Long Weekend in Amsterdam & Paris

This trip was 10 years in the making…not that I’ve been planning it for the past decade but in that 10 years ago, I promised my oldest goddaughter a trip backpacking through Europe when she graduated from high school (#bestgodmotherever). Fast forward ten years and the time is here! Now that I had a hubby, kid, and full-time job, I couldn’t swing the month long backpacking trip that I originally envisioned but I could treat her to a long weekend in two cities of her choice (I must confess that I ended up choosing the cities because I know what is best 😜). After deciding on Amsterdam and Paris, I booked a multi-city ticket on Norwegian (the no frills, base economy ticket – no food, no checked bag, and no seat reservation in advance…however, I wouldn’t recommend that option but read on to find out why 🤦🏽‍♀️).

Based on my prior experience with Norwegian (see Norway post), I knew that we should get to the airport on the earlier side. For a midnight flight, we arrived around 9:30pm (yes, that is “early” for me…lol) and the line was LONG. It wrapped around in places that didn’t even make sense!

There was a separate line for those with just carry-on luggage so we joined that line and did the obligatory “bag weigh in”…only to be met by the words “overweight” which seemed impossible because I strictly adhered to the weight restrictions while I was packing (or so I thought). Come to find out, we were only allowed 10 kg total for all of our carry-on luggage, not the 15 kg for only the larger carry-on bag as I had originally thought (ugh!). Needless to say, Kyla and I had to get real strategic about how to fit the excess weight on our bodies. I ended up wearing three of Kyla’s jean jackets, my leather jacket, and squeezed her sneakers and flat iron in my pants’ pockets. She employed a similar strategy to get us within the weight limit (it definitely took us a couple of attempts) but we finally received the coveted red Norwegian tag. Feeling proud of ourselves, we headed to the kiosk to check in when out of nowhere, an employee rips the tags off our bags (we were pissed because Lord knows it was a struggle!). After all of that, we just sucked it up and ended up paying for a checked bag ($100 at the airport 😳) but not without a good chuckle about our shenanigans to try and get the bags within weight limit.

The red eye flight was about 6 1/2 hours long so with the time change, we landed at 1pm ready to hit the ground running. After changing some cash for Euros at an ATM, we grabbed our luggage from baggage claim and hailed a taxi outside. Note to self: do NOT do that next time. The ride cost us about 60 euros to get to our hotel when arranging a ride-sharing service like Uber might’ve been 25 euros. Lesson learned!

We checked into the Hotel Notting Hill and after a quick freshening up and change of clothes, we set out to explore.

The plan was to head to Foodhallen (a dining hall that has about 20 street food vendors serving up a smorgasbord of cuisines) but we bumped into a cute street market on our way there and saw some really yummy looking restaurants so decided to eat at one instead. A restaurant by the name of Piccolini caught our eye and the calamari and pesto pasta with chicken did not disappoint.

It was a beautiful day so we spent some time enjoying the weather as well as some of the oddities we saw (not limited to dogs on bicycles and colorful condoms).

We then met Those Damn Boat Guys (no joke…that is the name of the company!) at Cafe Wester but not before picking up some drinks for the road (I love that it was BYOB!). We decided to try Aperol spritz based on the store owner’s suggestion but unfortunately for us it tasted disgusting and had an orange rind / licorice aftertaste…yuck! On the good side, the boat tour was SUPER laid back and had really chill vibes. I can’t say exactly where we sailed to (because I have no idea!) but the captain (who doubled as the guide as well) was funny and told stories about the interesting stuff that went down in Amsterdam. For example, each year more than 10,000 bicycles are fished out from the canals a year (as well as about 8 cars); William of Orange who led the fight for Dutch independence is the reason why carrots are orange today; and, the houses/houseboats in the Canal Ring are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site so the owners have to keep the forward facing side as traditional as possible (no crazy modifications!). The boat tour was well worth the 25 euros!

Next up was the Anne Frank House which was a short walk from where we disembarked from the boat tour. A few tips about the Anne Frank House: 1) it can only be visited with a ticket bought ahead of time for a specific time slot, 2) the majority of tickets are released exactly two months in advance (certain time slots sell out so book early to ensure getting the time you want!), and 3) don’t arrive TOO early for your time slot because you’ll end up waiting outside like we did until your designated time slot is allowed in. Adult tickets are 10 euros.

In case you don’t know who Anne Frank was, she was a Jewish teenager who went into hiding with her family for two years during the Holocaust and she kept a diary of her experiences during that time (before she was found by the Nazis and killed at a concentration camp) that was later turned into a book “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Although I read the book for school years ago, the one-hour self-guided tour (with audio guide) stirred up deeply buried feelings of sadness and pain thinking about the atrocities this young girl experienced. The tour was haunting (and extremely crowded) but really interesting and highly recommended.

Only a couple blocks away, we made a pitstop to Black Star Coffeeshop (a Black-owned shop that sold weed) on the way home. Tip: “Coffeeshops” in Amsterdam sell weed; cafes sell coffee. Don’t get the two confused! The coffeeshop definitely wasn’t my type of scene but an interesting experience nonetheless.

The next morning we had 9:15am reservations to the Van Gogh Museum. For 19 euros, we were granted access and took our time admiring the exhibits chronicling the artist’s life, comprised of 200 paintings, 400 drawings, and 700 letters by van Gogh.

For lunch, the plan was to head to Bakers & Roasters but it was nearly an hour wait so we went around the corner to another restaurant called The Avocado Show instead. The food was really good (a dream for an avocado lover like myself!) but our waitress was terrible so I would NOT recommend going there.

Since the walk to our next stop would be far too long, we took an Uber taxi to the A’dam Lookout, an observation deck that houses Europe’s highest swing. I would never describe myself as afraid of heights but the swing definitely had me screaming at the top of my lungs!

There also was an “Iamsterdam” sign outside so we stopped for a quick photo opp since the one that used to be in the city center was removed due to attracting too many tourists.

Next on the agenda was a Black Heritage Tour (which we were late for since we underestimated how long it would take to drive back to town from the A’dam Lookout). After finally meeting up with the tour at Dam Square, our guide Jennifer shared the rich history of slavery and Blacks in Amsterdam. She was extremely engaging, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic as she took us on a walking tour of the city, explaining the unknown history behind a lot of the architecture that we saw.

On the tour we walked through the famous Red Light District, a series of alleys where prostitutes offer their sexual services from behind windows/glass doors. While most of the women we saw were white, there was one alley where we saw “ethnic” women (who did NOT look like the cream of the crop compared to the white women). Our guide also mentioned “there was something for everyone”, including men and LGBTQ, but said they were often harassed 😦

After the tour ended (it was about 2 hours long), we decided to stay in the area and explore the side streets. We picked up a few souvenirs at a couple of quirky shops and found a random spot for lunch where we tried bitterballen, a Dutch meatball filled with beef and some kind of creamy white sauce that is crispy and fried…but it tasted disgusting!

During our exploration of the area, we visited the Old Dampkring Coffeeshop, a coffeeshop made famous by a scene that was shot there for the movie Oceans 12 with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

We then walked to Winkel 43 which I read had unbelievable apple pie and it definitely lived up to the hype! For the rest of the trip, we couldn’t stop thinking about it!!

And of course, because no trip to Europe is complete without indulging in gelato, we stopped at a shop for some delicious gelato along with stroopwafels, a popular Dutch treat consisting of two thin wafers with a caramel syrup filling in the middle (yum!!).

With all of that walking (and eating!), we went back to the hotel to rest for a bit before heading to Labyrinth, an African-Caribbean soul food spot with an excellent mixologist. The drinks were indeed delicious as was the food. Definitely a must-visit restaurant when in Amsterdam!

After (another) quick nap and clothing change at the hotel, we headed out around midnight to a club called Melkweg. There were actually two parts of the club (one of which was a gay wet and wild concert that we almost went to by accident…lol). The other part was the reggae spot which is the one we were looking for 😉 The club played some really great reggae tunes and even had a guest artist from the UK by the name of Donae who performed. We ended up staying there until 4am (and it was still going!) and called an Uber to take us back to the hotel. Side note: I love that they make you check your coat and had individual lockers for patrons to store their belongings!

Since I wanted to try the Pancake Bakery for breakfast the next morning and Kyla couldn’t wake up (these youngings want to hang out late but can never wake up the next morning!), I left her to sleep and ventured there solo. I got there around 9:30am and there was already quite a line (even though they only opened 30 minutes earlier). Thankfully the wait was only about 20 minutes before I was seated. Side note: they seat people first come first serve so even though I was only a party of 1, they seated me at a table for 4 since that was the next one ready.

The menu included every type of pancake one could possibly dream of (both sweet and savory) but since I am more of a savory person, I ordered the Greek pancake with lamb and feta (looks like a crepe) and a hot tea with ginger and mint. It was pretty good but I have to admit that I wasn’t blown away…I might need to go back and try a sweet one.

This was a transit day for us (leaving Amsterdam and heading to Paris) so we packed our belongings and headed to the train station to take the direct Thalys train from Amsterdam Centraal. It actually was a walkable distance from our hotel but since we were running late, we opted for an Uber to make sure we arrived in time. I had already purchased the ticket online because it is typically cheaper and saves you time in case you are running late (like we were!). From there it was easy to just scan the ticket at the little gate and then find which platform the train was on. Since we were in premium class, we were in the very first car, had access to the lounge, received a full lunch on the train (as well as a “snack” a couple of hours later), and was offered wine and champagne throughout the ride…all for a four-hour ride. SWEET! Side note: for some strange reason, the premium class ticket was almost the same price as regular when I was booking the tickets, so I decided to “splurge” a bit and boy was it worth it!

It was a smooth ride with a couple of stops at Rotterdam and Brussels along the way. We originally thought about doing a day in Brussels or maybe Bruge or Ghent but decided it wouldn’t be worth it (especially because we would then need to get separate train tickets which begins to add up!).

Once in Paris, we took the Metro (1.95 euros) to get to the hotel and followed Google Maps to get us to the Hotel Eiffel Trocadero, a cute boutique hotel with views of the Eiffel Tower.

Our first stop was dinner at Café du Trocadero, a short walk from our hotel known for its view of the Eiffel Tower (if you are lucky enough to get one of those tables…we weren’t). I had the duckling and sea bass ceviche accompanied by their signature cocktail but the food was mediocre and the service wasn’t any better.

We had a Seine River Cruise booked so after getting lost trying to find the entrance, we boarded the boat shortly after dusk and spent the next hour cruising down the river under 22 bridges (yup, we didn’t believe we would pass under 22 so we counted!) and seeing all the popular monuments including the Notre Dame cathedral (which had been recently damaged by a fire in April 2019).

We couldn’t end the night without gawking at the most famous monument in Paris (yup, the Eiffel Tower!) so took a few photos (ok, maybe more than a few). Although it wasn’t my first time in Paris (I actually visited for the first time exactly 20 years ago!), I was just as in awe of seeing the Eiffel Tower as I was the first time.

The next morning, we went to the Louvre (the world’s largest art museum that houses famous works like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo) and waited on the line for reserved tickets… only to find out that the workers were on strike and the museum wasn’t going to open that day. Ugh!!

We still got in a few pics of the famous building, including hunting for the same exact spot I took a picture of it 20 years ago!

We then took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and went to the top via a seemingly never-ending staircase (284 stairs to be exact). The view made it all worth it. Seeing all of Paris from high above and drinking it in. Priceless!

We then grabbed a quick lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches at a nearby cafe. Note to self: Parisians have a love affair with cheese and always overdo it on any food. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me actually find the ham (or the bread for that matter!) in the sandwich.

Next up was the Palais Garnier (translation: the Paris Opera House) where we had timed tickets for a guided tour (hence the rushed ham and cheese sandwich lunch). The opera house was gorgeous…pretty much dripping in gold everything!

After the brief one hour tour to learn about the history of the place (which actually turned out to be quite boring), we jumped on the metro and took a stroll through the Canal Saint Martin (a picturesque neighborhood featuring a long canal flanked by cute bistros on both sides) and then La Goutte d’Or neighborhoods (which has a large number of North African residents as well as an open-air market called the marché Dejean but of course it is closed on Mondays which is the day we visited).

Resuming our exploration of Paris, we took the metro and walked along the world-famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées lined with lush trees and luxury boutiques. With all that walking, we headed back to the hotel area to grab crepes (you can’t visit Paris without eating a crepe!) and take more pics by the Eiffel Tower.

We hunted down the exact spot from my first visit to Paris in 1999 with my sister and cousin and recreated that photo. In case you were curious, the numbers on the Eiffel Tower in the 1999 pic were a countdown to the new millennium.

Since we were all “metro-ed” out from taking the train all day, we took a taxi to our dinner reservation at Le Procope, the oldest cafe in Paris. The restaurant decor was upscale and beautiful, and the food and service were equally as good. We dined on steak, risotto, and coq au vin (a French dish of chicken braised with red wine). Everything melted in our mouths and we were stuffed afterwards! Tip: Do NOT ask for a to go bag here. We ordered way too much food (I was being greedy and wanted to taste everything) and they looked at me like I had six eyes when I told them I needed a doggy bag…lol.

For our final day in Paris, we went to the Galeries Lafayette (a department store that looked more like a museum) for some shopping.

Tip: We were able to get a VAT refund since we spent at least 175 euros at one place in one day. We had to show our passport and receipts (there is a long line for the place in the basement but our cashier showed us a secret place to do it…unfortunately I don’t remember exactly where that was) and then the store gave us an envelope and form that we then submitted at the airport at one of the kiosks and received a refund to my credit card in a couple of weeks.

Although we would’ve loved to spend the entire day shopping there, we had timed reservations to the Paris Catacombs so we had to cut our shopping spree a bit shorter than we would’ve liked.

So what are the Catacombs you ask? Picture miles of tunnels holding the remains of more than 6 million people, and in some areas the remains lined the tunnel from ground to ceiling. Tip: Buy your ticket to the Catacombs ahead of time. When we arrived, there was a separate line for timed tickets that still required some waiting so without a ticket, you are taking a gamble on making it inside and/or having an extremely long wait. And don’t forget to reserve an audio guide! It definitely came in handy to hear all of the history and backstory of the Catacombs as we walked through the creepy tunnel.

The self-guided tour only took about an hour (thank goodness because who wants to see all of those skulls and bones for any longer than that!). Since we had a red eye flight out that night and still had to pack, take one last selfie with the Eiffel Tower, mail back the Wifi, get to the airport, and find the VAT kiosk at the airport before our flight left, we headed straight back to the hotel and gave ourselves plenty of time.

The trip was short and sweet but we enjoyed every minute of it! Au revoir Paris! Until next time…