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Last Stop: Hot Amsterdam

Last post on the series of Europe 50th Birthday celebration trip. The final stop is Amsterdam! 

We disembarked our comfortable Viking Cruise adventure in a very hot, very crowded Amsterdam. As you know from our 2024 trip here, it is not my favorite city (see this post) but I was determined to do this right and change my opinion of this city. 

Amsterdam 

Starting with the hotel. We stayed at the Amsterdam Renaissance hotel in the northern part of the city, near Central Station. Super big, comfortable, updated, beautiful with a coffee bar in the lobby. It's at the top of the Red Light District (so be aware where you walk). But near quieter canals, shops and restaurants. NOT near the museum district, which was a bummer, but we figured out the tram system so it wasn't a big deal.

That morning, once we got settled into the hotel, it was early so Dave went to the gym and I did a tour of the Royal Palace in the middle of town. At 10am, this city is very manageable. But after that, it was way too crowded. 

We met up for a river cruise (and made it this time) with the whole group. It was great. Then Dave and I went to the Rijks Museum, because the Van Gogh museum was, in a word, awful and spoiled much of our last trip. What an incredible collection at the Rijks! So glad I got to see The Night Watch and the quiet Vermeers. The cityscape was especially stunning. 

The first night we opted to eat with Janine and Robert in their hotel restaurant. It wasn't anything special, but the company was perfect. They were leaving the next morning, so it was our last chance to spend time with them. 

The next morning, Dave went with the group to the Anne Frank Museum while I enjoyed a quiet walk around the canals. Then we met up with Dave's coworker Jost and his partner Kris for lunch at Mortimer. 

When we last had dinner with Jost in Princeton, he went off on a rant about how much he hates tulips, which is so funny because Netherlands is all about tulips. So I got him a tulip souvenir to remind him of that. We walked around with them for a while and they're such a sweet couple. It was nice. 

Then Dave met up with the group at the Heineken museum, which I didn't want to do, so I had some more solo time walking around Amsterdam. I discovered some really cute shops and, despite the heat, if I stayed out of the crowded parts of the city, I found Amsterdam to be a little better than the last time. 

Until Lauren and I were summoned down to the Seafood Bar a 30-minute walk away from our hotel and we sped-walked it down there as fast as we could and got turned around several time. Despite the rushed walk ("get here before they give our table away!), it was the perfect last dinner altogether. 

The next morning, we flew home! Phew! What 15 day adventure. 

Here's a few Amsterdam photos: 

Canals!


Royal Palace





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