This was my first stop on my vacation this year and my second visit to Amsterdam. It would be slightly different this time around as I wasn’t planning to do all the typically things tourists do in the city. Only thing I intended and planned on doing was the Rijkmuseum and the rest would fall in place while I was in the city.
I chose to stay at a hotel, The Muse Amsterdam Boutique Hotel, just outside of the city centre but still within walking distance. The hotel was conveniently located within a 15-minute walk from the museum to one side and 15 minutes walking distance to the Albert Cuyp Market and De Pijp neighbourhood in the opposite direction. It was in a residential neighbourhood and I felt I was getting to see the ‘real’ Amsterdam compared to being in the city centre where it’s mostly geared to the tourist.
After dropping off my luggage and grabbing breakfast at a nearby restaurant, Wildschut, I walked over to the Rijkmuseum. In 2012, when I was first in Amsterdam, the museum was undergoing renovations and wasn’t fully open until a year later. I spent half a day at the museum, taking my time to roam throughout the halls and taking in the art work. A few school groups were walking through the museum too and would often be seated in front of various pieces as teachers provided explanations or other teachable moments. Once I was satisfied with what I saw at the museum, I exited to hear music in the covered pathway. Not realizing it wasn’t a recording, I turned to return back to the hotel to discover it was a group of musicians playing the music with one playing an very interesting instrument.
Over the course of the next couple days, I spent most of my time in the De Pijp neighbourhood. I went to the Albert Cuyp Market a couple times and visited a couple vintage stores that were along my walk to the market. I popped into a couple bookstores and grocery stores as well.
Although I had intentions to spend a day in Antwerp, Belgium, I ended up going to Haarlem instead. Haarlem is smallish city and like Amsterdam has canals and is also very bike friendly. I walked from the station into the main square, Grote Markt, where the cathedral came into full view. I was read and was also told this main square is used as market space on Saturday mornings. There was a market on the Friday that I went but not in the main square. This market was small and had some vegetable / farmer stands and local goods to buy. I sat in front of a cafe/bakery to enjoy some coffee and lunch. I ended up chatting with a local Dutch woman who gave some tips on what to see in Haarlem if I had time the next morning to come back into the city.
