We arrived in Amsterdam in the morning, and headed straight to a vegan restaurant, Vegan Temple Bar, for an early lunch after dropping off our backpacks at Hotel Catalonia Vondel. The food was delicious and so comforting after a flight.
We bought tickets to our first museum in the city – Moco Amsterdam – which features modern art by high profile artists like Banksy and Takashi Murakami.
The Moco is housed in a small, antique building near the other popular museums, and has artwork in various rooms spread across three floors. We started with works by Robbie Williams, which are lighthearted and funny personal perspectives on anxiety and mental illness. They’re vulnerable and honest, and lovely to spend time with.
There are a few works by Damien Hirst and Yayoi Kusama, which are amazing to see in such a close and uncrowded space. We also saw several pieces by Murakami and a whole room of works by Banksy, which is a lot of fun.
One of my favourite exhibits were two rooms with videos of subtly shifting natural landscapes set to gentle music, by Six N. Five. They’re astoundingly beautiful and mesmerizing. You could spend hours watching the videos on a loop, like a long meditation.
Once we left the Moco, we went back home for some downtime before a walk through Vondel Park, which is right by our hotel. It’s a long, narrow green space filled with luscious trees and plants, and gravel paths that follow winding, curving ponds. Lots of people sit by the water on blankets or just on the grass to talk and eat and spend time in the sun. It makes for a very relaxing walk.
We ended the evening with dinner just down the street at Veganees. Kevin had the Bibimbap, Rowan had the Miso Ramen, and I had the Mapo Tofu – and we were all in love with each of our meals. We can’t wait to go back for more.
Amsterdam is more crowded than Oslo or Copenhagen, but it has an easy, relaxed vibe, which we like. The tourist sites are extremely well organized and laid out, making it a pleasure to walk around and enjoy. And the sunshine, blue skies and low 20’s temperatures, make it that much more beautiful and enjoyable.
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