Europe 2013 Day 15 & 16: Amsterdam - London

DAY 15: 27 MAY 2013

Initially, the plan was to visit Anne Frank house first thing in the morning.

However by the time we arrived at Anne Frank house around 10am, the line was curling

around like a snake.

We then decided to head towards our next destination, the Flower Market.
The items sold are similar in every shop, from flower seeds to dutch souvenirs.
One of the eye-catching flower starter kits is the marijuana plant starter kit!
We are in The Netherlands, and it isn't surprising to see these types of merchandisers.

wide variety of flower seed starter packets

quirky animal hair grow kit 

tulip bulbs in dutch clogs

 
Another famous product of The Netherlands is cheese.
There were several cheese retail shops located beside the Flower Market,
and that includes our favourite Cheese and More by Henri Willig.
Most of the cheese shops offer free tasting of their cheese flavours and sauces.
We definitely tapped on the free tasting, since we tried almost every flavour
available for tasting, from pesto to mature old cheese.
But we definitely did not leave empty-handed, as we bought cheese and
mustard sauces for our family.

Right after our stroll through the Flower Market, we made our way to the Rijksmuseum,
which was a good thirty minutes walk away.
We were deciding between Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum.
However, upon realising how huge the Rijksmuseum is, we decided to visit
the Van Gogh museum instead.

Rijksmuseum

View of Rijksmuseum from Museumplein

Before visiting Van Gogh museum, we toured Coster Diamonds which

was situated near the Rijksmuseum.

There is no entrance fee for this workshop, and all we had to do was to register

at the entrance.

Coster Diamonds workshop and retail store 

 
 
The self-guided tour was rather informative to me as I got to learn
about the various diamond cuts and the diamond cutting process.
Right after the diamond workshop visit, we moved on to Van Gogh museum.
A ticket to the museum costs 15 euros.
This museum houses not only Van Gogh's works, but also works of many other artists.
They also have some interactive segments in the gallery, which is perfect for those
who get bored easily in museums.

Self potrait of Van Gogh

After spending close to two hours in the museum, we decided to make our way

to Amsterdam Centraal to meet Amanda's friend, Madeline, for dinner.

She brought us to her favourite spare-ribs place located at the border of

the red light district.

The portion was really huge, and it will be good to share.

The company that night was really good, which made a wonderful dinner night.

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DAY 16: 28 MAY 2013

Today is one of our slackest day in Amsterdam, as we had to leave for the airport

in the afternoon.

Michelle and I planned to visit Anne Frank house in the morning while

Amanda meets her friends for a short while.

However, the line was still so long, and we decided to give up and

enjoy the breeze by the canal while waiting for Amanda to return.

We then headed to Pancakes! Amsterdam for our last meal in Amsterdam.

Although the dessert pancake was a little disappointing,

the savoury pancakes tasted really good!

The three of us got free clog keychains too, as they were souvenirs given by the cafe!

After a hearty meal, we headed to the airport and left for London.
I definitely miss the pretty canals in Amsterdam!
Oh a side note, we purchased Longchamp bags at Schiphol airport for just 70 euros each.
Definitely a good buy for the three of us!

We arrived at London Gatwick airport around 6pm and took the easybus

to West Brompton, which was located near our hostel, Saint James Backpackers.

We booked the shuttle online, and it costs 5.99 pounds for one-way.

After checking in at the hostel, we rushed off to meet Amanda's sister for dinner

at Flat Iron steakhouse.

The steak that night was absolutely fantastic!

A steak and a bowl of garden salad costs 10 pounds, which is reasonably priced.

We were really fortunate to get a table instantly as we failed to get a table

when we re-visited the restaurant two days later.

If I were to return to London, I will definitely patronise this steakhouse again!