At the end of August, Thanh and I spent a day in Amsterdam. The reason or excuse was visiting the ‘Cool Japan‘ exhibition at the Tropenmuseum.
You can read a review of ‘Cool Japan’ here.
We walked a lot. We followed our nose and our stomach. As it was a nice and sunny summer’s day, we spent much of the time outside.
Love-hate
I must admit. I have a love-hate relationship with Amsterdam. Im irritated by the mass tourism, the obnoxious behaviour of cyclists, the smell of weed and Amsterdammers speaking English to me. I speak Dutch. Flemish or Belgian Dutch, but it really is the same language as Dutch Dutch. Only pronunciation and some vocabulary differs.
But after that lovely Sunday, Amsterdam redeemed itself.
Our day
After the Museum of the Tropics we walked through Oosterpark (Eastern Park), towards Amstelbrug (Amstel Bridge) over the Amstel river. We had lunch at Buffet van Odette, which is not a buffet restaurant. The food was nice.
After l.unch we walked through Rijksmuseum and stumbled upon Uitmarkt. A yearly cultural market to introduce the cultural season. In Antwerp we have Cultuurmarkt serving the same purpose.
Rounding up
It was time to sit down, which we did at the famous Vondelpark.
After a way too large sushi burrito at Sushito (It’s only now I get the play on words in the name) we headed back to the Amsterdam Centraal Station railway station to catch a Thalys home.
On the way to the station we stumbled upon De Hallen Amsterdam. I elaborate on this cultural multifunctional space here.
What do you like to do in Amsterdam?
It’s been years since my last trip to Amsterdam but what stands out for me is early morning strolls along the picturesque canals before everyone else arrived. The gorgeous architecture and calming affect of the water always struck a chord with me. 💕
5 September 2026. Inspired by a review in De Standaard of ‘Queer Amsterdam, the Pink City‘ exhibition at De Nieuwe Kerk, Thanh and I travelled…
5 September 2026. Inspired by a review in De Standaard of ‘Queer Amsterdam, the Pink City‘ exhibition at De Nieuwe Kerk, Thanh and I travelled…