So I’ve had time to look at the hundreds of photos I took of Amsterdam and it  was so great to reminisce on everything Rich and I did and how much fun we’ve had. Today’s post is about all my favourite spaces and places in the city. As you can imagine, this is in no way an exhaustive city guide as we only stayed for 4 days and haven’t had time to stop by all the places we initially wanted to visit. If you’d like to add your favourite addresses to the list, by all mean please do! Leave a comment.

The Nine Streets / 'De Negen Straatjes'

I absolutely loved the area. The architecture and the colours of the buildings are gorgeous. To me, this was the real heart of Amsterdam. We just kept going back again and again just to wander down the streets. It’s full of independent boutiques; I fell for the bookshop Mendo in particular. If you’re looking for coffee table type of book, this is your go-to place. Episode for vintage clothing’s was great. We also stopped by Dutch fashion shop Ready to Fish. There was nothing anywhere near my prices but I loved their new collection; I would have bought half the store if I could! If you like COS, it’s definitely worth stopping by as I thought the styles looked fairly similar in terms of colours tones, fabrics and cuts.  

ScreamingBeans –  Hartenstraat 12, 1016 CB

We stopped there for a coffee after shopping in the nine streets. I loved the atmosphere inside and the coffee was amazing. I also recommend you to give a try to the apple pie!

RijksMuseum – Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX

It’s actually the only museum we visited. It was closed for 10 years for renovations and re-opened just a couple of days before we came to town. We had to check it out. Although their art collection is absolutely stunning, for me it was all about the building, the high ceilings, the mouldings and the details on the ceilings. If I have one advice, it’s to buy your tickets online or come very early to beat the crowds.

Starbucks – Utrechtsestraat 9, 1017 VH

So not very Dutch I’ll give you that but it’s probably the biggest and the coolest Starbucks I’ve ever seen. It’s a big open space spread over two floors with a massive communal table downstairs and lots of smaller tables with tables and banquettes around. We didn’t have any wifi in our hotel so this place was our first stop every morning!

Jordan

I loved the neighboorhood’s narrow lanes with tiny shops and galleries. We got lost in the area quite a few time and it was probably the best way to explore it. There aren’t any touristic sights there, it’s just really about soaking up the atmosphere and having a walk around.

Winkel – Noordermarkt 43, 1015 NA

I was told that if there is one place where you should queue in Amsterdam, it’s Winkel. And we did queue indeed but only to enjoy the best apple pie we had ever eaten before. It’s right next to the Noordermarkt so if you’re around on a Saturday morning, have a look around too. And just to help you locate it a bit more, it’s within walking distance of the Ann Frank Museum.

GeorgeDeli U.S.A – Utrechtsestraat 17, 1017 VH

A cool stop for brunch or lunch near Rembrandtplein. It reminded me of a brasserie type of place. The food was excellent and I’m always happy when I get a freshly pressed glass of orange juice instead of one out of a can. If you’ve got time, have a wonder around Markt downstairs. It’s like the equivalent of Waitrose (a posh supermarket here in England): full of healthy goodies and little treats. They don’t  take cash though so not good for travellers like us who weren’t too keen on using their cards and paying charges just for a couple things.

Vleminckx – Voetboogstraat 33, 1012 XK

I do realise I’m featuring a lot of eateries on this list but I found so many cool places I just have to at least mention on the blog! We stopped by the chip shop Vleminckx for frites and mayonnaise. The shop was created in 1887 and it’s still going strong! Best frites I’ve ever had.

And last but not least…

DeKas restaurant – Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, 1097 DE

I wrote a post about the amazing birthday dinner I had there. Click here if you haven’t read it yet.

A few years ago, all I knew from this city was the red light district and the supposedly insane party and drugs scene with people going bonkers – the hangover style – on stag dos. That was never my kind of thing so A’dam was a long way down my travel bucket list. But then I started following bloggers like Sabrina and Liz who live and work in the city. Their blog posts, instagram shots and iphone snaps somehow made me change my outlook on what Amsterdam was all about. Sure, my initial misconceptions weren’t unfounded but there’s a lot more the city has to offer.

One of the things I absolutely loved was the boats and bikes culture. Pretty much every one seems to have a bike. They ride to go to work, meet with friends, go on a date, do their shopping…etc.

There were also a lot of really cute boats. We were lucky to have an amazing weather pretty much all weekend and we saw lots of families and groups of friends hopping on their boats to go for a little trip while nibbling on some food and enjoying some drinks (my kinda thing!). We actually went on a boat trip ourselves (we used the Canal Hopper if that’s of any interest) and it was such a brilliant way to see the city. I highly recommend it.

So for now, I’m leaving you with a few photos I took of pretty boats and bikes. Speaking of which, the bikes weren’t really that pretty. Most of them actually looked really rusty but I suppose that’s a way to avoid having it stolen (?).

As I’m growing older, I’m starting to feel like the years are flying by faster and faster. I’ve been developing this fear since last year that now that I'm in the second part of my twenties, I’m running out of time and that I need to achieve things now – right now. I need to score myself an amazing career I’m passionate about, set up my own company, travel in 47 countries (precisely), live in 4 of them (or so), experience lots of crazy things with friends, family and Rich, eat lots of yummy things (without putting on weight of course) and tick a million other things off my bucket list. My deadline to do all of this – as stupid as it might sound – is 30. I've got this misconception (is it?) that it's now or never and that my twenties are the time in my life when I need to achieve all of these things. That's obviously never going to happen, or at least not within this time frame.

I was having a conversation about it with a friend the other day and she suggested I make a list of all the things I’ve achieved since my last birthday. Being the list freak that I am, I was quite bugged I didn’t think of doing it myself in the first place. In any case, I obliged and although I haven’t achieved nearly as much as I’d like to, I think it's fair to say I'm not doing too bad. I sometimes forget I’m living in a foreign country where I'm accepted and integrated. I’m doing a job I love (minor the bad days). I'm currently getting more responsibilities at work and learning new things that interest me. I’ve got a stable financial situation. I don’t rely on my parents– or anyone for that matter – for anything. I can treat myself to shopping sprees every month (not designer sprees yet but I’m working on it). I get to travel regularly (for business or leisure). I live with the most amazing man on earth (and I'm not talking about my dad). And I’m happy (bonus!).