Amazing and laid back, with lots to do and lots to see – Amsterdam is definitely a marvelous city. With a blend of beautiful historical and modern buildings, picturesque canals that criss-cross the city and its unpredictable lively streets, Amsterdam is well worth a visit – even if just for a few days.
So Applicake team paid the Netherlands a visit! With an excuse of attending RubyEnRails Amsterdam 2009 conference, we could taste this gezellig* city.
Amsterdam is a delightful place, with breathtaking sights, canals and bridges, cafes and tall & narrow houses, art and history. It’s certainly bike friendly (there are as many bicycles as there are people) – but don’t even dream of parking your car downtown! It’s a tourist hot spot all year round and thus seems to be in a constant move, and amazingly energetic crowd fills narrow streets.
Amsterdam is a home to more than 50 (!) museums. With limited time, we didn’t really have a chance to visit them all (we did see the Van Gogh Museum!) Though, two of us – Pawel and Agata – decided to explore an alleged must-visit spot: Heinekein Experience.
The interactive tour created by Heineken through one of their breweries offers a great opportunity to discover the art of brewing. What makes it not-a-museum like is, e.g. a ‘Brew U’ ride where you can feel what’s like to be brewed and bottled! And a real icing was a custom made Heinekein bottle with Applicake.com printed on the label!
Hot nightlife…
It won’t be a surprise if I say that it’s not (only) the city’s beauty and cultural merits that make millions of tourists visit Amsterdam. Thanks to its nightlife and, errrm… progressive laws, Amsterdam offers some extra-ordinary attractions. So…yes, there is a coffee shop at almost every corner. And yes, there is the world famous (or infamous 
Red Light District.
…and a chilling breakfast
There is no better way to start a new day than with a nice breakfast. And it’s not difficult to guess what the Applicake team had on Amsterdam breakfast (no, it was not a space cookie!) – you can’t go wrong with a cup of coffee and a MUFFIN
Us and I Amsterdam
We couldn’t really miss a perfect photo opportunity at the huge “I Amsterdam” sign at the Museumplein. This public sculpture is extremely popular with tourists and it seems to be the most popular tourist attraction.
Though it’s impossible to get to know all the rules and the rhythms of the city during one weekend, we *definitely* had both educational and fun time there!
* “A perfect example of untranslatability is seen in the Dutch language through the word gezellig, which does not have an English equivalent. Literally, it means cozy, quaint, or nice, but can also connote time spent with loved ones, seeing a friend after a long absence, or general togetherness.” (source: http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/155-gezellig).
