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June 20, 2014March 6, 2017

Touring Fragrant Amsterdam

Good travelers travel with all their senses…and that includes our noses. Here are a few angles on touring Amsterdam that involve your olfactory skills:

Perhaps the Dutch are so into flowers because of the population density and the tight quarters they live in. You see it in the paintings and you see it in the markets–the Dutch have long had a love affair with flowers. I’ve even purchased a bouquet in the market just to brighten up my hotel room…to go Dutch. A popular souvenir for many visitors is a packet of tulip bulbs.

In the flower market, one of the most popular packet of seeds is one that may have you doing a little explaining at US customs. While Washington State has legalized marijuana, I still can’t legally grow it at home, so this starter kit may not be a good idea. But it is thought-provoking (and a reminder that many Europeans do enjoy growing their own).

While the 20-somethings line up for the Heineken Experience–a malty, yeasty, amusement ride of a brewery tour just down the street, an older crowd celebrates their visit to the Van Gogh Museum by crossing the street and stepping into the House of Bols: Cocktail and Genever Experience. Dutch gin has a long and bleary heritage and you learn all about it here along with a fun chance to test your olfactory skills. This line of scents each has a hidden identity. Pump the spritzer, sniff, and guess the scent–then pull back the cover to see what it was. I failed miserably, getting only butterscotch correct. While there are plenty of beer and wine tasting tours and experiences in Europe, what are your favorite hard liquor experiences on the Continent?

June 20, 2014August 6, 2015

Building a Home in Amsterdam

Anyone who’s built a home knows about soils and foundation concerns. Imagine building a home in a place like Venice or Amsterdam. Watching construction people dam, drill, fill, and build here, it just seems routine. This video clip gives a peek at the watery process.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

June 19, 2014February 12, 2015

Eating Local in Tasty Amsterdam

If you want to eat local in Amsterdam, remember three things: cheese, herring, and Indonesian rijsttafel. What are your favorite Amsterdam edibles?

Colonial cuisine is fun. And just like England loves its Indian food, the Dutch hunger for Indonesian. The ritual dish for tourists in Holland is rijsttafel (literally "rice table"). While not a true Indonesian meal, it’s a Dutch innovation designed to highlight the best food of its former colony, especially all the great spices that were a big part of what originally motivated the colonial age. For around $40 you’ll get about 20 dishes and a rainbow of spices with white rice to mix and mingle on your palette. More casual Indonesian restaurants allow you to split this meal. — Colonial cuisine is fun. And just like England loves its Indian food, the Dutch hunger for Indonesian. The ritual dish for tourists in Holland is rijsttafel (literally “rice table”). While not a true Indonesian meal, it’s a Dutch innovation designed to highlight the best food of its former colony, especially all the great spices that were a big part of what originally motivated the colonial age. For around $40 you’ll get about 20 dishes and a rainbow of spices with white rice to mix and mingle on your palette. More casual Indonesian restaurants allow you to split this meal.

With its seafaring heritage, Dutch cuisine embraces herring. The local version of a hot-dog stand is a herring stand where variations on fresh herring are dished up--most are not cooked but pickled. For a memory you won’t forget (no matter how you try), don’t miss a little paper plate of herring with pickles and onions. — With its seafaring heritage, Dutch cuisine embraces herring. The local version of a hot-dog stand is a herring stand where variations on fresh herring are dished up–most are not cooked but pickled. For a memory you won’t forget (no matter how you try), don’t miss a little paper plate of herring with pickles and onions.

Each day my wandering was made much more fun and educational because I hired a local guide to join me. It’s basically like renting a friend who’s really smart. Then, everything I do, I’m doing with a coach and partner. My guide Frank Sanders and I spent an hour enjoying the Reypenaer cheese tasting.

At the Reypenaer cheese-tasting class we tried five or so Dutch cheeses with three different wines and charted our experience. If you happen to like cheese and wine, this is a very fun class. As I recommend it in my Amsterdam guidebook, I wanted to be sure I was describing it correctly--and you can’t do that without actually enjoying the experience. — At the Reypenaer cheese-tasting class we tried five or so Dutch cheeses with three different wines and charted our experience. If you happen to like cheese and wine, this is a very fun class. As I recommend it in my Amsterdam guidebook, I wanted to be sure I was describing it correctly–and you can’t do that without actually enjoying the experience.

What are some fun, organized, and educational food-tasting experiences you’ve enjoyed in your travels?

June 18, 2014August 6, 2015

Biking in Amsterdam

A key for really enjoying Amsterdam is to go local…on two wheels. The city is designed for bikers, and I feel so right pedaling around town throughout my visit. I always rent a bike upon arrival and keep it at my hotel for the duration of my stay. Behind the train station, free ferries shuttle commuters back and forth across the IJ on Amsterdam’s waterfront. From the other side you can pedal down a canal and, literally within minutes, be in the wide-open polder land and among windmills.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

June 17, 2014

What’s New in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is as lively–and enjoyably shocking–as ever. The old standbys (Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum) have reopened after closures for renovations, and there are some new joys for sightseers.

The area just east of the extremely central Central Station has a fixed-up, glassy high-rise feel. Anyone is welcome to venture into the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and head up 11 floors to the rooftop Sky Lounge. Come here to enjoy a drink--and what is suddenly the best "high-wide" view over Amsterdam. — The area just east of the extremely central Central Station has a fixed-up, glassy high-rise feel. Anyone is welcome to venture into the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and head up 11 floors to the rooftop Sky Lounge. Come here to enjoy a drink–and what is suddenly the best “high-wide” view over Amsterdam.

Amsterdam’s big three art museums gather at the Museumplein--its museum park. The park itself is a people-friendly delight. The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, understandably popular, are plagued by long lines. But the local favorite (and a great opportunity to just be in the modern art world) is all yours at the newly reopened Stedelijk Museum. London has its Tate Modern. Paris has the Pompidou. And Amsterdam offers an equally stimulating modern art museum. Like the others, it combines striking architecture (it's nicknamed "the bath tub" because of its odd shape), 20th-century favorites (Dali, Picasso, Kandinsky), and crazy contemporary art. While I’m not a big fan of abstract art, I found the contemporary sections of the Stedelijk really fun. What are your favorite modern art museum experiences in Europe? — Amsterdam’s big three art museums gather at the Museumplein–its museum park. The park itself is a people-friendly delight. The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, understandably popular, are plagued by long lines. But the local favorite (and a great opportunity to just be in the modern art world) is all yours at the newly reopened Stedelijk Museum. London has its Tate Modern. Paris has the Pompidou. And Amsterdam offers an equally stimulating modern art museum. Like the others, it combines striking architecture (it’s nicknamed “the bath tub” because of its odd shape), 20th-century favorites (Dali, Picasso, Kandinsky), and crazy contemporary art. While I’m not a big fan of abstract art, I found the contemporary sections of the Stedelijk really fun. What are your favorite modern art museum experiences in Europe?

Amsterdam’s mayor is pushing an initiative to take the sleaze out of the sex and drug industries--businesses that the city famously tolerates. While fans of sex and drugs worry he’s rolling back the tolerance that is so endearing about Dutch society, I think he just wants to show that sex and drugs don’t need to be sleazy...and he’s doing a good job at it. The Red Light District is now a little more compact; windows promoting fashion and artists are now spliced in among all the windows with red lights and enticing women. And the streets remain the happy domain of regular people out having fun without the layer of shady characters making money in shady ways. I’d love to hear others’ feeling or stories about Amsterdam’s Red Light District. — Amsterdam’s mayor is pushing an initiative to take the sleaze out of the sex and drug industries–businesses that the city famously tolerates. While fans of sex and drugs worry he’s rolling back the tolerance that is so endearing about Dutch society, I think he just wants to show that sex and drugs don’t need to be sleazy…and he’s doing a good job at it. The Red Light District is now a little more compact; windows promoting fashion and artists are now spliced in among all the windows with red lights and enticing women. And the streets remain the happy domain of regular people out having fun without the layer of shady characters making money in shady ways. I’d love to hear others’ feeling or stories about Amsterdam’s Red Light District.