Making the Most of 39 Hours in Amsterdam

We are visiting The Netherlands this week, so I am sharing this post about our last visit there back in 2012.

This isn’t a play on the NY Times series titled 36 Hours in… but the actual time we spent on a stopover in Amsterdam on a recent trip back from the States.

We chose to fly via KLM and Schiphol airport in Amsterdam because we had heard good things about using them while traveling with infants and children. They provide diapers, formula, baby food, bibs, kid’s activities, and such on request as part of the travel experience (i.e., no extra charge). Of course, the best part was that during our outbound layover, we discovered Schiphol has a baby lounge. Yes, can’t you just picture little babies resting in velvet banquets while sipping milk martinis and using free WiFi? Well, it’s not that kind of lounge and I’ll admit the adult food options at Schiphol leave me hungering for frites and pancakes. It is a haven of peace and ideal for regrouping. LB was getting tired and though he was a delight on the flight from Cork, he needed a feed and a nap to keep his good mood going. Unfortunately, he’s a social baby so if there are people and interesting noises and cool light fixtures, he is sometimes too distracted to eat. But the subtly-marked baby lounge (beside the kid play area and by a library) is an oasis. Enter the generic door and hear Peter and the Wolf on a loop with soft lighting, pastel stripes on the back wall, and several round curtained ‘cubicles’.

On the left, there is a wall unit with changing mats and bath-sized sinks. Paper towels and soap are provided. This is ideal for a baby that is soothed by a bath or in case of a mess (you know what I mean).

There is also a microwave gadget to warm bottles! Our LB likes his bottles chilled though so we didn’t use it.

We did, however, find our favorite cubicle and tuck in to have a feed. Next thing you know, the bottle is empty and baby and I are both asleep. A solid 45-minute nap was all he needed to keep his positive outlook on the world (and for me to keep mine).

Meanwhile, hubby went to get us lunch (tuna sandwich)! That one nap for LB meant that he was not overtired when we took off on our next flight and he could stick with for normal daytime nap schedule that day. But that starts to get into how to travel with a small baby, which is another blog post entirely. Don’t worry, I’m already writing it! Now, back to our 39-hour stopover in Amsterdam.

We landed early in the morning after a red eye from the States and were tired. Even LB was not his usual giggly self. We immediately collected our baggage, went through the passport stamping process, and taxied to the hotel. The public transportation options are great in Amsterdam and we’d taken that before but with us so tired and only 39 hours in town, we wanted to make the most of our time and a taxi costs €38-48 (higher if you get a van taxi).

We arrived at the hotel and decided we needed food. But first, maybe just rest my eyes for one minute? Two hours later, LB and I rouse from our cuddly nap and brave the sunshine to find food. Hubby was being so patient all that time! We stayed at the Eden Hampshire Hotel Americain (can’t remember what the current name is but it is centrally located, clean, and pleasant). We opted for a BIG room and they put a crib in there with soft cotton bedding for no charge. The trick with the mini bar fridge (for bottle storage) is that you cannot remove anything to make room for bottles or you are charged for the mini bar item that is removed. Technology.

Here’s a photo of the outside of the hotel. It is a stone’s throw from the Amsterdam Apple store and the landmark Bulldog (it’s a coffeeshop). I’ve not gone into either but they are handy when navigating or asking directions.

The hotel has a renowned restaurant but we opted to get out and about. But here are photos of it because when I walked in it made me feel like I should be meeting Hastings and Poirot for a cup of tea. That’s a GOOD thing in my book.

Having a basic understanding of the layout of the city and having favorite neighborhoods from our previous visit, we set out for Jordaan. First stop, Pancakes! at #38 on Berenstraat. It’s a neighborhood spot that makes the most of its small space by using egg-crate noise softeners on the underside of their tables and decorating with a light-hearted touch. I had my favorite Dutch pancake, which is apple and cheese. They used an Edam and a pink apple. Delectable and light with a crunchy layer on top. Hubby had something with ham, cheese, and chicory.

Bowls of keychains and toys line the counter by the register and they’re quick to hand them out to keep younger customers happy. We witnessed a waitress give a new toy in-package to the toddler at our table so he’d be too busy playing to object to forkfuls his mother was helping into his mouth. This pair was kind enough to share the table with us and didn’t blink when LB spit up all over himself. Gotta love parenthood! And for everyone who praises me for always being so prepared and on top of things, I’ll admit I didn’t have a change of clothes for him on-hand.

After a quick change for LB from gross onesie to swaddled in my fleece jacket, we went strolling in search of a place that sold children’s clothes. We found a great spot that also sells women’s clothes. We went to several hip kids stores actually and LB has some new clothes to look stylin’ in.

It seems like Amsterdam not only has few vacant retail units but the ones that are filled express personality.

Then there’s the little matter of an afternoon snack?

And where would a trip to Amsterdam by without a visit to one of those places they’re famous for. You know what I’m talking about. You know, a cookie bar. What? They’re not famous for cookie bars? It’s coffeeshops? And they don’t serve coffee? Seriously? I don’t believe you. So, back to the cookie bar because that IS where everyone should go when visiting Amsterdam. We went to Melly’s Cookie Bar and I chose a Dutch Almond Cookie and a… (anyone want to guess?) …hot chocolate. Hubby had a conical cookie filled with sweet cream and a cappuccino or something decadently caffeinated. He is much better at managing jet lag as a result of his relationship with the coffee bean.

I had an afternoon nap too but managed to extract myself from the bed for dinner. One thing to do while in Amsterdam if you’re a foodie is to enjoy a traditional Indonesian rijsttafels (like Indonesian/Dutch tapas). We did this at Puri Mas. Coconut is a prevalent ingredient so be aware of that if you don’t like it or have an allergy.

Day two we set out in search of food but had a few stops along the way.

Tesselschade-Arbeid Adelt is a charming children’s shop one block away from city centre from the Apple store in Amsterdam. Charming hand knits and crafted items that are great gifts and heirloom worthy. They’ve been around since 1870! Well, not the women, but the guild. Here are a few photos of the shop before I show you the knitted puppy.

Turns out it is a guild of women in The Netherlands who hand craft things and sell them. They’ve been around since 1870! Even better than handmade things? Handmade fair trade things! No, it’s not as expensive as you’d expect.

A basket of Dachshunds. One of them had to come home with us. Can you guess which one? I chose a navy one with a pale blue jumper. Her name is Lucy, after a friend’s Dachshund. Wish I had gotten an orange one too so they could keep each other company.

Just because she’s blue doesn’t mean she must have a boy’s name. Smurfette was blue too!
If you want to knit your own, this pattern looks similar.
It’s from Anne-dorthe Grigaff’s book Knitted Animals (available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or a local library).

Here are more goodies in the shop. Mmm, hand knits!!!

And also LB and I chose these two knitted balls with rattles inside. He loves them.

It is a wonderful shop and I admire the talented women of The Netherlands who make children’s lives a little happier with their work.

Around the corner is the Apple store, here’s a photo of the historic building from the outside.

I always get the same thing (again, all three times I’ve been there). Gouda and green apple pancake and French onion soup.

It is around the corner from Anne Frank’s house. Nice if you need a meal after waiting in the queue.

Of course, don’t miss the chance to stroll through the Flower Market. When I say stroll, I mean stroll – no bike riding allowed in this pedestrian area.

Though we had wanted to do an excursion out to see the tulips or visit a cheese factory, we decided that having a baby with jet lag was reason enough to take it easy and sure Amsterdam is a short flight from Cork so we can go another time. We went to Henri Willig across from the Flower Market instead of a cheese excursion and got to taste many cheeses and even bought a fun cheese knife (checked luggage material). But for anyone wanting it, day excursions are available for layovers or those staying in the area. Some of the companies running them are: Amsterdam City Tours, Viator, and Great Amsterdam Excursion Company.

I know this was a very long post. Now you know why I sometimes don’t write posts about our getaways. Even just 39 hours someplace has this many photos (actually more), stories, and adventures. Please comment if you like this or try any of these places and it may just encourage me to write posts like this more often.