A day in Amsterdam
we came, we saw, will be back again
If I have to pass through Amsterdam again, I will have to stay the night. This is how much I enjoyed my one day stint on my way to Accra in the summer of 2025.
Originally not my idea, I didn’t really have much interest in visiting the city. My friend visiting me at the time was sold on visiting after seeing a handful of TikTok’s including those videos blooming in Tulips.
Unfortunately it wasn’t the season of tulips but there are many other things to get up to!
The day started with an early morning flight. We are talking 6am flight. We wanted to maximize our time in the city. However we didn’t consider that our midsummer eve plan the night before would really test our endurance.
After a failed BBQ we slept at 23:00 and had to start making our way from Sweden at 01:45.
Let’s just say there was sleeping on the train, sleeping on the airport floor, sleeping on the flight and because we are in our 30s we asked for early check in to get in another 2 hours of sleep once we arrived in Amsterdam.
Once sleep was out of the way we hit the streets!
Tonys chocolonely
From our hotel we made our way to the city centre.
Hungry and little less tired there we would make our first stop, the famous chocolate super store.
We both agreed this was a priority visit. We are so happy to see the work that Tonys is doing in not only making the chocolate chain more equitable but also calling out(read shaming) other big chocolate brands who are not coming to the party. The chocolate industry dilemma is dear to my heart with now having ties to Ghana, the world’s second largest producers of cocoa.
When visiting Tonys you have the opportunity to customize already made chocolate as well as make your own bar. While we would have loved to make our bar, we settled on buying something that we could keep, branded tin containers with chocolate bars inside.
Next stop Moco Museum
Before making our way to the museum we took a little walk in the city centre. Between sex shops, restaurants and the smell of Amsterdam’s claim to fame drug , we could have easily spent the whole afternoon entertained in the city centre. But my friend insisted on going to the museum hub of the city- and I am glad she did. There you find the Moco Museum, the Von Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum and the Royal Concertgebouw concert hall. A true cultural square.
Arriving slightly early to our booking, we sat in the park in front of the museum. Trust us to take every opportunity to picnic and take pictures.
Inside the museum was an amazing experience of art and culture.
I went in knowing only one artist , Banksy, and left having been exposed to many more that I will follow.
Robbie Williams was an absolute favourite. His work resonated so much with me that to my surprise I ended up buying his art book.
On to the waters we go- Canal tour
A short stroll to the canal led us to our canal tour cruise. The canal was busier than usual according to the captain1 as the locals, without licenses, were taking advantage of the good weather and spending the afternoon on the man made waters.
Fatigue creeping in , the canal tour was an appreciated rest from being active but interesting enough to keep you awake. The history of the city is rich and adored. You get to learn about what inspired some of Von Gogh’s famous paintings, how people hoist furniture up into their apartments using hooks and why those said apartments are so small.
“Coffee shop”
If you think this was as much as two adults can do in a day , you’re almost right. Too tired to make it into the red light district we settled for a drug free drop into one of the coffee shops ( not to be confused with a café, which is where you would find actual coffee, tea, baked treats. )
Coffee shops in Amsterdam, structured with tables and seats as you would expect in conventional café, are establishments where you can enjoy cannabis products socially. We just wanted to sit in one and chat with a friend of mine that I haven’t seen in years who now lives in Amsterdam. While it was interesting, we couldn’t sit for long. With only our soft drinks to keep us company the rich cannabis smell gently nudged us out.
Perhaps if you aren’t going to participate in the recreational drug, being in a coffee shop is not the best experience.
And that was our last stop!
There isn’t enough time to do and see what you want in Amsterdam let alone Netherlands. It’s one of those places you need to keep visiting. Can’t wait for my next!
In Balance with you
/Tshepiso
Lady captain