My first European city as a traveler, Amsterdam will always be a remarkable venture for me. Both intimidated and excited at the same time, I landed in the city to begin my incredible journey. To my surprise, it was just so easy to embrace the culture and uniqueness of the city. I was overwhelmed with the warmth of the friendly and fun-loving people in Amsterdam. The canal, cruises, bicycles and coffee shops, there is just so much that sets this extra ordinary city class apart from the others.
The most popular means of commute in Amsterdam is biking. Myriads of people can be seen biking through the city in the bike lane. Renting a bike to explore the city and experience the culture at the same time is definitely a great idea. Since all the landmarks in the city such as the Rijksmuseum, Dam Square, Central Station are so close to each other, it is not even tiring to bike around the city. Personally I love to walk and explore, that way I don’t have to care about the bike’s safety, but biking is fun too.
Holland is famous for its bulb flowers, particularly the tulips. One of things that was always in my bucket list was to visit the tulip garden fields in Holland. I finally got to see the Keukenhof garden which is the second largest tulip garden in the world. The striking colors of the tulips, orchids and lilies planted and arranged creatively in different patterns was really a breathtaking view. The garden is open for three months from March to May and I was lucky to be in Holland during the spring season.
Amsterdam is known for its elite night life across the world. Leidseplein is the neighborhood in the city known for live entertainment, music, bars, restaurants and casinos. We really enjoyed the delicious street food there. Every evening, we would wander in different streets to experiment new smoky appetizing cuisines. One that I enjoyed the most was Turkish cuisine Donor Kebabs which is halal chicken stuffed in pita wraps which was inexpensive yet so delicious.
In short, Amsterdam is a spectacular and friendly city with delicious food, rich history and great night life. What’s your first European city as a traveler?
Travel adventures across the World!!! 
April 13, 2015 at 4:02 pm
Looks amazing! I have actually not been to Amsterdam yet, even if I grew up in Norway. I have just been in the airport, many times. I have also been to the country, but just other places in Holland. My husband have been in Amsterdam, and he loved it! Especially the people and bikes as you 😉
I hope you are having a great time there! And I will be visting in a few months as well!
Btw, I love you pictures 🙂
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April 13, 2015 at 4:15 pm
Thank you very much for stopping by and reading my blog. I am so glad you like it. Norway is one of my dream destinations. You are so lucky to live there. Amsterdam is really fun, you should visit it next time you are in Holland 🙂
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April 13, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Look at all of those fabulous flowers! My first European city was Grenoble France. I think that first trip to Europe is always so special. I know I was awestruck with the cultures. the language, the food. all of it. 🙂
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April 13, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Thank you Sue. Absolutely my feelings.I was
stunned too. There is a completely different world out there 🙂 So glad we got a chance to explore it.
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April 14, 2015 at 1:30 pm
I used to live in the Netherlands. There are plenty of beautiful places!
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April 14, 2015 at 2:19 pm
Thank you Maja for stopping by 🙂 Oh yes I really enjoyed my stay there. You are fortunate to have lived there.
I just visited your blog page and looks like you have traveled quite a lot yourself. However I am not able to find a follow button in your site. Could you please let me know , would love to follow your stories 🙂
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April 14, 2015 at 3:39 pm
We purposely had a six hour layover in Amsterdam on our way to Hungary. We took the train into the city, visited the wonderful Rijksmuseum, walked around the town, and ate a breakfast of pancakes with chocolate sauce. We loved it! I didn’t know about the Keukenhof garden, and we were there in April a few years ago. Perhaps we will see it next time. On our trip back to the U.S. we visited the small branch of the Rijksmuseum in the airport, and admission was free. That little museum is one of the reasons the Amsterdam airport is so awesome!
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April 14, 2015 at 4:12 pm
Oh wow, you did a lot in six hours. I had no idea that there was a branch of the museum in the airport. Glad you had such a great time. Definitely plan to visit the garden in your next visit 🙂
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April 15, 2015 at 8:01 am
I was in Keukenhof gardens yesterday, had also a wonderful time ! So many flowers over there 🙂
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April 15, 2015 at 2:35 pm
Hi Darwin, That is so great , the weather must have been much better now. It was bit chilly when I was there and I could only visit the indoor gardens. I am sure the outdoor garden looks lovely now 🙂
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April 17, 2015 at 2:22 am
A great city, but make sure you don’t step into the bike path or you’ll get run over:) Love all the pictures of the tulips, so nice!
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April 17, 2015 at 3:05 am
Haha roger that ! Thank you very much 🙂
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April 29, 2015 at 8:16 pm
Lovely photos! I’m so excited to visit the Kukenhof gardens, and I can’t wait to eat a doner! My first European city was London, although that was after I moved here, when we came to find a place to live we headed straight to the Lake District, which doesn’t really have any cities.
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April 29, 2015 at 8:46 pm
Thank you Amanda. I hope you are able to visit the Kukenhof garden in good weather with the outdoor garden in full bloom. When I visited ,it was chilly and I could only visit the indoor garden. London is like one of dream destination, you are very fortunate to live there.
Also thank you for the follow. Following you back and I look forward to read more of your amazing travel journeys 🙂
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April 30, 2015 at 4:12 pm
thank you for your insight of Amsterdam. we are going there for the very first time in June. can’t wait!
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April 30, 2015 at 4:54 pm
Thank you very much for visiting my blog. Oh, you will have beautiful weather in June.I am glad my blog helped 🙂 Have a great trip.
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May 2, 2015 at 6:21 am
Beautiful pictures and writing! Amsterdam is my favorite city. I love the architecture and the water canals. It always makes me want to go back. Have a lovely day and thank you for sharing!
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May 3, 2015 at 5:28 am
Thank you Lucky 🙂 Amsterdam is a lovely city and everyone who goes there falls in love with it 🙂
Also thanks for the follow. I also look forward to see more of your beautiful pictures and paintings 🙂
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