HOW TO TRAVEL AMSTERDAM in 2023

Welcome to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a vibrant city, small and quaint with unique architecture. The building is like literally tilted towards this side. And everybody rides bicycles. I'm going to be sharing some of the things that you can do and what you can expect when you're here in Amsterdam. I have just got off a train here in Amsterdam and it's actually very surprising to me how easy it is to get around in Europe just using a train. I'm so excited to be in Amsterdam. New city, new levels of excitement. So I need to go drop these heavy bags, check into a hostel and start exploring. Right now I'm at the Pancake Bakery and it's like I just jumped straight into this trip. So I met Tara and Elina through a friend of a follower of a follower and they're so kind enough to be showing me around here in Amsterdam. So right now it's lunchtime and we came to the Pancake Bakery and I'm like pancakes for lunch? So you guys do pancake for lunch and dinner? Mostly for dinner, but it's lunchtime and I'm hungry so I can eat it. So you guys eat sweet stuff for dinner? Like a sweet pancake? Okay. So I got myself a bacon and cheese pancake. So exciting, my first Netherlands dish. How do you say bon appetit in Dutch? Eet smakelijk. What? Eet smakelijk. Eet smakelijk? That's right, that's right. Eet smakelijk. It's actually really good. We're fueled up with pancakes and now it's time to explore the city. So in Amsterdam everyone including their bosses, their mothers and sisters all ride bicycles. And so this is going to be my stallion for the next two days and it's interesting. So renting a bicycle is actually way cheaper than using public transport. So if you want to get a ticket for the bus or the metro or anything, it costs €3.80. But this, getting it from the train station just cost €4 for a day. Also these guys are so awesome. You guys came from different cities? Yes. Like what, an hour and 30 minutes away from here? Yes. Just to show me around. Thank you. Thank you so much. And off we go to explore Amsterdam like a local. And this bicycle is actually very interesting. So if you want to brake on it, you need to like reverse pedal, which I have never done that before. So like when I got onto this bicycle, I was like, where are the brakes? Are you comfortable back there Alina? Very comfortable. Getting on one of these things is probably the most adventurous thing that I've done during my time here in Europe. That house right there is literally at an angle. So Amsterdam is a city of canals and narrow streets. It kind of reminds me of Venice. But what's particularly interesting about this city is these buildings right here. So Amsterdam was basically a port and that's why it has all these canals and stuff. And these buildings are basically apartments that were built during the 17th century. Basically when trade was at its peak. And these houses were owned by the wealthiest families. In fact, even still are owned by some of the richest families here in Amsterdam. So you can also see some of the buildings are so narrow. That's because even a little bit of space to acquire was so expensive. Oh my God, look duckies. Ducky, ducky, ducky, ducky. Real quick, this video has been sponsored by, you know it, Skillshare. And if you don't know what Skillshare is yet. Well, it's an online learning community with thousands of classes. For anyone who's looking to learn a new skill and explore their creativity. You can find classes on almost anything. Like photography, graphic design, interior design, business management and so much more. Lately I've been focused on self-love and development. And so I've been watching this course by Mochella B called Designing the Life You Want. That takes you through life reflections and offers different ideas on how you can inspire yourself. And how you can vision your life more clearly. I've learned that self-love allows one to become more of their authentic self. And that's allowing me to become better at being me on my YouTube channel. Which is always a good thing. Seriously guys, Skillshare is an awesome place to be. And if you want to take advantage of the thousands of classes that are available on it. Then make sure to follow the link below. And you will get a one month free trial so you can start learning today. Alright, let's get back into the video. The great thing about Amsterdam is that not only is it a cycling city. But it's quite small. So it's easy to walk around. So I've made my way to a place called Dam Square. Which is one of the popular sites here in Amsterdam. It's home to that which is the Royal Palace. There's also a church. And a famous wax shop, store, museum. Madame Tussaud. I've been told this is the most touristic thing. And the least authentic thing that you can do while you're here in Amsterdam. But I'm a Kenyan and I've never seen a wax museum before. So I have to go in. This is awesome. Oh my god. I almost thought he was real. Like this is insane. You guys, at some point I walk into a room. And I don't know who's real and who's not. So I end up looking at someone who's actually real. And they're like, why the heck are you looking at me? Oh, hello sir. Okay. That's Iron Man. You guys, I came in here with almost zero expectations. But I have to be honest. I really enjoyed myself. So right off the Dam Square, there's a lot of streets where you can find a lot of shopping. For me in specific, I'm looking for some cheese. You walk in here and you can smell all this cheese. They have so many different flavors and maturities of cheese. And the best part, they let you try all of them. This one here is a pesto cheese. And it tastes so good. Got some two-month-old gouda for my family back home for just €12.50. So eating out in Amsterdam can get a little bit expensive. So for my first night over here, I'm trying to keep it on a little bit of a budget. And so I was walking down this canal. And I saw this really long line of people waiting to get fries. Apparently, this place here called Manneken Pis. They've been voted to have the best fries in Holland. So I had to get myself some. And the craziest thing I've never seen in Amsterdam is this. At the back in their kitchen, they have heaps and heaps of fries just waiting to be served. So I got this for €5. And I asked them to recommend to me the best sauce that they give. I don't even know what the name is. The fries, they're super thick. It's really good. The sheer amount of bicycles. I've never seen so many bicycles like this in my entire life. And the crazy thing I'm trying to figure is how would you find your bicycle here if you parked it here? Like, how? You've got bicycles with baskets, tandem bicycles, bicycles with carts. And then you've got these tiny little cars that literally look like they've been picked from a cartoon and just dropped here. I have just made my way to a place called Le Petit Deli for breakfast. And it's in an area called Jordaan, which while I was cycling through it, it's very beautiful. It's quaint. It's charming. There's a lot more flowery and colorful vibes happening in this area. I just ordered this goat cheese sandwich here. And it has all these different ingredients inside that make no sense to me. It's got, and I'm actually reading from the menu right now, beetroot hummus, figs, pomegranate, eggplant, honey, roasted pecans, blueberries, rose, harissa, mayo, and za'atar. It's got everything basically. So this spot was recommended to me by a local. And man, that is so good. Wow. I have just made my way to this place here called Albert Cuyp Market, which is this open-air market. And they sell almost everything from clothes, food, fruits, flowers. And these here are my guides. That's Arzu and Sunny. Sunny is fine. Sunny, yeah. But it's spelled like S-A-N-E-E. N-N-E. My bad. She's Dutch. Can you pronounce my name? Rajveer. It's Rajveer. Rajveer? Yeah. Raj. Rajveer. Okay. Well, I can do that. I actually met Sana in Florence. And we just bumped into each other. They needed a picture. And we got to talking. And she told me she's from Amsterdam. I'm like, you have to show me around. So they're showing me the local foods that you can get here at the market. So this here is called a stroopwafel. And we got it straight and fresh from the cooking place. And it's basically like this sort of... I said it was a hard pancake and they kind of hated on me for it. But it kind of looks like a hard pancake. And it's got caramel syrup on the inside. It's nice and sweet. Delicious. There's all these different types of licorices over here. You've got some super dark ones. And you've got some light ones. Others with stuff stuffed inside. This is a typical Dutch candy actually. And these are my favorite. The coins. And you can just smell that licorice everywhere. Smells so good. Oh, wow. An Amsterdam building. And then, of course, you've got your classic shape of licorice. It's quite hard. Is it supposed to be this hard? I don't know if that's good for my braces. But... The taste of licorice. I love licorice. So, this here is called Porfitjes. And it's basically like mini pancakes. They're soft, they're fluffy and small. And they've been drowned in all this powder sugar. They're actually really, really fluffy. It's so good. So, these shoes, they're called Klumpen. And you'll find them throughout Amsterdam. Basically, they're shoes that are worn by people on the countryside. To walk around in like farms and stuff. And it's very interesting to me. They're wooden shoes. I wonder how comfortable they are. You own Klumpen, right? I used to. I think my mom still has them somewhere. But I used to have red ones with this print. Like, I think this size. Maybe this size. Comfortable is not the word I would use. You'd rather be better off going for the... Maybe. The soft ones. The soft and fluffy ones. Hello. Nice to review with Apple Pie. You guys, look at this pie. It looks so good. So, here in Amsterdam, there's a place called Winkel 43. That serves the best apple pie that you can ever imagine. And I've never had apple pie in my entire life. So, starting off my ventures with the best apple pie. I don't know how many times I've said apple pie in that sentence. But I'm super excited to try this out. Yeah, I love the crunch. Oh, that crunch is awesome. So, the first thoughts that I got when I heard apple pie. Was like something that would be extremely sweet. But it's not that sweet. It's actually really balanced. So, the dough is super soft. It's a nice warm pie. And it has this whipped cream on the top. Which is just so good. All aboard. So, we have just jumped onto a boat. And we're going to be doing a little bit of a tour of the city. Through the canals. And apparently, in Amsterdam city. It's kind of like the shape of an onion. And it has 167 canals. And said, okay guys, you can stay in a boat. So, a lot of people start staying in those particular boats. Giving history. Mixing cocktails. You're really good at multitasking. I am. Giving history. Right, right. Yesterday, you knew. Yesterday, I was driving a boat. I was holding a drink in one hand. I was driving with the other. And I was telling stories at the same time. My friends called me the super driver. So, the canals of the city were all actually made by hand. And they're literally three meters deep. So, a funny joke that these guys say. Is that one meter is dirt. The other meter is bicycles. Because a lot of people tend to just throw their bicycles inside. And the third meter is water. I feel like that there is literally the reason why bicycles just fall straight in. There are multiple reasons why bikes fall in. One is, you get drunk. And you kind of, oops, tip it over. Sometimes, yeah, bikes get stolen. And they want to get rid of it. So, they're just like, okay, I don't need this bike anymore. That sucks. Thank you guys. See you. We did the canal cruise with a company called Flagship. And I highly recommend them. I feel like I should have done it on day one. Because there was so much insight that they shared with us. So, 10 out of 10, highly recommend. After spending 48 hours in Amsterdam, I have to say, I'm quite impressed. Amsterdam has so much to offer. And honestly, I was not expecting to have as much fun as I did in this city. It's full of wonderful surprises. And you definitely have to experience the city for yourself. I hope you enjoyed the video. And if you want to check out the rest of my videos from Europe, then follow the playlist on the screen. And I'll see you guys in the next one.