Monday
12 August
Got up at 4 o’clock in the morning, and Rob drove us
to Leeds/Bradford airport, ready for our 7am flight to Amsterdam. We arrived at
Schiphol at 9.15 local time, and took a packed train into Central Station. It
was standing room only on the train, which was covered in graffiti both inside
and out! From the station we hailed a taxi to take us to our hotel, Banks Mansion. This fabulous boutique
hotel is situated on the banks of Amsterdam’s finest canal, the Herengracht (Gentlemen’s canal). It was
too early to check in, so we left our bags and headed off to Rembrantplein for
an al fresco breakfast at L’Opera.
After a welcome breakfast, we walked round to the
floating flower markets, alongside the Singel canal. As well as the flower
markets, there were lots of shops specialising in Dutch cheeses, with plenty of
free samples too! There were also shops here selling all kinds of dope, which
of course is legal in Amsterdam.
We decided to take a one hour canal cruise next, to
help us find our way around. This was a great idea, although the boat was
nearly full and very warm inside. Nevertheless we got to see lots of the
sights, several canals, and The IJ, Amsterdam’s busy waterfront. (The IJ, pronounced
eye, simply means water in English). Amsterdam has over 100 canals, and over
1,000 bridges, so we only got to see a small percentage, but many more than we
would have done on foot!
After the boat trip we fancied a Dutch delicacy,
chips with mayonnaise, and found them at The
Chipsy King. Dutch service is quite laid back, to say the least, and the
fries took an age to be served up, but they were delicious!
It was now time to check in, so we set off back to
our hotel, and were told that we had been given a complimentary upgrade to a
room with a canal view. We were also informed that everything was included in
our stay, including drinks from the bar! After unpacking, we were treated to complimentary
refreshments and nibbles. This included a selection of Dutch cheeses, a range
of meats, olives, freshly baked breads, along with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
Several wines and beers later, we headed out to Café Luxembourg for dinner. This stylish café is one of Amsterdam’s
most famous venues, and was named “one of
the world’s great cafes” by The New York Times. It lived up to
expectations, and I enjoyed a superb Dover Sole, which was absolutely
delicious, and came with yet more frites and mayo.
After dinner, we walked around by the Singel canal,
and ended up in O’Malley’s Irish bar,
listening to old sixties music. We eventually found our hotel again, and
enjoyed our complimentary nightcaps, Tia Maria for me.
A perfect end to a wonderful first day in Amsterdam.
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