Landing
I jet into Amsterdam for a couple of days before I head back to London to catch my return flight back to Australia. The flight in is pretty beautiful with views of lush greenery and windmills.
Amsterdam
The Netherlands is such a beautiful country; the beautiful idyllic leafy countryside, tiny paved streets overlooking romantic canals, late sunsets in summer and a laid-back casual dining culture.
There’s an old world feel to this beautiful city. The streets of the inner city have hardly any cars (bikes are the way to go) and mood looks like it hasn’t changed in over 100 years. It’s so easy to find a cafe / bar next to the canals to enjoy a rustic snack and some beer.
I take in the beautiful scenery and spend my first day wandering the streets in contentment at the beauty which surrounds me.
I have dinner on the canal at the Hotel de l’Europe Terrace. It’s an oriental fusion spot which has the best views. I settle down with a glass of red and some lovely bites while taking in the view.
The beef rolls are amazing:
As are the chicken bao and prawn dumplings:
Leiden
The next day, I take a day trip to Leiden to meet a fellow blogger (Maria) and her partner, you can check-out Maria’s Instagram here. Leiden is a beautiful university town which has its own charm and unique vibe. I met Maria through instagram and we both love posting beautiful food & travel pictures. She has kindly promised to be my tour guide in Leiden today.
We have coffee at this cute little spot which I have always admired through her snaps on instagram. It’s an ice-cream parlour (Danice Leiden Center) where they serve you coffee with cute mini ice-cream cone attached to the cup. We chat about the state of politics in Europe and enjoy a refreshing cuppa before we walk the city.
That’s my motto!
The cute coffees!
We walk through the beautiful stony streets of Leiden admiring the thin tall buildings, scooters and searching for the ideal spot for lunch.
We eventually stop for lunch a pub. The boys have burgers and Maria opts for the healthier chicken salad.
The we have a drink on a floating bar on the canal to close out the afternoon. It’s such a peach of a day.
Then I bid adieu to my kind hosts & I head back to Amsterdam. I was so touched by their hospitality…there are so many amazing people across the globe.
Leaving
The next day I head-off back to London and enjoy a chilled time in the lounge before the short flight into Heathrow.
Video Diary
As always a picture tells a 1,000 words and a video is a 1,000 pictures! So I have compiled a little video diary of my short trip to Amsterdam. Hope you enjoy it.
The background music is from ‘Shooting Stars’ by Bag Raiders. I do not own any rights to the song.