Experience. This is their visitor tour and goes through the history of the brewery and the process of making their very tasty beverage. There is also an opportunity to do a few tastings which I am all for. 

Throughout my travels I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many famous breweries over the years. While all the visitor experiences have similarities in the beer creation process. They all provide a bit of a different experience. Guinness highlights their unique brewing process and rich marketing history. Sapporo has a focus on quality, tradition and excellence. Heineken looks to focus a great deal on the “vibe” or the experience while consuming their products. After the historical element of the tour, the rest of the experience feels like what I can only describe as a bit of a party! We go through a multimedia exhibit with club lights and music.

Then we get to their marketing area which in some spots almost feels like you’re at a club! Finally you make your way to the tasting room kind of is like a club! There’s awesome music playing, people playing games, a DJ and generally just an awesome atmosphere! I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited some really iconic breweries and I really enjoy seeing the differences between each and Heineken is no different!

Moeders

Sadly, I do eventually need to get some food in me and so I say good bye to Heineken and catch a tram over to Moeders. Moeders is another restaurant famous for its traditional Dutch dishes. While I already had a taste of snert earlier in the day, I still have a big craving for it. So without hesitation I make sure I start with another helping of snert and this time, I have a photo of it! For my main I order Hachee which is a beef stew with potatoes and red cabbage. I’m not sure if its simply the cold weather, but the soups and stews I’m having so far are really hitting the spot. And recommending Moeders is something I can whole heartedly do for anyone else making the trek to Amsterdam.

From dinner, I head back to my hotel. It’s been a long and full day and I’m still not completely over the jet lag. So I grab a hot shower and crash pretty soon after. Tomorrow I will be exploring another famous Amsterdam museum along with a few other tasty stops!