A few of my guy friends and I decided to meet up in Amsterdam in June 2013.  Some of them have just graduated from college so it was a great city to celebrate! A friend and I took the train from Paris to Amsterdam and met everyone there. Luckily one of the guys I was with is a local resident so we got to see the city through a local’s perspective.  Amsterdam has always been on top of my bucket list, I was so excited to be there! We stayed at a tiny hotel ( more like a motel) in the Leidsestraat street between all the high-end luxury brands reside.  It was ironic that the tiny hotel was right next to Chanel. The night we got there, we walked around Leidseplein area, which was a walking distance from our hotel. Without prior yelping or researching, we somehow ended up at this fantastic restaurant that served us GIANT pieces of meat and great beers.  The restaurant is called Cafe De Klos. I had no idea but they are rated almost a five star on Yelp! You have to go eat there when if you are visiting Amsterdam.  I had a huge rack of lamb, put me in the happiest food coma right after! As many of you know, marijuana is totally legal in Netherlands.  I’m not here to create controversy over this topic, however I visited one of the biggest cafes (where you can purchase, and smoke weed) in Amsterdam.The Bulldog cafe. was really fun, great vibes but seemed a little bit main stream. It’s one of those places you gotta visit, once you are here. There are many more you can find down the street that is more smaller scale and “chill.”

We also visited the famous Heineken Museum.  I had so much fun there!! As it is called the Heineken Experience, I got to see how Heineken beers are made, and tasted over course of years and come out of it tipsy! We walked through the 9 steps of brewing beers: milling, malting, mashing, lautering, boiling, fermenting, conditioning, filtering, and filling. I even got to swirl something in the big tub. ( I actually had no idea what I was doing!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked through the 9 steps of brewing beers: milling, malting, mashing, lautering, boiling, fermenting, conditioning, filtering, and filling. I even got to swirl something in the big tub. ( I actually had no idea what I was doing!)

 

There were games we could play, and cool loungey area where we got to watch movies.

 

 

 

 

They educated us on how to properly taste the beers in the tiny Heineken cups. It was hard not to resist the urge to chug the little glass, being thirsty.

You get two chips at the entrance, once for the beers at the end of the experience, and another can be exchanged for a boat ride down the canal to the Heineken gift shop. You can purchase Heineken goods there.  I got a mini beer testing size Heineken glass with my name engraved in it!  I highly recommend you to take the boat ride, it’s very scenic and it’s fun when you are tipsy!

At night, we visited the red light district. Just like how I imagined, it was very provocative.  Walking through the street, there were many mini streets with just see through window doors all lit up in red with different types of ladies seducing visitors with their naked bodies.  It was very interesting I have to say.  Different vibe than the streets equivalent to red light district in Bangkok, Thailand.  People are more open to going into the room in public.  There were also joints where you can pay a fee to go in a room to watch a sex show through a window.  Let’s say that it  was definitely something I don’t see everyday!  Oh and big warning! DO NOT try to take pictures of the ladies they will freak out on you and run after you!  When I had my phone in my hand, it looked like I was secretly taking a picture, so I got yelled out by one of the ladies but once they saw that I was just holding my phone they were off my back.  So be careful with your phones!

While I was doing some shopping, I came across a beach volleyball tournament in the middle of the city! How cool is that? I discovered Poffertjes, a delicious street snack in the Netherlands.  I got to enjoy a game of beach volleyball right in the middle of the city while munching on these buttery puffs.  It is to die for, mini pancake pieces loaded with butter topped with powered sugar. It was so yummy, I’d love to have that again sometime.

I will DEFINITELY be making a trip back to Amsterdam!