Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Part One of our Europe/UK Trip
Europe Here We Come!
The first stop on our three-city tour was Amsterdam in the Netherlands. We were so excited to start here; Mike and I had never been. And, our dear friends live north of the City and decided to come down to spend the weekend with us. Our kids are the same ages, and we miss them dearly. Plus, they booked so much for us; it was great to have someone local to show us around and speak the language.
Upon touchdown, we noticed that Amsterdam was very flat. We come from a land of big mountains, lakes, and oceans. There weren’t even any hills! But, it was so pretty and much smaller than we anticipated. We breezed through customs and then I made everyone brush their teeth.
We are big proponents of learning as we go when we travel. In Europe, this meant we would utilize public transportation because it is far superior to what we have in the US. And, we want the kids to learn how to get themselves places without us. We figured out how to buy train tickets from Schipol Airport to Centraal Station in Amsterdam. But then finding our hotel took us a little bit longer. We got pretty turned around but once we got our bearings (and I learned something new about Google Maps) it was a short walk to the hotel.
After M & I freshened up our room was ready so we dropped our bags. After chatting with our concierge, getting a physical map, and making a game plan we headed out into the city. Once we stepped out the front door of our hotel we learned the guiding principle of Amsterdam; bicycles rule the city and always have the right of way. Any time you cross a street you need to check for cars AND bikes.
Our first stop was a stroopwafel, a fresh one for R and they had packaged gluten-free ones for M. We headed for the de 9 Straatjes via lunch. While we were walking around it started to rain, which was fine since we are from Seattle. But then it started to come down. I had cranky teenagers so we returned to the hotel to rest before dinner.
For dinner, I booked a restaurant called Pesca. I love the premise but our food took forever! You walk in and there is a huge seafood counter. You work with their “fishmonger” to figure out what you want, how much of it, and how it’s prepared. Then you move on to beverages; you can taste wine or cocktails and make your selections. And, finally, you are seated for dinner and await your food. We waited for almost an hour and had to flag down multiple people to find out what was going on. My restaurant eye told me they lost our order. We were SO tired and just wanted to get back to the hotel. We decided to Uber back because we were done with the day.
Day Three
R woke up feeling somewhat normal on our last day in Amsterdam, we were so happy! We headed to the Anne Frank house to meet our friends and let R walk through. He was so happy to be able to go through; he was really looking forward to it, and it would have been so disappointing for him to miss it.
The rain started once he had gone through, we powered through and walked all the way down to Museumplein. We stopped along the way at different shops. The kids stopped into HEMA to do a little shopping; it’s like Target but more fun.
They took us to La Place for lunch. It’s a huge buffet with all the traditional Dutch foods, plus pizzas, smoothies, and salads. I think I ate four sausage rolls and split a pizza with Mike. And, I had a green smoothie to be healthy. Then it was time to head back to drop them at Centraal Station so they could head home.
Our family went back to Food Hallen for dinner since it was so easy the night before. Then we went to Winkel 43 to get Mike a slice of apple pie. My husband’s absolute favorite dessert is apple pie. We waited in line for a bit, then realized we could order a slice to go, saving us about 45 minutes. We hung out in the lobby with Mike as he tasted, what he says, is the best apple pie he’s ever had. Pro-tip: order it with whipped cream. He did email them to ask if we could have a pie shipped to the US, but sadly, they won’t. So, I guess we are going back!
amsterdam
When we decided to take the kids to Europe over winter break we wanted to start in Amsterdam. Mike and I had never been and we had friends who lived close by. They moved back to the Netherlands a few years ago but we have remained close and so have our kids
The flight was pretty good. I usually can never sleep on flights, but I took some NyQuil and it helped me sleep for a couple of hours. Sadly, I was the only one in our family that slept.
Jet lag is real, wow! I learned real quickly that I am no longer in my twenties. The kids struggled too but we eventually found our groove.
My son had the hardest time and I think it contributed to him getting quite sick. And, potentially a little food poisoning played a role. He didn’t get to see our friends except for the last few minutes of our time with them and spent a day and a half in the hotel room by himself.
At least he was old enough to stay by himself and rest. I did find Dutch saltines and what I think was the equivalent of Gatorade and learned how to navigate a grocery store. Hot tip: you have to scan your receipt to leave if you do self-checkout! Also, ramen in Amsterdam is fantastic, I think it helped him feel a little better.
What we did
After a very restless night of sleep, we hit breakfast in the hotel & then hopped on the tram to start our day. The tram system in Amsterdam is easy, cheap, and gets you where you need to go.
One important thing Mike and I talked a lot about when planning this trip was museums. Our teenagers are old enough to be in them and appreciate what is displayed. However, it was important to us to find balance and not be in a museum every day of the trip.
Day 1
Our first stop was the Van Gogh Museum. I still remember watching the Dr. Who episode when Van Gogh is brought to his museum to see his work and life celebrated. He was only 37 when he died and never had the opportunity to see success while he was alive.
We learned that all the European museums we visited have free coat check/cubbies. This would NEVER happen in the US. It was such a small thing, but it delighted us to no end. We didn’t have to pay, nor did we have to carry around our heavy winter coats! We grabbed our audio tours (I LOVE an audio tour) and got started. The Van Gogh museum is not huge, but we spent a little over an hour there. We went at our own pace and were interested in different paintings. The kids knew about Starry Night, but it’s displayed at MOMA in New York. I love the Sunflowers & Irises, the paintings were so vibrant & captivating.
After Van Gogh, we were on a mission to find Craft Coffee & Pastry, a certified gluten-free bakery in Amsterdam. We love to explore on foot, and we get lost in every city we visit. It was no different trying to find this tiny bakery. After walking and backtracking, ducking into alleys, and dodging cyclists, we finally found it. What a gem of a spot. The bakery is very small, with just a walk-up counter and a small bench outside. It was delicious! And M was fueled up to keep going to try to keep the jet lag at bay.
We walked back into the heart of the city to the Royal Family’s former palace. We did another audio tour, checked out coats (again for free!) in the largest coat check I’ve ever seen, and explored for an hour. It was a short walk back to our hotel,l so we could get a bit of rest before leaving for dinner.
The restaurant for dinner was outside the core of Amsterdam, in the south. I was really excited to dine here as it came highly recommended by a colleague. One of the wonderful things about my kids is they grew up in restaurants and they are wonderful diners. Dining in high-end restaurants is no unfamiliar territory for them. I do have to do my due diligence to ensure that M can eat safely, but with this caliber of restaurant, it’s generally not an issue.
Before our trip, I purchased cards in Dutch/English & French/English explaining Celiac Disease. I highly recommend these cards if you have any kind of dietary restriction or allergy. We used them often and several restaurants made copies of them to keep on hand.
I’ve struggled about how I want to write about this dinner experience and I am not a reviewer but it’s likely we will not go back. When the host staff realized we had kids, they put us in the first booth, not even in the main restaurant. I would normally ask to be moved but I did not have the energy. The service & food were ok, but as is typical, once they realized our kids were actual diners they paid a bit more attention to us. But, as someone who has worked in high-end restaurants for 30 years, I was disappointed in our experience. The one thing that keeps niggling me is the sticker was still on the lemon wedge that was served with the fish we ordered (which was the wrong fish, but I digress). I counted nine people in the kitchen, not including the Chef, who was on the floor, but never visited our table. This means the prep team in the morning left the sticker on, likely 2 to 3 people, the line cooks missed it, and the expo missed it. Details matter and this restaurant fell woefully short. When it was time for dessert I figured it would be quick & easy. But, despite watching the pastry cook make chocolate shells for most of our meal, her station wasn’t set up! It took twenty minutes for us to get dessert, one of which was incorrect and had to be sent back, much to the annoyance of the server. I was not sad to leave!
Day Two
We woke up excited to see our friends coming to spend a few days with us. I was getting ready in the bathroom when my son burst in, saying that he was going to be sick. And he was. After vomiting several times, he crawled back into bed, where he remained for the next day and a half. He was SO disappointed because we were going to the Anne Frank House that day, another museum, planning to eat Dutch pancakes and spend time with our friends. He tried to rally but couldn’t do it. M and I ran to the grocery store to find crackers and some kind of electrolyte drink for him. We think it was a combination of jet lag and food poisoning from dinner the night before. Since he is 16, we felt comfortable leaving him in the hotel room where he slept most of the day.
Despite R being on my mind all day, we had plans. We were late getting to the Anne Frank house, so our friends went through first, and then we followed on the next ticket time. They were so gracious and understanding of our situation and even told us that if he felt better before we left Amsterdam, we could come back, and they would honor his ticket. Which he was able to do, thankfully.
Anne Frank tickets go on sale six weeks before the date you want to purchase. It’s not optional, you simply won’t be able to see it if you don’t buy tickets in advance. This was our kids’ first time seeing anything related to the Holocaust in real life. I had the opportunity to go to Poland and Israel the summer I turned 16 and visited four concentration camps & numerous sites in Poland. I truly believe this is required learning for everyone. It is hard to see, but so important. Photos are not allowed in the Anne Frank House, which I completely agree with. The kids were so shocked that it was in the middle of the city, in a lovely part of the city, and how small everything was. It was hard for them to wrap their heads around 8-10 people living in such small quarters, not going outside for two years (!), and then only having one survivor, Anne’s father Otto. If you travel to Amsterdam, even if only for a day, please make this stop. It’s only about an hour long and is worth it.
Before our friends left to move back to the Netherlands, they would frequently make us Dutch Pancakes. My son (and us) adored them! He was so looking forward to eating them, but didn’t get one, unfortunately. Our friends found a spot that has been around for decades and I was able to communicate with them via Instagram about M’s Celiac. When we arrived, I showed our server my card and our conversation. The restaurant cleaned the pan, swapped utensils, and made her a safe, gluten-free pancake. It was delicious! We all had giant Dutch Pancakes for lunch.
After lunch, the next stop was the Rijksmuseum; this is where many of the Dutch Masters’ paintings are housed. Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” is here. It has been under renovation for five years, and they are not sure when it will be complete. I had never seen this painting before. It is absolutely massive, twelve feet wide and fourteen feet high. I’m fascinated by art, and this painting was so impressive. Our friends are artists, so it was really interesting listening to them talk about techniques and their view of what we were seeing.
Dinner on day two was fun & easy. We went with our friends to Food Hallen; a food hall with so many vendors serving just about every cuisine you can think of. In the center of the hall is a bar, and all beverages are sold here. As a restaurateur, this is a brilliant move. Additionally, there is a dedicated Food Hallen staff handling bussing tables, taking garbage out, and answering questions. We snagged a table, and then everyone went and got their meals. It was an easy way to meet everyone’s needs and spend time with each other.
