EU trip - Day 10 - Au revoir Paris, Hallo Amsterdam

We're moving on to Amsterdam ;) But I have to admit I didn't get to take that many pictures this time around. Btw, the map is taken from a Canal Bus map found here.

My train left Paris Gare du Nord at 10:25 and arrived at Amsterdaam Central railway station close to 2 in the afternoon. I took take the opportunity to read, catch up with my sleep and write travel notes. Oh btw, I thought the glass windows were unique to Amsterdam, but apparently Brussels has it too. They were on this street below the railtracks after we left the station. It didn't have any flashy lights or big signs to give it away. Of course, I wasn't quick on my feet (or hands) to take out my camera

I believe this is Brussels

Bikes parked outside of Amsterdam Centraal

This is what I called "bikepark" (as opposed to carpark)

When I got to Crowne Plaza, they informed me that the room I originally booked was all ready, but if I'd like to be upgraded (thanks to my converted Citibank points, I am now a Platinum. Yay!), I will have to wait. I chose the latter because it was less than an hour's wait. They have MickeyD next door, so I could also make use of the WiFi there.

Check out my room! It's pretty nice. And I could tell rightaway I won't be using half of the room :) They didn't have chocolates on the bed; they placed them together with the coffee/tea making stuff. So in their absence, they gave something to help to you sleep better at night with. Interesting. You could try either the spray-on-the-pillow or the one to be applied on your pulse points. If one doesn't work, there's no harm in trying both :D

My pad in Amsterdam. No Kaftan Girls this time around

There must be a reason they give this out

Amsterdam is another good-sized city, where you don't really need to take any form of public transportation to get around. I pretty much walked to everywhere. My hotel was a mere 5-10 minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal and another 5 to Dam Square. There's of course the tram and if you're feeling adventurous you could rent a bike.

What I covered today is by the red line

From my hotel, I walked down the street to Dam Square and continued on to Museumplein. On the way to Van Gogh Museum, I got distracted by the "I amsterdam" sign in front of the Rijksmuseum. I must say, the motto and the sign are such clever ways to brand Amsterdam, the city as a whole.

Behind those people is the "I amsterdam" sign

The sign in front of the Rijksmuseum

A close-up

After a few of obligatory shots, I made my way to Van Gogh Museum. Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed inside. They don't want people to find out some of them are not the real thing? :P Anyway, I have to agree with Lil they had given it a thought into the way they structured the museums (paintings placement, etc). Although the actual painting was not there, I had Don McLean's "Starry, Starry Night" song in my head, on repeat mode while going from picture to picture; of course, I don't know the song word for word.

The Van Gogh Museum

Would you know it, the museum closed at 5:30! I was so bummed out. I could do a little more time there. But what can I do right?

A casino by a canal

Another canal shot

Try to say that quickly

Bloemenmarkt (Flower Market)

I walked back the way I came and arrived at Bloemenmarkt (Flower market). Half of the flower shops had already closed. My mom would have loved it if she were here with me. Really. I myself love tulips. If I could bring back the bulbs (be it for customs restrictions or the weather), I won't hesitate for a second. It would have been the perfect gift for Mom.

One of the closed shops

Spring is here

They looked like onions :)

If only I could bring some home

How about that? Your could start your own ganja farm

Tulips!!!

Mom would have a field day

Then I stumbled across Rembrandtplein, which I had planned to visit tomorrow. I can cross it off my list.

Rembrandt giving his pose

I wasn't surprised to come across a lot of Indonesian restaurants. I was in the Netherlands. I finally settled for one named Kantjil & de Tijger for dinner. From the outside and the interior for that matter, it didn't look like an Indonesian restaurant at all, unless you take a peek at the menu. I just googled the restaurant just now and found this description from Frommer's ... "popular, chic, and modern. Moreover, it attracts customers who like their Indonesian food not only chic and modern, but also prepared well. It was pretty good, I must say.

One of the ladies at the table diagonal from me bought this.  Tikar mengkuang kan?

3 of the modes of transportation in Amsterdam - Tram, bike and boat - apart from cars

Another canal shot. Don't worry, there are more tomorrow ;)

After walking for a bit at the same time scouting for souvenirs, I was back at Dam Square. Curiosity the Cat (not the name of a working girl) led me to Red Light District (RLD). It wasn't that hard to find actually. Just follow the neon lights and the other tourists. Hehee. Surprisingly, it was along a canal that has lots of swans and ducks. Not too sure what attracted them there. The girls? The coffeeshops? Hahaha.

Not too sure what this building this... on the way to RLD

Sorry guys, as much as I'd like to I can't provide you with any pictures from my camera; there are tons in the net. I could have invested on those spy cameras. Haha. I didn't even go into those coffeeshops because I was traveling solo. Well, even if I had company, I would have just ordered plain hot chocolate. Haha. When those doors to the coffeeshop were flung open, you could already take a whiff what was going on inside.

Pot with extra T

Btw, I didn't need any of the mini solutions to go to bed. Wait, I don't even know what that means. Just ignore me :)