Amsterdam - city center touring

We made a large breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. We were woken up this morning by Maggie singing in her crib (yes, literally). After sitting around for awhile and playing, she took a nap and when she woke up we headed out for the day. We went on a self-guided tour of the Red Light District and city center.

First up was the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) which was nice but we felt not worth the cost of admission (however it was free with our MK). El Greco's art was on display which was really the only thing we thought worth seeing there.

Next was the Royal Palace next door. This was originally the city hall and when the French took over, it was turned into a palace for the royal family. Now it's kind of a mix of both and used for state functions and as a museum. There was a free audio guide and the rooms were laid out over one floor so it was accessible. Very interesting tour. We got lunch next - nothing special - street food pizza and french fries.

We made our way through the RLD to the Oude Kerk (old church). This was also (thankfully) free with the MK, but again we didn't think it was worth paying to enter. The churches we saw in the Netherlands were all kind of plain compared to the ones we've seen elsewhere in Europe. There was a strange art exhibition inside which was a bunch of broken mirrors all over the ground...? At first we thought it was a mistake but there were a lot of them. Maybe we are just not artsy enough to understand it? However, in the back of the church there was an amazing cafe where we had cappuccino and cake in the tiny garden. It was so peaceful and lovely there. Definitely worth a stop!

Next up was the Museum of Our Lord in the Attic. Back when being a Catholic was an underground secret affair, people made churches in their houses. This was one of the only remaining examples (not sure if it is the only) and was very cool to see. Lots of stairs but it was laid out well and had a free audio guide. This was definitely a favorite of the day! We learned a a lot there.

We stopped at Brouwerij de Prael nearby to buy some beers. We didn't understand what we were buying at the time but it turned out to be an anti-hangover beer. We walked towards the pier to catch our canal cruise. We took a 1 hour canal cruise with Greyline, which included a free audioguide (was 16 euro each I believe). It was fun, definitely worth doing but this particular tour was definitely a tourist trap and overpriced. We did some souvenir shopping and walked to dinner.

We had a 6pm reservation at Kantjil and de Tijger, a popular Indonesian restaurant that had been recommended to us by two tour guides. We got the "rice table" which was the Indonesian's way to introduce all of their best dishes to the Dutch when they immigrated there. There was 15 total dishes, though some of them were palate cleansers and accompaniments. Still - tons of food! Very tasty food and drinks there. To drink we got a Bali iced tea which was basically like a Long Island iced tea, and Kantjil Delight (lime, vodka, mint, ginger). Delicious meal and highly recommend. They were accommodating to the baby and had a high chair at our table when we arrived, and there was also a changing table in the restroom thankfully. Maggie was very tired and had a little meltdown towards the end of the night so we headed back to the apt to put her to bed.Read more