Travel Reflection | 05 Traveling below The Sea Level | Netherlands
Bikes, canals, windmills, cheese, and stroopwafel!
When it comes to the Netherlands, what is the first thing coming into your mind? The Netherlands is a small country, but people seem to have a clear image of it. It is well-known for its trading, water engineering, shipping, and freedom(?).
I spent 5 days in the Netherlands and visited Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and four towns. It was a great trip, and the environment is tourist-friendly. Let’s explore the cities below the sea level.
Food: Friets, Herring, Stroopwafel, and Cheese
In my opinion, the food culture in the Netherlands is relatively rich. (When you stay in Europe for months, you will know what I mean.) Let me introduce them one by one.
Friets
There is a battle over the origin and the name of fries. Just like the Zongzi battle in Taiwan. Let’s put this thing aside. The friets are so delicious.
I am not an expert on fries, that is the only description I can say. Each serving is usually big (big enough for a meal). It is better to share it with friends. After eating it, I suddenly realize Dutch’s passion for potatoes.
Herring
Some people think herring is scary. I don’t think it is scary though. For me, it just tastes like sashimi but is more greasy. The chopped onion is equal to wasabi. I think a majority of people can accept it as long as they eat sashimi before.
Stroopwafel
There are two kind of stroopwafel, wafel and stroopwafel. Wafel is Belgian food, and stroopwafel is Dutch food.
Stroopwafel is made from two layers of sweet baked dough held together by caramel filling. The origin is Gouda. (Wkipedia)
I ate at least five different stroopwafels. I can tell you that stroopwafel in Gouda is the BEST. The stroopwafel can be found in Gouda only. It is more crispy and thinner than those in Amsterdam.
It’s time to sip the tea, bite the stroopwafel, and chat with friends by the canal! What a pleasure.
Cheese
The cheese stores are everywhere. The number of cheese products in the store may cause decidophobia 😂. Cow milk, goat milk, young cheese, old cheese, cheese blends, and GOUDA.
Gouda is the name of a town. The town is famous for the cheese, so that kind of cheese is named after it.
It was quite joyful just walking into a store and tasting all kinds of cheese. Eventually, you know what the one you prefer is.
Space Cake
Cannabis (大麻), one of the most famous things in the Netherlands.
Walking on the main streets in front of Amsterdam Centraal, I could smell it frequently. I didn’t like it. However, how could I, as a tourist, not seize the chance and give it a try?
There are various kinds of marijuana products such as tea, chocolate, candy, and cookies. The brownie, also called space cake, was the one I ate. Each cake is about 10–12 EUR, and you can choose the levels.
I ate the cake twice during my trip, but I felt NOTHING. It was a little bit disappointing.
On the first night, I ate the medium level one. It tasted bad. It was definitely not a delicious brownie. After lying on the bed for 1.5 hours, I could tell you that I was still sober.
The other day, there was a battle between my curiosity and my wallet. Apparently, my curiosity ruled my brain. I bought the brownie again. At this time, it was an “extremely strong” level.
It tasted mmmh… just a brownie with grass flavor. Never mind, I was lying on the bed again. Tik tok. Tik tok. The hour hand had pointed at the next number. I felt nothing different. The cakes were disappointing.
Amsterdam: Heineken Experience
Amsterdam is the hometown of Heineken. The first brewery has been transformed into a museum showing the history of this brand. There are various kinds of tickets. The timeslot selected is for reference only. The tour starts every 15 mins.
I don’t want to disclose the details to let you have the best experience, but I can tell you that Heineken deserves to be the leading brand. It establishes the image and lifestyle well.
At the end of the tour, you can have two cups of beer. Use the buttons on the bracelet to redeem the beer at the bar. All the Heineken beers are on the table!
What if I don’t drink? That’s totally fine. You can have Heineken 0.0 (alcohol-free) at the bar. That was what I did. Don’t worry.
Amsterdam: Canal Cruise and Redlight District
Mmmmh, as a girl, I find the redlight district a little boring. The daytime in summer is pretty long. The night comes after 21, after 22. You have to wait until 22 to see the “real night version” of the district.
The canal tour is just a normal canal tour. If you don’t have time, I suggest you skip this event. However, it is a great opportunity to have a rest. The tour lasted for about 1 hour. You can enjoy the historical part and modern buildings in the city. Although the audio guide is provided, the quality is questionable. The real tour guide must perform better.
Amsterdam: A’dam Lookout
If you are a fan of Martin Garrix, you may know A’dam Tower (video here).
This is my favorite place in Amsterdam. Amazing view, delicious food, affordable price, free digital photo, and great experience.
How to go to the tower? There is a FREE ferry between the central train station and the tower. Although the tower is on the other side of the river, it is really easy to go there.
We bought the ticket set “Lookout+Menu” and the add-on “Swing”. Does it worth it? Definitely!
At the entrance, you can take the pictures in front of a gree wall. It is FREE of charge if you just want the digital photos. You have two chances, and there are three different backgrounds. So you have six pictures eventually.
Let’s talk about the food first. The menu includes one drink (either a soft drink or beer) and a meal. We selected the burger sets. OMG, the burgers were so delicious. The seasoning was perfect. The meat was juicy. The burger was full of flavors. I gave it over 10★.
The wing costs 6 EUR. It is really affordable compared with other tourist attractions. You don’t need to worry that no one can take pictures for you. The staff will do that for everyone, and you can access them via the photo QR code. It’s FREE.
A’dam Lookout is a storage killer, for sure. Besides the view of Amsterdam, there are several photo corners. The photo corners are all well designed. With the great music on the rooftop, you can spend hours there.
Volendam: The Fishing Town
Volendam is one of the famous fishing towns in the north of Amsterdam. Only buses are available there. We took the bus from the central station to Volendam directly, and it took about 40 mins. It is unnecessary to buy the ticket in advance. We bought the tickets on the bus.
Volendam was a half-day trip destination for us. We didn’t visit the museums but walked on the street by the sea. The town is really small. If you are looking for the following things, the price is much more attractive there than in Amsterdam. 1) fresh-baked stroopwafel and wafel, 2) miffy (the Dutch rabbit).
Is Volendam really special? Mmmh… I don’t think so.
Gouda: The Hometown of Cheese and Stroopwafel
Have you heard of Gouda cheese? Yep, the cheese is named after this town, Gouda.
Every Thursday morning, the cheese market is held at the square. I don’t really understand the cheese, so all I could say is the market looks interesting 😂. If you travel with Europeans, they may tell you more about the cheese.
Surprisingly, Gouda is also the hometown of stroopwafel. The stroopwafel in Gouda is the best. It is more delicious than those in any of the cities or towns. It is more crispy and less sweet. The layer between the cookies is thinner. If you visit Gouda, don’t forget to take some Kamphuisen stroopwafels home!
Zaanse Schans: Windmill Time
This is the famous windmill town near Amsterdam. Some complaint about Zaanse Schans is too touristy, but I still enjoy the vibe there.
My friend and I rented the bikes at the exit of the train station and biked in the town. The vibe was so relaxing. The water reflects the sunlight. The mills were spinning. It was really like the scene in a fairy tale.
Before visiting the town, we kept thinking if we should buy the windmill tickets. Now I can tell you that it is worth it. I hadn’t understood the wisdom behind the windmill before I visited it. No wonder the Netherlands was strong and rich in ancient times.
The happiest thing in this town was that I found the souvenir of special Dutch wooden shoes (clogs). At all the souvenir shops, you can find the same mass-produced clogs. The quality is not that good. Luckily, I found the one that is special and of high quality at a clog shop. Although the pair of shoes was much more expensive than the mass-produced one, I found it more memorable.
Rotterdam & Delft
To be honest, I don’t have a special feeling about Rotterdam and Delft. The biggest port in Europe is in Rotterdam, and TU Delft is also a famous campus. There are more special architectural works in Rotterdam. However, we were not a big fan of architecture and museums. We only stayed in each place for 1 to 2 hours only.
I believe there are more things that deserve to be explored in Rotterdam, but I need a local guide and a car to show me more about this city.
