When I was planning my 2.5 weeks spring break trip in 2017, I knew that I wanted to re-visit some of my favourite places – Prague and Amsterdam. The wanderlust in me wanted to venture into places and cities I've yet to visit. And it is the same wanderlust that hopped onto a bus for Rotterdam shortly after landing at Amsterdam from Slovenia.
36 Hours in Rotterdam
Rotterdam is a small city with odd and amusing buildings, perfect for a weekend trip. I really liked the quirky parts of Rotterdam; with the leprechaun’s butt plug, the graffiti on buildings, random humor and the quirky architectures. I regretted not sitting down to sketch the buildings.
Day One
I stayed at Hostel Ani & Haakien, an easy walk to the Cool District (for real that’s the district’s name). The 13th century district contains many important sights and popular shopping streets. Visited the recommended areas of interest: The Markthal, the largest indoor food market hall in Europe and the yellow cube houses next to The Markthal. The ceiling of the market is simply gorgeous and certainly adds vibrancy to the already lively foodhall.
End the day at The Tea Lab (yes, tea again) which has really aromatic brews (€2.40/tea) and accommodating staff who were bringing the tea tins for me to sniff. Left the tea café with boxes of “Cool Koala” (apple, ginger & eucalyptus) for those sick days and “Picnic in the Parc” (yasmin, lavender and lime-tee blossom) which is currently my favourite mid-day brew.
Day Two
I had a spontaneous decision to dye my hair since I had so much time on my hands in Rotterdam and I booked the first appointment at Salon Highlight for a dye-job. Spent the morning strolling around the area and taking photos of Eramusbrug and the historic Holland Amerika Lijn building, Hotel New York before heading over to the salon. The service there was impeccable. The staff offered me a pot of green tea and brought the whole box of merci chocolates for me to nibble on when I asked for another piece. She really did a good job tending to my hair and actually caring for my hair instead of those “Ok strong bleach. Ok you done, you blonde.” I paid about S$160 for bleaching and colour which is a lot cheaper than Singapore for the same treatment and salon status.
By the time I was done with my hair, it was noon. Took a leisure walk to Fenix Food Factory, a nice lunch place near the waterfront. The boutique brewery there had a great variety of ciders and I couldn't resist purchasing an elderflower and another honey cider for about €6 total. (Do note that in Netherlands. the consumption of alcohol in public places is prohibited.) Had chanced the Euromast + Pancake Cruise package online when I was planning my itinerary and thought it was a good idea to stuff myself with pancakes for 75 minutes. It wasn’t that great of an idea, I’ll admit...
Strolled around the park nearby Euromast to take pictures of tulips before reaching the highlight of Rotterdam – Ethiopian food. The meal at Viva Afrika completely changed my world. I fell in love with the cuisine and have been trying to get my hands (or mouth) on this. For those who wonder what is this magical meal that I have been obsessed over the past two years, Ethiopian cuisine characteristically comes in the form of wat, a thick stew, and spiced vegetables on top of injera (large, porous sourdough flatbread).
And it is off to Amsterdam.
Once again, Amsterdam
The dark neutrals on buildings and the canals are a reminder of why I made it a point to re-visit this picturesque city.
Day Three
Spent my first afternoon at Dam Square’s little carnival, paid €5 for a kiddy haunted house ride and bought some dutch pancakes €3. I. LOVE. PANCAKES. Came across a bookstore, Scheltema, tucked along an alley. I got really excited when I realised that the top floor sold second-hand books and spent quite a bit of time there looking through all the titles. Might have also screamed out loud when I saw that Ben and Jerry's sold the Peppermint Chunk that discontinued in Singapore...
Stopped by a herring cart to grab a herring sandwich, did some window shopping around De Negen Straatjes (The Nine Streets). Contrary to its name, the district has more than nine streets lined with vintage and specialty stores along with cosy cafés. I decided to drop by the Facebook-famous double chocolate lava cookie store, Van Stapele Koekmakerij before heading to The Sex Museum. To be frank, the acclaimed "best cookie ever" did not live up to my expectations; it was not fudgey enough for my liking, I wished the chocolate was more pronounced. Decent cookies but there are better. At least I didn't queue for it.
I honestly think that The Sex Museum is a fun place for €7 (student price). There’s quite a lot to look at, and the toilet is furnished beautifully. I also took a little break at the museums and just sat there resting my swollen feet after all the walking. I went for the Amsterdam Dungeon (€16) next - nothing too scary but entertaining nonetheless. There are certain segments which might get a little offensive but it really depends on the group of people during your time slot.
Despite having visited Amsterdam twice, I didn’t really get to see much of the red light district as my tour group headed there pretty early the first time around. Through a friend’s recommendation, I booked the walking tour by Sandemans. It was an educational and non-discriminatory tour and the funniest moment was when my guide describe the metal containers as public pee zones for men, a young chap happened to enter the container to pee. When he realised we were looking, he went “10 euros! 10 euros for free show!”. On a side note: Really wanted to go for a sex show but I have no balls to do so…
Our guide provided us a comparison between the past and present. The industry is also dying out. In the past, all three levels will be filled with girls at the windows. Currently, the industry has shrunk by a significant number of buildings and most of them have displays only on first level. My guide mentioned how most of the girls are Bulgarians or expats who makes money through this field of work before returning back to their country. My guide also recommended a documentary about the twins who have been working in the industry for the longest time ever, due to being pimped out by one sister’s partner. “Meet the Fokkens” is a candid documentary which gives viewers a glance of the not-so-romantic industry. Watch it!
Fun fact: There is an area for female customers as well, with men being behind the windows instead. Where though? Is the question.
Day Four
Started the day at the art lover’s utopia, Museumplein where it is home to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. Being the cheapskate that I am, I just browsed the museums' stores and checked out their merchandise, grabbed some photos before hopping onto a bus to Waterloopein, Amsterdam's bustling flea market with more than 300 stalls.
If you know me, you’d know that I’m obsessed with flea markets and thrifting. They are just special places that make me really happy and light inside. Waterloopein and Albert Cuypmarket were perfect in satisfying that need I have. From antiques to books to porn cassettes to vintage clothes, the markets just ooze of the typical sense of humour and laid back atmosphere of Amsterdam. I just plugged in to my indie playlist and flipped through old postcards, tried on tropical shirts and tried the street foods.
Proceeded to spend the rest of my day sitting in theatre lobbies, strolling in random parks and watched ducklings cross pathways. There are more places to visit in Amsterdam – the Anne
Frank house, Zannse Schnans (Windmill village) and river cruise.
P.S: Finally able to identify the smell of weed and realised that Amsterdam reeks of it only in my second visit back.
Solo Scorecard - 1 (1 - Perfect for Solo Travelling, 5 - Would not recommend for solo travellers)
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