The
Netherlands
by canal, bicycle & a little curiosity.
A flight booked with points. An old friend in a new city. Then windmills, a ferry crossing, and a bird I couldn’t stop watching.
Follow my journey
2022
Four places.
So many little stories.
Amsterdam was home base. A day beyond the city took us to Zaanse Schans, on to Volendam, and across the water to Marken.
Choose a place to jump into the trip.
Amsterdam
Canals, cafés & dino ducks
Explore this chapterZaanse Schans
A wonderful change of plans
Explore this chapter
Volendam
Cheese, kibbeling & a ferry
Explore this chapter
Marken
Across the water to wooden shoes
Explore this chapterPlus the story of how it started, and my Amsterdam favorites to finish.
It started with a flight.
And a familiar face.
I booked my first free international flight using credit card points. Waiting in Amsterdam was a friend I’d known since middle school. We had gone through high school and college together; now I was crossing an ocean to visit her.
Andy, my boyfriend at the time, came with me. We checked into the NL Hotel, laughed about its incredibly steep stairs, and headed out to explore. There was a sloth-themed brunch spot, a city full of bicycles, and a whole trip ahead of us.
Amsterdam
The canals brought us into the city. The little discoveries made it ours.
A city I explored
in every direction.
We walked along the canals, rented bicycles, and drifted through the city on a wine and cheese cruise. From the boat, our guide pointed out City Hall. Andy and I went back afterward to stand where the first legal same-sex marriages had taken place.
Between those bigger moments were café stops, pancakes, and the fresh mint tea I would eventually start making at home.
Then I met the “dino ducks.”
A bike ride through Vondelpark turned into a fascination with Eurasian coots. I hadn’t even known their name before this trip. Their enormous feet, a bag of peas, and some unexpected Egyptian geese became a story of their own.
The blog posts from Amsterdam
7 stories to open & explore
Wine, Cheese, and Houseboats: Are Amsterdam Canal Boat Tours Worth It?
A wine and cheese cruise, canal-side architecture, and some wonderful hosts.
Read the blog post
Pride Month in Amsterdam: Commemorating the World’s First Legal Gay Marriage
Returning to Amsterdam City Hall after an unexpected history lesson on the water.
Read the blog postHow Amsterdam’s Mint and Ginger Tea Helped Me Go Caffeine-Free
The café discovery that followed me all the way home.
Read the blog post
Savoring Amsterdam’s Sweets: Dutch Pancakes, Poffertjes, Stroopwafels, and More
Dutch pancakes, tiny poffertjes, and plenty of stroopwafel taste-testing.
Read the blog post
Embracing Amsterdam’s Bike Culture: A Day Riding Around Vondelpark
Renting bikes and heading into the leafy paths of Vondelpark.
Read the blog post
The Coot and the Pea: Birdwatching Adventures in Amsterdam
My first Eurasian coots, their remarkable feet, and a memorable afternoon in the park.
Read the blog postNavigating Amsterdam’s Red Light District: Rules & Tips for Tourists
A canal walk led us into De Wallen—and prompted me to learn more about visiting respectfully.
Read the blog postZaanse Schans
We set out hoping for tulips. We ended up among windmills.
The trip took
a different turn.
I had wanted to visit Keukenhof, but we were there outside its opening season. Instead, we booked a day out to explore Dutch villages and boarded a bus at Amsterdam Centraal.
At Zaanse Schans, I climbed the narrow stairs inside a windmill and looked out across the water from its upper deck. There were farms, animals, and windmills all around us. Our change of plans had worked out beautifully.
Volendam
A cheese-making lesson, a meal by the water, and a surprise waiting at the ferry.
I wasn’t going home
without some cheese.
At the Cheese Factory Volendam, we learned how the cheeses were made before getting to the part I was particularly excited about: tasting them.
I chose a two-year-aged Reypenaer cheese to bring home. Afterward, we explored the village and stopped for kibbeling—battered, fried fish—and a local beer.
When we rejoined the group, there was another surprise. Our next stop was across the water, and we were going by ferry.
And then,
we took the ferry.
Volendam behind us.
Marken on the other side.
Marken
From the ferry to a workshop, where blocks of wood became Dutch clogs.
A closer look
at a Dutch tradition.
At the wooden shoe factory, we watched a clog-making demonstration and saw the tools and techniques behind the finished shoes.
Then we looked around the shop, where clogs appeared in all sorts of forms—even as flower pots outside. It was the final chapter of a day that had taken us from windmills to cheese, across the water, and into this workshop.
After Marken, we boarded the bus back to Amsterdam.
A flight brought me here.
The little things stayed with me.
I remember the windmills and canals, but also the reunion, the tea, and the birds I couldn’t stop watching. Those are the pieces of the Netherlands I brought home.
This journey took place in June 2022; the posts were published in 2024. Amsterdam memories are gathered by experience, followed by the connected countryside outing.
Browse every Netherlands blog post