A Guide to 48 Hours in Amsterdam: Revisited
“I forgot something important,” I say to my friend Nic when the wheels of the plane hit the ground… “We forgot our son Kevin at home!!” But then I remember that this is not the 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone, but the beginning of my trip to the Netherlands, and the only thing I forgot was my hairbrush. Welcome to 48 hours in Amsterdam!
(The writer of this article did not buy tickets to either Van Gogh’s Museum or Anne Frank’s house before traveling, which you definitely should do, even for the sake of answering any questions about the trip to family members. The writer also had incredible luck and experienced sun and warmth throughout the trip to the rainy and windy capital.)
cute stock photo of ams :)
So you come to Amsterdam and take the train from Schiphol and despite not having ingested any natural, herby stimulants, you are starving.
Maybe you do not wish to eat Kapsalon – the deformed kebab dish, and are craving something more sophisticated? The Dutch colonial past comes to the rescue – Surinamese food turns out not to be hard to either find or resist eating. You opt for Swieti Sranang, your closest option, but you wish you had more time, since an excursion into the Surinamese district of Amsterdam would be a far more immersive experience.
Having refueled yourself, with the spices still on your tongue and teeth, you are hungry to find out more about the Dutch past.
Obviously, you have to go to The Rijksmuseum, located in the Museum Quarter. It’s good, because of the sheer number of paintings, and maybe bad because of it too. Either way, not going to see Vermeer’s and Rembrandt’s works and the gathering of people around them seems like a sin. Jokes aside, the museum offers a very good tour through the history of Dutch (and not only) art, showcasing how global trends have found their way to the canvases of national painters, and how the colonial era left its mark on both sides of the power struggle. The museum is huge, and after spending 2 hours inside you wish to run away from the Caravaggianism. Thankfully, there is no need to say it out loud. Your friend has finished long before, as they have been drawn by the Van Goghs advertised on the banner, which amount to one painting.
tourism
To not cause havoc in our brain by visiting another museum, you detour into Waterlooplein – an area a stroll away from the previous quarter. The market there hosts a couple of food stands but most of it is clothes, accessories and plenty of oddities. After acquiring a 15x10 weed secession photoshop print and trying on a pair of pants in the DIY changing room inside of a white van, you’re good to go!
Now you check on your energy levels. 3 scenarios unveil in your mind:
1. If high, the plan is to visit the Foam Museum*. A photography museum located a 15-minute walk away from Waterlooplein, where even your friend, a big sceptic of any art related activity, stops complaining. You pat yourself on the back for recognizing some names and images and scratch your head thinking about the number of people with cameras in the world.
2. If medium to low – you can quickly book the tour of the Heineken brewery. Heineken Experience is a pricey but fun activity, which includes 4 beers for the price of 27 euros, the company of funny tourists you make fun of with your friend, and last and maybe least, a short story of the facility. You finish by enjoying the view of the city from the rooftop terrace, while ignoring the fact that you just witnessed a promotional spectacle. Nevertheless, you go and laugh.
tastes like piss
The scents of the street push you inside the doors of the star of the show. Coffeeshops are, as you learn, tricky places, because if you are anything like the person writing this you go into a random one on the Main Street and buy the cheapest pre-rolled joint available before sadly realizing that tourism impacts quality. Learning from your mistakes, you visit the cool and well-lit coffeeshop with the noble name Green House Namaste recommended by your fellow Amsterdamer friends, which is a bit hidden behind the main Waterlooplein.
The shop tour continues, and though Coffeeshop Central is not the best pick due to its size, its closeness to the main station is alluring, and because nothing is keeping you from going outside, having stocked up on fries from the famous Manneken Pis Damrak, you stroll to a less busy canal.
Nighttime has come, and because you are on holiday and you can (!) you want to find a cool bar to hang out at. A bar called Kriterion has been advertised by your friends, University of Amsterdam goers, and they turn out to be right – for once. The place is also a movie theater, with films screened in English. After having bought a pair of earrings, a useless pair of funky pants or a graphic tee with something in German or Dutch on it, you are looking for a less pricey place than a bar with 8-euro pints. The number 5.4 next to the biggest size of the cheapest beer on the menu will most definitely put a smile on your face.
Because you are very lucky, the next morning is sunny, however mildly energetic, yet you remember – you are a tourist with responsibilities! The Stedelijk museum you visit ends up revitalizing your spirits to the fullest. The space allows an exploration of modern and contemporary art and design. Malevich, Bauhaus, Picasso and many other man are all there, but an emphasis (though a subtle one) is put on female artists, like Olga Rozanova or Valentina Kulagina. The Dutch colonial past, the independence movements and victories of Indonesia and Suriname are not overlooked. The Keith Harring mural is what brings you to life fully.
Stedelijk
Despite not accusing Amsterdam of a lack of greenery, you go to Oosterpark (Park). Not fearing the horrendously huge duck-like birds, which you at first think are small, preserved dinosaurs, you spread a blanket, and do whatever you please (providing that you are as lucky as the writer of this article and the city is flooded with sun). Obviously, you are on holiday, so after a bit the Ru ken Pluk bar calls. It is a funky spot just a couple of minutes away from the park, and it does not have any animals.
frenss!!!
You have been strolling through the streets of Amsterdam for the past 24 hours, but you are still eager to spend some money. You keep looking around and inside the multitude of quirky shops, which seem to be hidden away behind the city’s brick walls. You end up just annoying the salespeople by going into the store and taking pictures of posters, glasses and a million trinkets, thinking about how you should not be rich, ever.
(here about the Eye Museum, that could’ve seen)
All the rambling around brings you to the main street again, and you sit on the bench by a random door, which, before you notice, brings you inside Hill Street Booze. The bar has a “no cigarette, weed only” policy for its inside (in which the writer was not, hence the blurry picture). You can sit by the window with the view of the grand Central Station (which, some would argue, can only be looked at from a distance). It is a good escape from the main, narrow streets, which at this time might get a bit too much.
youth army