Three Days in Amsterdam with Friends

It’s hard to believe that just ten days ago I was in Amsterdam walking and talking with my friends Anne and Ashley. It’s even harder to believe Anne is on a plane to Japan right now and Ashley spent last weekend in Rome! These girls share my travel bug and we were all so grateful to squeeze a little girlfriend visit into our busy lives.

I thought I’d start by giving you all the details of where we ate/explored/shopped in our short three days in Amsterdam. Next week I’m going to share eight million photos of bicycles and canals, because I realized they were cluttering up this post. I must have stopped on every corner to take photos of bicycles and canals that were *slightly different* but mostly the same. But you’re going to get that post anyway, because that’s what makes Amsterdam so ‘dam appealing.

And there’s a little round-up at the bottom of all the spots we visited and links to their websites!

My travel buddies!

First things first, we stayed in the Volkshotel on the southern side of Amsterdam. We were swayed by their triple rooms, and when we arrived we all enjoyed the big open plan work spaces, beautiful flower arrangements, and hilarious signage. The hotel is a former newspaper headquarters, so there is blown up newspring of actual Volkspaper pages on the walls. They also have a selection of rooms designed by local artists, some of whom work out of the studios in the back of the hotel. One of the rooms has a life-size plastic deer and you are allowed to climb on it. That’s an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. 

We also had lunch our first day in the restaurant at the top of the hotel, overlooking the city. Their open-faced sandwiches are awesome and cheap on delicious bread. Their menu also includes moments of hilarious translation that cracked us up for our whole trip. Instead of chickpeas, they called them chicken nuts, and that about did us in. 

We had much needed coffee the first day at Coffee and Coconuts, which we initially thought was Coffee and Donuts. The enormous and airy interior made up for that initial disappointment. Exposed brick, Michael Jackson posters on the walls, and three floors of seating.  

 

Another day, in another moment of starvation, we happened upon Toastable at just the right moment. Toastable does triple decker toasties, or toasted sandwiches, and they were life-saving. The girls went for normal-ish combinations (I say normal-ish, but Ashley ordered the “old cheese” version of every meal on this trip), but I went for Grandma’s meatballs with cheese and peanut sauce. It sounds bizarre but it was one of the yummiest sandwiches I’ve ever had. And I can safely say I will never be able to properly recreate it again in my life. A once in a lifetime triple-decker toastie! 

We loved the de Pijp neighborhood, which was in walking distance from our hotel. Lots of cool restaurants and cafes, and a giant daily market. You can spy a little more on this neighborhood on my friend Ajda’s Instagram since she lives very close! 

We also loved the Noordmarkt in the opposite area of the city, but it’s only open on Mondays from 8-1pm. Can you believe there was a selection of gently worn LL Bean boots at the market in Amsterdam? I nearly bought some just because they reminded me of Maine. I’ve decided that once we buy a house in Dublin, I’m going to rent a van and drive it to Amsterdam and stock up on furniture. I’m quite convinced it will be cheaper and the furniture will make me happier than anything we’d find here. We’ll rent a big van, anyone want in? 

We visited possibly the coolest travel bookstore on the planet, and Anne was in heaven. Anne teaches a Skillshare class on creating your own maps, so it was her mecca! So many maps and globes! Anne visited the Stedelijk Museum and loved it, and the other two girls also tried the Foam Photography Museum while I took a wander on my own.

Of course, we also took lots of photos and shared lots of Instagrams! 

Ashley shot a bunch of film, so those will be fun to see when she gets them developed!  

So, here’s what you can pack into three short days in Amsterdam with girlfriends!

Eat: De Ysbreeker / Toastable / Winkel 43 / Juice & Salad Cafe / Volkshotel / Flamingo

Coffee: Headfirst / Scandinavian Embassy / Coffee & Coconuts

Explore: Foam Photography Museum / Stedelijk Museum / Noordmarkt

Instagrams to follow for more : Ashley / Anne / Ajda / Me!

Next week, more beautiful canals, millions of bicycles, and lots of leaning buildings!