Posted on Wednesday, 29 July 2015

While Brian professed his interest in Amsterdam was solely focussed on the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh, I knew that the Dutch capital held one other burning passion for him: beer.

Our recent – and surprisingly successful – holiday in Zakynthos had reinforced Brian's love of this beverage, him having discovered a number of high quality Greek ales. But the Netherlands' reputation for beer-production is of course far more notable than that of Greece. I knew Brian would be keen to sample some of the many examples on offer.

Boat

The overnight ferry crossing from Newcastle to IJmuden was smooth enough, although our cabin was rather small. The food wasn't cheap, but it was excellent. We arrived early in the morning and took the train to Amsterdam (around 50 minutes).

Neither of us had been to the Dutch capital before, so this picturesque city made a strong impression on us as we alighted at Amsterdam Central – itself a splendid piece of Gothic/Renaissance Revival architecture. We bought multi-day OV-chipkaarts (a cost effective transport option if you're spending several days in Amsterdam) and boarded a tram to our hotel.

The centrally located Hotel Casa 400 Amsterdam was a little more modern than we're used to, but the online deal we found was too good to turn down. We enjoyed a delicious lunchtime platter of meat and cheese in the hotel's in-house restaurant, before taking a quick snooze.

Brown Cafes

Despite being the country's capital, Amsterdam doesn't feel like a big city. The bicycle bells chime, the old boats bob gently in the canals and a relaxed café culture envelops everything. After our rest we strolled the cobbled streets and traversed the narrow bridges with the vague intention of finding one of the famous brown (bruin) cafés– a Dutch-style pub. We eventually found a particularly charming example on Prinsengracht, with dark wood panelling and flickering candles. I ordered a red wine while Brian selected an obscure-sounding beer. We then gazed at the nicotine-stained walls (from which these pubs take their name) and absorbed the cosy ambience as dark fell outside.

Cafes in Amsterdam, Netherlands (Giancarlo Liguori/Bigstock.com)

Bicycles

We rose early and rented two bicycles, despite some reluctance on Brian's part; he had enjoyed one too many Dutch ‘Zokmergersts' the night before, contributing to a certain unsteadiness. But in fact we were both a little wobbly to begin with. However, Amsterdam is such a bike-friendly city that it didn't seem to matter. A retired couple from England skittering about this city didn't seem to draw any irritated attention from the locals.

But then, Amsterdam – and Holland in general – is famed for its tolerance. And you feel this tolerance everywhere. The Dutch are a good-humoured people, who don't seem to stress about the little things that us Brits sometimes do!

We wobbled our way around the city's compact centre as the flower sellers laid out their kaleidoscopic blooms, weaving in and out of pedestrians and fellow cyclists.

After an hour or two we stopped at a sunny canal-side café for some strong Dutch coffee, then poured over a map of the city. We both felt drawn to see the paintings of Amsterdam's most famous son – Vincent Van Gogh.

Bedroom in Arles

The museum was surprisingly easy to find, although it took a while to identify a suitable place to chain-up our bikes.

After enjoying many of London's museums for free, paying 17 euros to enter the Van Gogh Museum seemed a little steep. But in fact it was well worth the money. The audio guide was most illuminating and really brought Van Gogh's troubled existence to life. It's amazing that such a tortured soul could produce such beautiful artwork! I especially loved seeing The Bedroom (1889).

Bites

Outside, a gentle breeze took the edge off the hot sun as we got back on our bikes in search of some traditional Dutch pancakes. Led by our rumbling tummies we soon found a cosy little restaurant with a big ‘pannenkoeken' sign outside. These are much like English pancakes, but available with a wide choice of toppings – both sweet and savoury. I chose appelstroop (apple sauce) for mine, while Brian tried a cheese and raisin combination. Both were delightful.

Blooms

We decided to work off the pancakes with some more cycling, but after a short while found ourselves yet again sipping coffee at a canal side café, watching the flower sellers close up for the evening. It had been such a relaxing day, pleasant – but there was one more surprise. After powdering my nose I returned to our table to find a big bunch of yellow tulips waiting for me. Oh Brian! I was delighted, of course, but couldn't help thinking that Brian had bought them for their diversionary qualities; he was already sipping on a glass of Zomergerst!

Canals of Amsterdam, Netherlands (pillerss/Bigstock.com)

Useful links:

IAmsterdam: https://www.iamsterdam.com/

DFDS Seaways: https://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/

Van Gogh Museum: https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en

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