Brace yourselves for a very long blog post! We thought we could fit our few days in Amsterdam into one post, forgetting how much we actually did while we were here ;) Amsterdam is an absolutely amazing city! Between the canals and rows of colorful buildings, to their bike paths and open-air restaurants, this city is perfect. Fun fact: Amsterdam has more canals than Venice! During our few days here, we explored every part of this city we had time for! Here we go... Exploring the city and dinner at the Heineken Grand Cafe | After a 2 hour flight delay, we finally arrived in Amsterdam around 5:00 in the evening. Without any plans, we decided to just explore this beautiful city, and stumbled upon the Heineken Grand Cafe for dinner. This city was bustling with people riding bikes, enjoying dinner and drinks, and soaking up the perfect evening weather. Albert Cuyp Market | We started the next morning with a stroll through Europe's largest market, the Albert Cuyp Market. We were overwhelmed with all of the farmers, bakers, food stands, and merchants, and were drawn by a sweet, mysterious aroma. It didn't take us long to find the source...delicious waffles! We couldn't resist these delicious Dutch waffles with Nutella drizzle for breakfast. ;) In addition to our delicious breakfast treat, we bought fruits and fresh baked bread (Holland's version of corn bread...it was scrumptious!) FREE Walking Tour through the city-center! | Amazingly, Amsterdam offers free walking tours for visitors. We happily joined a group and learned more about the city. The tour guide was great, and new a lot about Amsterdam and its history. While on the tour, we even got the chance to taste traditional Dutch cheese (which was a lot different than cheese we had ever tasted....but yummy in a weird way). Dam Square | Dam Square is the city-center of Amsterdam, and "where it all started". Amsterdam means "Dam on the Amstel", because that is how the city started. If you look at a map of Amsterdam, you will notice a concentric pattern to the streets. The city center - the oldest part of the city - was very confusing in terms of organization. As the city continued to grow, they continued to build more and more canals outward, which is how Amsterdam formed its unique shape. In Dam Square, we saw the Royal Koninklijk Palace of Amsterdam and the old Post Office of Amsterdam (a very elaborate building that is now a Shopping Center). Amsterdam's "Secret" Courtyards and Vondelpark | From the first glance, it may seem as if Amsterdam is a city of lines of buildings, stone paths and bridges, and long, narrow canals, with little room for green spaces or city parks. However, behind the 'facade' of these buildings are some of Amsterdam's true treasures...beautiful inner-courtyards! These courtyards started as shelters for vulnerable people of the city to enjoy safely, such as single women and orphans. Now, these green spaces can be enjoyed by the people of Amsterdam as beautiful escapes in the middle of a bustling city! Fun Fact: Amsterdam has over 30 parks in the city, and over 60 inner-courtyards. Charming Jordaan neighborhood and market | We wandered around the very charming and historic neighborhood of Jordaan (which also happened to be in the same area we were staying!) This area was once the 'slums' of Amsterdam, and was also an area used to collect Jewish people in WWII by the Nazis. Although this area has a somewhat dreary history, it was very charming and vibrant, with an abundance of small shops and cafe's. We were excited to visit yet another market, the Niewmarket, despit the 88 degree weather (that we did NOT pack for...) BIKES EVERYWHERE! | Something truly amazing about Amsterdam is their infrastructure that allows such easy access for bicycles and pedestrians. We read before our visit that there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam...THIS IS TRUE! There are bikes EVERYWHERE throughout the city, chained anywhere there is any open space! We learned that many locals actually have multiple bikes, and often leave them chained in different areas of the city in case they unexpectedly need a bike one day...how clever! Sustainable transportation | Amsterdam is a place that is VERY pedestrian and bike friendly. Their public transportation system is also very easy to use, with trams, busses, ferries (which are free!) and trains that can get you anywhere you need to be. Amsterdam uses electric taxis, and there are free charging stations everywhere for electric vehicles. Amsterdam even has an electric car sharing system! We even saw 'micro-cars'...cute, tiiiiiiiny cars that are able to drive on the bike paths! Museumplein | We visited the area referred to as "Museumplein", because of the two major museums located in that area - the famous Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. We also happened to come across the famous traveling "I Amsterdam" sign, and couldn't resist the photo-op! Coster Diamond Factory Tour | We didn't know this, but Amsterdam is famous for diamond polishing! We came across the oldest diamond polishing factory in the world, and couldn't resist the chance to have a free tour! We know...it's not architecture-related, but what can we say?! We accidentally stumbled upon a 'special group tour' and were able to see close up some EXTREMELY valuable diamonds and jewelry...upwards of $86,000 for a single diamond! We also learned about the process of determining the weight, clarity, and value of diamonds...and maybe even got to try on some of the sparkling pieces ;) "15 Bridges" bridge | We heard that there was a bridge in Amsterdam, where you can see 15 (of Amsterdam's 1,200+ bridges) at one time! We stopped by, but could only count 8 ;) Europe's smallest house | Amsterdam is known for its very narrow buildings and alleyways. But you wouldn't believe the house we found! It is the most narrow house in Holland, and the smallest house in Europe, measuring only 2.02 meters wide (6' 8"), and 16' 5" deep. Talk about living in close quarters! NEMO Museum and the EYE Film Institute | We ventured out to the Ij (pronounced "eye") River to visit the NEMO Museum and the EYE Film Institute! Although we didn't go inside the NEMO Science Museum, we were able to check out the unique design and visit the beautiful accessible roof area with a great view of the city. The museum resembled a boat floating on the water, and was designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano in '97 We were able to take steps all the way to the roof, which was full of laughing children and families enjoying the fun water/splash area on the hot, sunny day. The cafe on the roof was really cool, with plants all over the walls and interesting wooden seating areas. We then took a ferry to visit the EYE. The EYE is a Film Institute located right on the water, with several theaters. It is meant to look as if the building is in motion. Patch 22, the tallest timber building in the Netherlands | While on the north side of Amsterdam, we took some time to walk and visit "Patch 22", the tallest timber structure in the Netherlands (rising up to nearly 100 feet tall!) This was a residential building, so we were unfortunately able to tour inside. But we did take a look from the outside, admiring the unique wooden design. It is amazing that a structure so tall can be built using wood! Europe is advancing in the world of mass-timber structures, which allows buildings to reach significant heights using wood rather than steel and concrete. When the wood is sourced sustainably, tall timber structures have countless benefits to the environment, including carbon sequestration and less of a carbon footprint due to the lack of manufacturing (as opposed to steel and concrete). And in case you're wondering, mass timber structures have exceptional fire-proof ratings! The Edge | We ventured out to the Financial District of Amsterdam, Zuidas, to see the world's smartest building! We weren't able to tour the inside of the building, but seeing and researching this building was fascinating enough! Designed by PLP Architects, this building (with the help of some really intelligent technology) can do AMAZING things. The building has 65,000 sq.ft. Of solar panels integrated into the exterior facade and on the roof, which help this building produce more energy than it uses (WOW). The employees in this office have a phone application that directs you to an open parking spot (reducing the number of people aimlessly driving around in search of a place to park). There is also an abundance of bike parking and special parking for electric cars. There aren't fixed desks in this office building, and employees are able to select where they want to work for that day...they are able to freely move around, and have access to internet everywhere in the building. On days when fewer employees are expected to be in the office, an entire section of the building will be shut down to reduce the demand for unnecessary heating and cooling. How cool is that?! It is no wonder that this is the smartest building in the world... bureauSLA Architecture Firm Tour | We were very kindly welcomed by this small, yet mighty firm. We spoke with Peter and Treska from bureauSLA Architects to learn more about the type of work their firm does, as well as overall design standards in the Amsterdam area. Learning about this firm was incredible. They are a very innovative group of designers, who always seem to be pushing the envelope in terms of designing for the environment. By simply speaking with them, it was immediately apparent that they did not even emphasize "sustainability" or "green design" when describing their projects...it was simply a unquestionable standard built in to each of their designs. We learned about a few different unique projects the firm worked on: Noorderparkbar (AKA the "EBay Building") | This building was made of 100% materials purchased from Holland's version of "EBay" (I think it was called the Marktplaats). This building was constructed by the firm themselves to serve as a place for the neighborhood to enjoy. ALL of the materials were bought from the Marktplaats, including the paint! The result was stunning, and a very innovative way of creating a completely recycled building. Our favorite part of this project was the fact that the architects kept track of the story of each and every material they received. They learned about the people who were selling the windows, doors, wood, paint, etc. and were able to integrate these stories into the finished product. The People's Pavilion | bureauSLA was selected to design a temporary pavilion for a festival in Amsterdam...when faced with this project, the team tried to think of a way to create a temporary structure that wasn't wasteful (it is going to be torn down just a few weeks after it is built). So the architects came up with an idea to create a 100% BORROWED structure...that's right! They are planning on borrowing all of the materials to create a temporary pavilion. Once the festival is over, they will return ALL of the materials back to the original owners, 100% like it was when they got it. This pavilion will be unbeliever in October, so stay tuned for something spectacular from them :) Pretty Plastic Plant | This team of designers is extremely hands-on. They designed and built a plastic sorting 'factory' (not really a factory, just aa small set up of different tools/equipment for sorting/processing plastic). With this equipment, they were able to sort, melt, and mold plastic to create 100% recycled plastic installations that make for beautiful wall coverings! Nature and Environment Learning Center | We had the opportunity to not only learn about this building, but visit it! The learning center is a place for the children of Amsterdam to learn about nature and the environement (obviously!). In Amsterdam, every primary school student gets their own garden to care for, allowing them the opportuunity to learn first-hand how to grow their own food. The building does not consume fossil fuels, and has solar panels integrated into the roof structure. The slope of the roof is oriented towards the south for the best solar gain, and this also allows for the students to easily look up onto the roof and view the solar panels that produce the energy for their building to run. The building also uses a Trombe Wall system, allowing for solar heated air during the cooler months. The Trombe Wall also prevents solar gain during the warmer months by blocking out the sun when it isn't needed (and absorbing the heat). Overall, this building was an amazing design, and a great learning tool for the children who are able to visit this facility.
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