MDVP Spring 19 has wrapped and here are some tips to maximize your time in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. First things first are travel essentials that I never leave home without:
Grooming Goodness:
My toiletry bag changes all the time as I like to try new products but still like to make sure that I have my bases covered. This trip I got to try out a few new Estee Lauder products including:
Estee Lauder Nutritious Micro-Algae ,Pore Purifying Cleansing Jelly, Pore Purifying Shake Tonic, and Pore Minimizing Hydra Lotion. Keeping my skin fresh and clean and looking good has become more and more of a focus for me as I get older. Especially when travelling I find my skin can get a bit tired when spending extended time in airplanes and with increased sun exposure. Gents if I have one piece of advice is take care of your skin, it’s so easy to overlook but worth the time to invest in.
Comfy Kicks:
Every time I have a trip planned, one of the first things that comes to mind is footwear! having an extensive collection of shoes, It can sometimes be hard to decide what to take. The single most important pair that I take are my day to day kicks. Walking 15-25km per day, the last thing I want are sore feet and blisters. Not having proper footwear is hands down one of the fastest ways to ruin a trip! Basically the entire Amsterdam trip you could find me rocking my Merrell MQM Flex Gore-Tex hiking shoes. Weighing just 648 grams, breathable, includes a waterproof membrane, it’s honestly the perfect travel shoe.
Solid Timepiece:
As you may know I’m a huge fan of a good watch! More recently I have been really into Citizen pieces. Specifically any of the Eco-Drive pieces, I have been in the market for a good dive watch as I tend to visit a lot of beach destinations so getting a jump on it I picked up the Citizen Promaster Aqualand it’s a clean piece that goes with a variety of outfits. But above that, functionality is key for me. Being Eco-Drive, it’s a solar face which means i never have to worry about replacing batteries just go about your day and it will charge automatically with the power of the sun! Water resistant to 200m which is perfect for when i’m snorkeling or just diving for shells.
So now that you have a few essentials time to get on the road and start exploring Amsterdam!
Amsterdam is a city of cyclists! It’s much faster, cheaper, and much more convenient to get around the moderately sized city of Amsterdam. With a population of just over 800,000 people, you can essentially get to anywhere you want to get to via a 20 min bike ride. Bike rental stores are in abundance as it’s the most used form of transportation. It’s also the best way to see any city in my opinion. you get to experience all the sights, sounds, and smells with the ability to stop whenever you want and you won’t have to waste your time looking for parking and things like that. If you want to take a break from all the biking you’ve been doing, I would highly recommend taking an afternoon, renting a small canal boat and explore the vast canal system that Amsterdam has to offer. You don’t need a license for the boat and will cost you roughly 40 Euros.
As the Netherlands is part of the European Union you will be using the Euro as currency, so depending where you are coming from you can find that the city might feel a bit expensive as is most of Europe. However you can always find cheaper eats on the street, famous for their frites and mayo as well as their pickled herring. You can’t go wrong eating most places. Amsterdam has a huge southeast asian influence, so the city is rich in authentic Indonesian, and Thai food that can be found in most neighbourhoods.
Museums can be around all over Amsterdam and the art scene is amazing! I would highly recommend the Moco Museum for modern pop art which includes Banksy, Kaws, Kieth Herring, Yayoi Kusama, as well as a Lichtenstein room which is not to be missed!
If traditional art is more your speed I would definitely tell you to visit the Rijksmuseum where they showcase well known as well as not so well known Dutch artists. You can find pieces by Rembrandt such as the famous The Night Watch painted in 1642. You can lose yourself in history just walking around the museum.
Now the real reason to go is tulips, hands down! A short drive outside the city you can find yourself in what seems like never ending fields of tulips. In every imaginable colour the tulips fields are a wonder to look as and experience. Just standing in one of the gigantic fields can make you feel lost and so small, it’s truly humbling.
Everything from Keukenhof where you can view huge fields of tulips from a top a old renovated windmill, to a random field off the side of the road. It’s breathtaking to see and I 100% recommend to experience if you are there during tulip season.
These are just some of the things that you can see and do while in Amsterdam! Just remember when you travel anywhere, always be safe and try to explore off the beaten path to truly experience what your destination has to offer!
What’s your favourite place in Amsterdam?
