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Food Tour, Canal Houses, and Western Islands

Tshaj tawm: 12.04.2023

To learn more about Amsterdam's history and life here, we signed up for a free city tour in the morning.


Royal Palace

It started at Dam Square, where our friendly guide welcomed us in German with a charming Dutch accent.


City tour

We learned that about 20 men drown in Amsterdam's canals every year because they are drunk and trying to relieve themselves. Some cars have also sunk, which is why insurance companies have placed iron bars along the parking spaces bordering the canals, in order to pay less for damages. Since the Dutch seem to value their cars more than men, these bars are low enough to prevent a car from falling into the canal, but not a person...


Begijnhof

We also visited the Begijnhof with the group. Until 1971, Beguines lived here and to this day, only women are allowed to move in.


Begijnhof

It is very quiet in the inner courtyard of the houses, apart from the many tourists who come to see it.


Begijnhof

After the tour, we headed to the Canal Museum.


Entrance to the Canal Museum

The historic canal house on the Herengracht houses a multimedia exhibition on Amsterdam's urban development and the canals.


Canal Museum

The canal houses are built on long wooden piles to prevent them from sinking into the swampy ground. In the past, these piles were only 8 meters long and too short, which is why many houses now need renovation and stabilization.


Canal Museum

The Herengracht, with its large houses, is a very popular residential and business area. Our guide showed us a house that rents for over 16,000 euros per month for its 500 square meters.


Canal Museum Garden

Afterwards, we wanted to visit another historic house.


Museum Van Loon
Museum Van Loon


However, when we arrived at the Van Loon Museum, we found that most of the permanent exhibition, which showcases the historical interior of the building, was not accessible.


Museum Van Loon
Museum Van Loon

It was covered by black curtains, which served as background for a temporary exhibition on colonial history and its impact to this day.


Carriage House Museum Van Loon
Carriage House Museum Van Loon

Since it was already afternoon, we headed to the south of Amsterdam for the Food Tour with the I Amsterdam Card.


Foodie Tour: Croquettes
Foodie Tour: Croquettes

During the tour, we read information about various specialties in a PDF document and went from shop to shop.


Foodie Tour: Febo
Foodie Tour: Febo

After trying Dutch croquettes (fried and filled with meat), we moved on to Surinamese cuisine, which we also enjoyed.

Foodie Tour: Surinamese Food
Foodie Tour: Surinamese Food

Then we tried smoked meat at the Israeli snack bar, Mezzane.


Foodie Tour: Smoked Meat Combo from Mezzane
Foodie Tour: Smoked Meat Combo from Mezzane

The shops and stalls were located on a street with a long market. There was also fish, which attracted the herons perched on the roof of one of the stalls and the balcony above it.


Heron above the Fish Stall
Heron above the Fish Stall


However, the suggested fish shop was a disappointment: the staff simply ignored us and didn't want to sell us anything. Since we were already quite full, we moved on to the sweet treats:


Foodie Tour: Poffertjes
Foodie Tour: Poffertjes

Poffertjes were a must-try.


Foodie Tour
Foodie Tour

The waffle stand was unfortunately closed, but we later found another way to try one of the stroopwafels.


Stroopwafel
Stroopwafel

Finally, we ended the tour with a bag of fries with mayonnaise, onion cubes, and peanut sauce, which seems to be commonly eaten with everything here. (One of the croquettes from the first stop was also filled with it.)


Foodie Tour: Patatje Oorlog
Foodie Tour: Patatje Oorlog

Satisfied, we visited Huis Willet-Holthuysen, a residential house that can be visited with a large part of its original furnishings.


Huis Willet-Holthuysen
Huis Willet-Holthuysen

Afterwards, we wanted to visit the Old Church, but it was closed because a new exhibition was being set up.


Old Church
Old Church

We took our evening walk on the western islands.


Guided tour of the western islands
Guided tour of the western islands

The residential area is not far from the central station.


Guided tour of the western islands
Guided tour of the western islands

Here, it is significantly quieter.


Guided tour of the western islands
Guided tour of the western islands

Modern and old houses alternate here.


Guided tour of the western islands
Guided tour of the western islands

However, the walk, which led us through three islands, was only 2 kilometers long.


Guided tour of the western islands
Guided tour of the western islands


Teb

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