10 a.m.: Eat breakfast next to the canal
Still slightly sleepy from the night before, you savour a koffie verkeerd, a Dutch coffee with milk, at the Pancake Bakery. You enthusiastically try the poffertjes you have just been served. These spongy pancakes are a real treat. A few metres away, the canals reflect the spring sun on the bricks of the Jordaan bridges. As your weekend in Amsterdam begins, you close your eyes and listen to the conversations around you, and the light splashing of water...
12 p.m.: You wander through the flower market
After your walk along the canals, you discover the Bloemenmarkt, Amsterdam's floating flower market. Around you, tulips spread as far as the eye can see. The vendors smile to you from the barges docked at Singel Canal. They explain how to plant tulips in your garden... in true Dutch fashion! You're almost numbed by such a variety of colours: spring has well and truly arrived.
1 p.m.: You nibble on local specialties at the Albert Cuyp market
In amongst the lively hustle and bustle of the Albert Cuyp Market, in the former working-class neighbourhood of Pjip, you flit from one stall to another. With your arms bursting with purchases, you eye up the cheeses on offer. Nearby, shopping baskets collide as you're greeted in a number of languages. You decide to buy a fruity-tasting piece of gouda and continue exploring. Your nostrils quiver in excitement as you smell herring! A must-try in the Netherlands...
4 p.m.: Walk in Anne Frank's footsteps
When you step inside the Anne Frank House, excerpts from her diary come back to you. The solemn quiet that reigns in the museum transports you to another era. You go from room to room and discover where the little German girl lived, hiding for two years during the Second World War. Outside, life peacefully goes on in the Jordaan neighbourhood.
7 p.m.: Sip a beer in a brown café in Jordaan
Seated at one of the rustic tables at Café Chris, the oldest brown café (traditional bar) in Amsterdam, you enjoy a well-deserved beer. Laughter and lively conversations can be heard from the locals propped up at the bar. The barstaff bring you some steaming-hot bitterballen to try. The deep-fried meatballs are a typical Dutch pub snack. You sit back and relax: your weekend in Amsterdam is coming to an end, but spring is off to such a promising start...
