Self Service

Self Service kiosks - very fun thing - to save on a cost of service you can get hamburgers or other fast food from a machine. I still wonder who puts them in there is the first place. Since it is a bit cheaper ... or maybe they are just old? Still fun to explore :)

Amsterdam Design Stores

Be sure to check out Droog design store located not too far from the Rembrandt House. Their innovative ideas will get anyone convinced to create eco friendly furniture.

 Make sure to also visit The Frozen Fountain back at the Jordaan Neighborhood. The design store is great and full of great furniture, but the interior of the building is also worth a trip. A classic Amsterdam row house is transformed into a modern vision, full of depth, skylights and gardens. Make sure to sit in the Moroso chair although its simple by design it won't disappoint on comfort. 

Moroso Chair

Cheese Day - Alkmaar

For anyone who has ever been in love with cheese or food in general Alkmaar is the place to go. A complete heaven for cheese, bread, and chocolate lovers! Also in itself it is a very nice charming little town!

On Friday mornings in the summer months the city holds a cheese ceremony where all the cheese gets distributed to different companies. The runner each have different hat colors representing different company and different kind of gouda cheese.

After all the cheese eating events and markets there is always a need for something else, and the city does not disappoint. With all the bread stores and chocolate stores. Go to Bon Choco and try the Brownie Creme the best thing to end the day with.

This is how we ended the day!

Jordaan Neighborhood

If you ever decide to go to Amsterdam stay in the Jordaan Neighborhood. This one is filled with different different cafe's, small boutiques and incredible Amsterdam architecture.

Visit different boutiques in the Nine Little Streets since this is located in an art district everything here is unique. Make sure to see Fifties-Sixties, De Weldaad Antiek en historisch Bouwmateriaal that has all the classic historic pieces (picture below), most importantly go anywhere you like it - we did!

Have lunch at the Tin Pan Alley, as we had a fantastic lunch with all the fresh ingredients. I had the Salmon Sandwich and my friend the Club Sandwich and we both were extremely satisfied. Their sun dried tomatoes were to die for.

Modern Amsterdam

 Silodam - MVRDV's famous building is located in a new part of the city, but from my experience also the most calm one. The picture was taken from the beach located off the dog park.

 Located at Westerdoksplein 20, Ateliers Westerdok was designed by De Architekten Cie. The cantilevered part of the building is gesturing a church located on the other side of a rail road, emphasizing the thoughtful design this building has. 

The Python Bridge (Pythonburg) is located on Borneo Islands. The concave shape of the bridge creates a new high experience, so definitely walk this bridge if you ever get to this part of the city.

This island is definitely a must see for anyone who appreciates contemporary architecture. It houses "The Whale" building. 

"The Whale" building also by De Architekten Cie does emirate the shape of a whale. The size of the building is also overwhelming, especially when compared to the contemporary row houses surrounding it.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam a city known for its many canals, history, tilted structures and nightlife. It is a great location to spend a week long vacation with my friend from Czech Republic. One of the guides responded that Amsterdam is: "a city or art, a bankers city, a tourist city, a university city, a hard-to-control city, an exuberant city, a dirty city, a beautiful city, a sporting city, a young city, but above all, a city full of atmosphere where everyone immediately feels at home". This week i will go around Amsterdam and some close towns to see and explore new things, and try to share some of my experiences here.