Today we explored Amsterdam’s Chinatown, Nieuwmarkt Square and a fascinating boat trip on the canals of Amsterdam.

We had a great day in Utrecht for my birthday yesterday. So we had a nice lie in before spending our last few hours in Amsterdam.

Chinatown

After a quick cup of coffee we made our way to our first destination of the day, Chinatown.

This district was established in 1911 and is the oldest Chinatown in Europe.

It’s basically an area of Chinese restaurants, shops and cafes situated over a few streets as well as the impressive Buddhist temple Fo Guang Shan.

I took quite a few pictures of the products on display in the shops and it was interesting to see the street signs were also in Chinese.

Nieuwmarkt

We then arrived at Nieuwmarkt. The square is dominated by a building called De Waag. This was originally a gate in the city walls but was later converted into a weighing house after the walls were demolished in the 17th century.

I was really impressed with some street art of Ajax and Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff here.

Amsterdam canal boat trip

Back towards the Damrak we noticed that there were quite a few companies offering boat trips on most of Amsterdam’s canals. We thought this was too good an opportunity to miss, so promptly bought tickets. Oh, and we also procured some cans of Heineken in the shop across the road for the journey too.

It was nice to see Amsterdam’s narrow houses and low bridges whilst sipping on a cold beer on the canals. It definitely gave us a different perspective on Amsterdam.

Brasserie Meuwese

Once we disembarked from the boat we decided to get some food before flying back to Bristol. A little place called Brasserie Meuwese accommodated us.

I opted for a homemade cheese burger with fries, which I have to say, without exaggeration, was one of the most delicious burgers I’ve ever tasted. And i’ve tasted a few!

Our last few hours in Amsterdam just reinforced how much we loved the city. There is really so much to see and do here. See you again one day Amsterdam, it has been a pleasure!

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