Amsterdam

Our Amsterdam stay was for 4 days and 3 nights. Good thing is, everything is near each other there so unlike Switz where we stayed in 3 hotels, we didn't change hotels in Amsterdam. We took Germanwings from Switz with a stopover of a few hours at Hamburg, Germany which we didn't mind at all. There's one thing we love about Amsterdam. Halal food is almost everywhere. More than in Switz, London and also Paris. :) So easy to get halal food!

Day 1 - As usual, by the time we reached it was already dark. Got our travel pass at the airport. If I'm not wrong it covers both trains and trams, not buses (similar to Switz). I can't remember how much we paid but it was definitely much cheaper than Switz probably about 30 euros for 4 days. I think because the stations are near to each other, like just 5 minutes away to the next station. But in Switz the stations are far apart and can be up to a few hours apart if you want to go the next city (although there are some stations in between).

Gotta walk about 5 to 10 mins to hotel. Like in Switz, we didn't take a single cab to anywhere. We got lost at first but managed to find our way to the hotel. Since it was already late, we just walked around the town including finding our way to Hard Rock Cafe. It's been Zai's so called mission to go to every country's Hard Rock Cafe. There wasn't any at Switz though.

This is their Central train station. Train station so nice can?!

Our Ibis hotel. This is not their budget version so yeah, it's good.

Cannabis pops and drinks everywhere haha.

Day 2 - We went to the windmills! There were tours for this which you can register at the airport but we didn't. We asked the hotel staff on how to go there by public. There were a few windmill places in Amsterdam and we randomly chose Zaanse Schans which the hotel staff recommended. For ours, we had to take a train to central train station and take a bus from there. About 45 minutes journey. The windmill place we went also had a cheese shop and a clog shop. So everything we wanted to see was there.

Then we went to the Albert Cuyp market where we chanced upon a halal Indonesian restaurant nearby called Sari Citra. Cheap for a meal in Europe. We spent about 8 euros each. And then we went to Madame Tussauds wax museum. And lastly, to Red Light District. The Red Light District was interesting for me haha. I find it interesting la that some of the girls 'market' themselves behind the glass walls. Girls of all shapes, sizes and age. It's a different experience there, I don't feel sleazy at all going there haha. Anyway yeah we squeezed in a lot of places in a day. We went out early almost every day so we really made use of our day and night there haha. Besides, they're mostly near each other. :)

If you notice some of my photos have these black corners. It's actually my camera's lens protector thingy haha.

I love this. 

In one of the shops at the Zaanse Schans (windmill place).

This cash register is workable and they are currently still using it!

Halal Indonesian food! Rendang all have k.

Halal marinated chicken at Albert Cuyp Market. So so good according to Zai, he ate three drumsticks. I told you Amsterdam has a lot of halal food!

Couldn't take pictures at Red Light District but you can see the red lights from here haha.

Day 3 - Our last day since we have to travel out of Amsterdam on day 4 itself. We had brunch at this awesome halal restaurant called Crystal Restaurant (click for website). Located somewhere in the central too. It was near the town area which was why we could just walk to everywhere cause everything's near. We then headed to the must go 'I Amsterdam'. It was easy to go, we just took a bus. The journey wasn't long too. 

We went to Van Gogh museum too but we didn't enter (walking distance from 'I Amsterdam'). Sometimes we would just take a bus and drop off at places where we felt like haha. We dropped by this Christmas market near the town area as well. And lastly, went for a canal cruise which we bought from a booth at the Christmas market.

Crystal Restaurant. Halal ribs!

It was near here that I came across the transparent toilet cubicle (see past entry haha).

Somewhere near Van Gogh museum.

Dutch pancakes which I super love! Even more than Churros!

Canal cruise. 

Day 4 - Ready for next city!

K some tips.

Tip 1: Pack light. I know this is obvious but I made this mistake which resulted in us (more like Zai) to drag our luggage and haversacks from Switz to Amsterdam and so on after that.

Tip 2: Ask the bus driver whether the bus will go the place you want to go. The bus number that we had to take for the windmills actually end at two different places. And the windmill place we wanted to go was at the last bus stop. So we had to miss a bus although the bus number was right because that bus didn't go to the place we wanted to go. It will usually be alternate. And buses are not covered by the travel pass that I got so we had to pay a few euros.

Tip 3: We bought the canal cruise from a Christmas market. Once you buy the ticket, you gotta go to the correct canal 'station' cause there are a few. Queue up to get another ticket which will state the time of your cruise and finally queue up again for the canal cruise. We weren't lost or anything. We did what we were supposed to do. But so many people queued up at the wrong places and all. :/

Tip 4: Don't take pictures at Red Light District. We didn't try so I don't know what will happen if we tried though.

Tip 5: For all the places, it was Zai who found out and figured out how to go. Some of the places, we just looked at the map. The map we had (we bought from the airport for like 3 euros or you can get from hotel for free) also stated the bus and tram numbers that go to some of the places of attractions. So get a good map and you're good to go.

I am planning to collate general travel tips in a separate entry and how much I spend for the trip (should I include what I shopped for? Haha). So yeah these are tips concerning Amsterdam. And and I try to leave out some minor things/info/places and try not to be lengthy and wordy but if you want to know more or ask anything just ask away. I try to answer what I know and remember la. :)