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Home  >  Blog  >  48 hours in Amsterdam – Part Two

48 hours in Amsterdam – Part Two

Trish Burgess Posted on15/11/201428/12/2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands 40 Comments

I left you at lunchtime on the Saturday afternoon in 48 hours in Amsterdam – Part One having had a wet afternoon on a canal cruise, a chilled evening at the Van Gogh Museum and a reflective Saturday morning at the Anne Frank House. Here’s how we spent the second 24 hours…

Prada bag and shoes…my size, I think.

It’s too easy as a tourist to visit a city and just focus on the Top Five attractions, as if by ticking them off the list you have officially ‘done’ the city. I would much rather hand pick a couple of the must-sees then find something a little off the wall. This is why I felt compelled to drop in on the Museum of Bags and Purses during our short stay in Amsterdam. The museum was free for holders of the I amsterdam City Card so this gave me a great reason to have a little accessories fix. 4000 bags, over 500 years of history, housed in a series of elegant rooms in an exquisite canal house. The most gorgeous purses, decorated with beads, feathers and crystals, had me drooling up against the glass cabinets and, for good measure, there was a special Forever Vintage collection (until March 2015) featuring classic designers from 1920 to 1994. Could this have got any better? Yes, we discovered the most mouth-watering pâtisseries in their cafe: a window seat looking out onto the pretty courtyard, a perfect cup of coffee and two freshly made strawberry mousse cream cakes….in a handbag museum. Heaven.

I suppose visitors should come to Amsterdam to see Dutch things. You might think it odd to immerse yourself in all things Russian for an afternoon? Hermitage, Amsterdam, is a satellite branch of the Hermitage in St Petersburg so, as we weren’t planning to visit Russia in the near future, it seemed churlish not to have a quick dose of the country while we had the chance. The current exhibition, Dining with the Tsars, is heavily discounted with the City Card and proved to be a stunning collection of posh porcelain.

Could you pass the salt, please? ‘Dining with the Tsars’ in the Hermitage

Back outside, we walked at length, taking in the cheese shops, markets, dodging trams and cyclists and generally absorbing the atmosphere of the city. We didn’t plan to visit the Red Light District but somehow turned a corner and there it was. It was a very disturbing and unsettling experience as the pavements are narrow and the windows are surprisingly close. I didn’t want to be there and yet had to carry on walking in order to find another street to turn off, all the while following groups of men who, bolstered by booze, were checking out the ‘shop windows’. An intrinsic part of Amsterdam but not a savoury one.

Yet not far way from the Red Light District is Begijnhof, a calm, beautiful sanctuary of handsome houses, accessed through a large wooden door – a secret garden, just steps away from the bustling city streets. It was founded in 1314 for members of a lay Catholic sisterhood, the Beguines. Yet again I had this sense of Amsterdam being a city of contrasts. Is this because it is liberal, tolerant and accepting of all? Certainly it has a long tradition of caring for the sick and the poor: the number of almshouses (hofjes) funded by wealthy merchants in the 17th century, is testament to this.

On Sunday morning we printed off a themed walking tour I had spotted in the Amsterdam guide on KLM’s website. It took us to the Jordaan, one of Amsterdam’s most elegant neighbourhoods. Charming canals and streets, pretty bridges, student houses and almshouses. We followed the trail as best we could but did get temporarily lost on occasions and some of the hofjes, which we had been told might be open if we tried the doors, were unfortunately closed. Sunday morning might not have been the best time to peek into the courtyard of an almshouse but it was perfect for seeing the city at its most peaceful, as it was just beginning to stir.

An easy walk back to the hotel to pick up our luggage, a tram to the station, and we were soon being whisked away from the city centre. It felt sad to be going. I wanted another day, another two days. We had only just scratched the surface of this intriguing place and were keen to delve deeper. We hadn’t been to the Rijksmuseum or Vondelpark, hadn’t tried a pancake or wobbled on a bicycle. So much we hadn’t done and yet, in 48 hours, Amsterdam had made its mark. We’ll be back.

 

This is what I call recycling…

My husband and I stayed in Amsterdam courtesy of KLM and their #KLMFlylocal campaign

We were provided with the I amsterdam City Card by Amsterdam Marketing.

Previous Article Remembering each and every one of them
Next Article Review: Mövenpick Hotel, Amsterdam

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40 Comments

  1. Sarah Ebner Reply
    15/11/2014 at 3:40 pm

    What a lovely variety of things to do. I rather fancy a trip myself – the display in the Hermitage looks incredible.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:03 pm

      We nearly didn't go to the Hermitage but as we were passing we thought we would pop in- so pleased we did to see such extravagance!

  2. Sarah Reply
    17/11/2014 at 8:20 am

    Sounds like you really made the most of your trip and the pictures are lovely. I want to go back there myself now. 🙂

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:04 pm

      It was only when I wrote it up I realised how much we had fitted in – and yet we never felt rushed, it was a relaxed stay.

  3. Sonya Cisco Reply
    17/11/2014 at 9:38 am

    I love Amsterdam, but you are right, you can stumble into the red light district very easily and it is not for everyone (certainly leaves me feeling uncomfortable) but I think the highs outweigh the lows and I would love to go back one day!

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:06 pm

      Absolutely the highs outweigh the lows. Most big cities have parts that you wouldn't want to visit. Amsterdam is the same, though the Red Light District is certainly more obvious than in other places.

  4. Ting Dalton Reply
    17/11/2014 at 10:28 am

    Oh my, The Museum of Bags and Purses would be right up my street… Amsterdam is a beautiful city, and I haven't been there in years. I love the photos of the canals and bikes, exactly what springs to mind when I think of the city.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:07 pm

      The bike/canal combo was certainly in evident. Add the flowers on the bridges and the scenes were like postcards.

  5. Mummy Barrow Reply
    17/11/2014 at 11:29 am

    I adore Amsterdam. Mr B lived there for two years and loved it.

    IT is on our list of places to go to for a sneaky weekend next year and KLM are doing return flights from £89 so it is even cheaper to do now than before. Some great tips for what to do

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:08 pm

      I should have checked with you and Mr B before we left for some tips.

      Great you've found some cheap flights from KLM – we are definitely going to use them again if we can.

  6. Nikki Thomas Reply
    17/11/2014 at 11:49 am

    I really do agree with you about the top tourist attractions, it is important to do some of them but you do get so much more from exploring the less 'well known' areas and it tends to be less crowded too which is always a bonus. Amsterdam is somewhere that I have never visited before but it looks and sounds wonderful.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:11 pm

      We were surprised how quiet the side streets were and how residential they were – with flowers outside people's front doors – just lovely.

  7. Mums do travel Reply
    17/11/2014 at 12:00 pm

    Those shoes are amazing, I'd really like to go to that museum! I think that you're right about picking a couple of 'must sees' and then exploring by yourself and looking out for more unusual attractions. I enjoyed our trip to Amsterdam last year and would love to go back. I was with my 10 year-old and we managed to avoid the red light district, thank goodness.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:13 pm

      I think we would have been more careful about which streets to avoid if we had been with children – even so, we didn't quite anticipate how 'in your face' it was!

  8. BavarianSojourn Reply
    17/11/2014 at 6:26 pm

    Such a gorgeous city. Do love the alternative views on what to see. So much more interesting than the run of the mill guides and blog posts! I know what you mean about the Red Light district, so depressing. xx

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:18 pm

      I love finding something a little bit different in a city: I'm glad you appreciate the alternative views!

  9. Boo Roo and Tigger Too Reply
    17/11/2014 at 6:54 pm

    Loving the Prada bag, not too sure about the shoes! Amsterdam is on my 'must visit' list

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:19 pm

      I think you're right – maybe the shoes should just be on display 🙂

  10. Mary Key Reply
    17/11/2014 at 7:11 pm

    There's a lot packed into Amsterdam ! Love the idea of a handbag museum and cheese shops! And what a lovely opportunity to see items from the Hermitage, always had a fascination for things like that!

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:20 pm

      It did seem a little weird to have a bit of Russia in Amsterdam but why not. We see so much of other cultures when we visit museums in London, it was good to take the opportunity while it was there.

  11. Cass@TheDiaryofaFrugalFamily Reply
    17/11/2014 at 7:22 pm

    It's such a beautiful city isn't it? I would love to visit the handbag museum although not sure anyone else in the family would join me 😉

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:21 pm

      Bribe them with the promise of cake afterwards!

  12. Liz Burton Reply
    17/11/2014 at 8:02 pm

    I have never been but you've totally sold it to me.

    The museum of handbags sounds incredible! I think that might be enough for me.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:22 pm

      My husband enjoyed it too – especially the Vintage collection where he could relax on a seat!

  13. pinkoddy Reply
    17/11/2014 at 9:52 pm

    I like the idea of a themed walking tour. I would really like to explore Amsterdam with my husband but we wouldn't be too keen if we wondered into the wrong areas.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:23 pm

      I think you can avoid it if you just look a bit more carefully at the map than we did.

  14. Becky Goddard-Hill Reply
    18/11/2014 at 6:59 am

    Lovely photos as always never been but long to go

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:25 pm

      We were the same. kept thinking we would go one day – so pleased we did as it was such a lovely city.

  15. Alice Hassall Reply
    18/11/2014 at 3:13 pm

    Oh Gosh Trish, way to make me jealous. I have never been to Amsterdam before but it ois on my list. What a fab post.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:26 pm

      Thanks Alice 🙂 I think you would love Amsterdam – a very cool place to visit.

  16. Funky Wellies Reply
    18/11/2014 at 5:12 pm

    So much to see and to do!
    And those shoes… *sigh*
    I will have to go to the Museum of Bags and Purses, with a cake stop too of course. 😉 xx

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:27 pm

      I thought of you when we visited – fantastic collection.

  17. Emma Reply
    18/11/2014 at 8:11 pm

    I am loving reading all these Amsterdam posts, I really want to visit again, it's been a long time since I was there last.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:28 pm

      I know the feeling – you read about a destination someone else has just explored and yearn to return.

  18. Michelle Twin Mum Reply
    20/11/2014 at 1:12 pm

    That hangbad museum sounds great, I'd enjoy that but when we were in Amsterdam my favourite part was just wondering around and exploring the different areas and then we took a short cruise too, which was fun. Mich x

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/11/2014 at 1:29 pm

      There is much to be said for wandering around – I think you gain a sense of a a city's identity, not just its tourist attractions.

  19. Older Mum Reply
    26/11/2014 at 3:37 pm

    I have visited Amsterdam a couple of times now and I really like it. It really is very pretty, but as you say, I don't like the red light district either – walking through it made me feel very tired. The Jordaan is beautiful; and as for the Ann Frank museum – I was blown away (with sadness). X

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      30/11/2014 at 10:07 pm

      So many varied things to say. We found the Anne Frank museum very poignant and done with such sensitivity.

  20. About Last Weekend Reply
    29/11/2014 at 12:46 am

    Gosh, that would be a very involved breakfast at that table wouldn't it? sounds like you had a great time!

  21. Trish Burgess Reply
    30/11/2014 at 10:09 pm

    Ha! I wouldn't want to be doing the washing up.

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