So day two of Amsterdam started off with a big of a disappointment. After renting bikes we took off towards the Heineken Brewery. I know, visiting bid-budget breweries isn’t the most authentic experience but we heard the so-called “Heineken Experience” is a worthwhile exhibition. Plus its right down the street from the Rijksmuseum, Museumplein, and the Van Gogh Museum. Unfortunately for us (the other 12 people who showed up in the few minutes we were outside) there was scads of scaffolding and a small sign informing us that the place was closed so that the “Heineken Experience” could be renovated. Immediately into my head popped the scene from that American classic, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” when Clark W. Griswold loads up the family and takes them cross-country to get to Wally World only to find it closed for repairs when they finally arrive. Check out YouTube if you need to see it for yourself…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEbz6kvnQDA
Fortunately the rest of day was wonderful. We rode over to Museumplein to take the obligatory photos at the giant “iamsterdam” sculpture before grabbing a little take away lunch. After that we decided to hit up the Rijksmuseum because it contains more original Dutch masters than the Van Gogh (yes I know that might be counterintuitive). Continue reading →
Remember those old drug commercials from the 80s? This is your brain - this is your brain on drugs…Well Amsterdam is Bruges on drugs. First HGH because its obviously a lot bigger than Bruges. Secondly blow or meth because the pace is a lot faster. And then weed because…well you know.
But other than that, whats great about A-dam is whats great about Bruges (a little city in Belgium I’ve had the good fortune to visit twice). Small canals framed by even smaller streets. The opportunity to be run down by cyclists at every turn. Cobblestone streets, an abundance of great beer, and a chill vibe.
I really enjoyed the two days we spent in Amsterdam, using it as our launch pad into Scandinavia. I had always wanted to visit - I figured it was the last of the classical Europeans capitals I had yet to visit (okay maybe also Madrid). It couldn’t have been easier to get from the airport to the Central Station and then a short walk into town. My wife smartly identified a postal worker and he gave us perfect directions to our hostel, The Bulldog Hotel. We’re not even smokers (no seriously) and while this place had a heavy dope influence, it was also extremely clean, has a great location (yes in the red light district) and totally safe. Our private room was ready for check-in at 11am which was nice so we changed undies and t-shirts and went out for some coffee and to strategerize a plan for taking the city by storm. Continue reading →
So far its been pretty easy to find inspiration in the usual suspects. Travel magazines, websites, TravelPunk, and literature. What I was not expecting - getting pumped up from a television commercial! However, the new spots for Amstel Light show the eponymous beer’s city in a wonderful light way. It’s nice to focus on things outside of legalized prostitution and dope smoking for once. Continue reading →
So day two of Amsterdam started off with a big of a disappointment. After renting bikes we took off towards the Heineken Brewery. I know, visiting bid-budget breweries isn’t the most authentic experience but we heard the so-called “Heineken Experience” is a worthwhile exhibition. Plus its right down the street from the Rijksmuseum, Museumplein, and the Van Gogh Museum. Unfortunately for us (the other 12 people who showed up in the few minutes we were outside) there was scads of scaffolding and a small sign informing us that the place was closed so that the “Heineken Experience” could be renovated. Immediately into my head popped the scene from that American classic, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” when Clark W. Griswold loads up the family and takes them cross-country to get to Wally World only to find it closed for repairs when they finally arrive. Check out YouTube if you need to see it for yourself…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEbz6kvnQDA
Remember those old drug commercials from the 80s? This is your brain - this is your brain on drugs…Well Amsterdam is Bruges on drugs. First HGH because its obviously a lot bigger than Bruges. Secondly blow or meth because the pace is a lot faster. And then weed because…well you know.