Saturday, March 11, 2017

My 27th Birthday in Amsterdam ♥

Another year gone by, another year older... but this year I got to celebrate my birthday in style on a trip to Amsterdam with my other half. Amsterdam is a place I've visited quite a few times now (six or seven now I think) and it's a place I really love, so when Jacek surprised me by booking a trip there for my birthday, I was over the moon.

We went on Wednesday and sadly the weather was awful. Neither of us had ever been in Amsterdam before without it being sunny, so the rain and dark grey skies weren't a welcome sight at all, and the bad weather tarnished our experience a bit, but thankfully on the second day it brightened up a bit so that we could sit by the canal eating chip cones and watching the world go by.

Trying to stay out of the rain on our first day there, we browsed the six (yes six!) floors of Amsterdam's Primark, where I picked up ALL the Disney stuff - seriously, why is the Penneys back home so crap compared to this one?! I'm wanting to do a vlog to show all that I bought, but lack of time, kids, a to-do list longer than my arm will probably make it impossible... but I'll try!

We had breakfast in Durty Nelly's Irish pub - also taking full advantage of their drinks offers, we were celebrating after all and after all of that and the rain getting heavier, we decided to retreat to our hotel for a nap - getting up at three in the morning to catch our flight was taking it's toll on us by this point.

We stayed at the Best Western in Dam Square again, which isn't luxurious by any means, but also isn't a complete kip of a place either and it's a great base, close to everything Amsterdam has to offer. After a sleep we headed out in search of dinner and ended up going to Burger Fabriek, which had the most delicious burgers - I went for the vegetarian (I actually didn't eat any meat at all in Amsterdam, time to go vegetarian maybe?) and Jacek had the Japanese burger, which he loved.

After dinner we had a walk around the city, visiting the famous Red Light District and strolling along by the canals. Jacek had also given me a Fitbit Charge 2 for my birthday and when we reached 18,000 steps we decided a treat of a warm waffle with whipped cream and strawberries was in order - waffle shops are everywhere in Amsterdam.

Waking up in Amsterdam on my birthday was fab. I managed to get a bit of a lie-in as we were sans kids and after a quick breakfast at the hotel we headed out for the day. First we visited the flower market - which are barges on the canal filled with flowers and bulbs, a perfect spot for a flower lover like myself.

We then stopped for another waffle and a bit more shopping before heading to the XtraCold Icebar for some drinks. The Icebar was amazing and I loved our time there - who thought being stuck in a big freezer for awhile could be so much fun?! I tried Nutella vodka there for the first time and it was actually delicious - although I think the mojitos I had there had me loving everything at that moment in time if I'm honest!

By the time we left the Icebar the sun had come out and we got some chip cones to eat by the canal. It's the simple things that make me truly happy, and sitting there at that moment in time with Jacek beside me was just perfect.

Our final stop in Amsterdam was at the Amsterdam Museum, which I thought might have been a bit boring but it was actually quite interesting. Museums aren't really my thing, but Jacek loves visiting them, so I only really went along for him, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Schipol exhibition there is a lot of fun.

After all of that it was time to head to the airport for our flight home - which ended up being delayed by an hour whilst we were actually on the plane... the joys of travelling!

I loved our two days in Amsterdam. Getting to spend some alone time with Jacek in one of my favourite places in the world was the most perfect way to spend my birthday. I couldn't have wished for a better time and hopefully someday soon we'll visit again.

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6 comments

  1. happy birthday ! what a nice trip you had :D
    Amsterdam is beautiful ❤ I wanna visit there someday ^^

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    1. Thank you so much. Definitely visit, it's a great city!

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  2. I absolutely love Amsterdam, even though I've just been the once. It's so affordable for just a long weekend away. It sounds like you had a fab time - I've tried the icebar too and loved it! x

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    1. It's a great place and you're right, it's so affordable. Glad you loved the icebar too!

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  3. It looks like you had fantastic time, what a great way to spend your birthday. I have never been to Amsterdam before but I keep meaning to as you can get a mini cruise from Newcastle really cheap xx

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    1. Thank you, we had a great time. Oh definitely do it some day, you won't regret it!

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