Amsterdam with kids

Last April we went for a long weekend to Amsterdam. Mr.A and I had been there a few years ago to meet up with friends. We had had a great time browsing art at the Rijksmuseum, walking the streets, bridges & canals following an audio tour by our favorite – Rick Steves & getting a glimpse of the happening night life. A solemn experience was the visit to the Anne Frank house. We could say we had covered most of the significant features of the beautiful city but had majorly missed out on the legendary tulips at Keukenhof. Plus, we wanted to experience Amsterdam with LittleA this time & hoped to still love it. & still love it, we did 🙂

Keukenhof Gardens

This was spring and the gardens were in full bloom. Flowers everywhere! It was a joy to be there and take in all the beauty. Even though LittleA was just a few months over three, we can see the tulips made an impact on her too as every time Amsterdam comes up within her earshot, she is sure to mention tulips or garden 🙂 So cool that we could make a beautiful early memory together for her to cherish.

The Upside Down

This is a must see, not only if you are into social media like Instagram or Tiktok, but also if you love quirky, unusual things. A lot of fluorescent colors, neon lights, illusions, funky mirrors, an entire swimming pool full of plastic balls, a walk-in closet with a wardrobe full of flashy clothes to play dress-up, half of an airplane, yeah the list goes on! The cafe is a cute place to sit down too, with a bunch of equally snap-worthy colorful sandwiches. We sure smiled a lot & took way too many pictures 😀

Amstelpark

We stayed at the Novotel Hotels which was right across this park so we took a stroll expecting to simply find some greenery & open spaces but pleasantly surprised by the extras we found. A little open train chugged along and for 3euros a ride, took us around the park at a leisurely pace. We then came by a petting zoo and a mini amusement section for the kids, complete with a merry-go-round, a toy-train for children, a set of toy cars & lots of bubbles, ice cream and cotton candy. Could one ask for more?!

Canal Cruise

We took a canal cruise to catch a different perspective of the city. It was a balmy afternoon, lazy sunshine and the quiet laps of water accompanied a gentle audio guide onboard pointing out buildings & landmarks of significance. Very pleasant indeed. On the other hand, the banks were alive with action, people had come out in droves, also to enjoy the sun, but mostly with a beer in hand. We even saw a bunch of people fishing out a bike from the water!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Horizon

Hey friends, I’m jumping on to the weekly photo challenge wagon up at the Daily Post. I went through several of the previous challenges and it seems like a lot of fun. So here goes!

This picture was clicked from the ferry boat that took us from Den Helder, the northern tip of the North Holland peninsula, to Texel, a lovely little island with a beautiful sandy beach. We drove from Amsterdam to experience the Dutch countryside in a tight schedule of one day. The drive was exciting since a good friend who we met after two years had joined us on the road-trip. And the road to Texel was amazingly beautiful with lots of green fields, little towns scattered along the way, and the quintessential Dutch windmill, both the rustic and the modern kind. On the ferry we could look into the distance between the sea and sky, with the sun burning a silver-gold patch on the water through the clouds. I’ll share more pics from that trip another time, but for now, this click stands here for the weekly challenge. See you soon again!