Day 1 5.45 Schipol Airport
Arrived early in the morning, I decided to go to Utrecht to meet Miffy first. Following the Oudegracht canal, I found the Dick Bruna Huis and the Centraal Museum without getting lost.
Dick Bruna Huis is a wonderland. If I were 5, I would run crazily around like other kids. Matisse and Gerrit Rietveld are the biggest influences of Dick Bruna. The Centraal Museum possesses the largest collection of Rietveld designs in the world.
Wandered around Lijnmarkt & Oudegracht in the afternoon. There are many fun little shops like Prod's and Primes which has a rich collection of Barbapapaitems.
Dille Kamille is a beautiful shop for accessories of kitchen and garden.
Prinses op de Erwt has kid stuff of brands like club geluk, kik kid, kids case and room seven.
Leaving Utrecht, I went back to Amsterdam by train. It took me a while to get the bearing right. Still I managed to find the hostel at last. Accommodation in Amsterdam is not cheap. I just booked a shared room. I do not expect anything fancy but this one is really... one word, daggy.
Day 2
Got an iamsterdam card from the tourist office in the morning. The card gave me access to around 20 museums in 2 days. Van Gogh Museum is famous for its long line. Waited for almost half an hour to get in. The audio tour of Van Gogh Museum is one of the best in the world. It's like taking an art appreciation class. I always think Van Gogh tells us practice could make perfect. In the creative world, talent may help a lot. but if you are really committed to create, it's possible to accomplish something extraordinary.
After visiting the Van Gogh Museum, I went to Overtoom to check out marqt. marqt is a high-end supermarket with cool design. Down to Ten Katestraat, it's a market that sells vegetables and fruits.
The rest of the day is all about photography. First I visited Huis Marseille, the museum of photography. The current exhibition is portraits of families in the Netherlands by Taco Anema.
I'm totally into the exhibition of Richard Avedon at foam.
"There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth." Richard Avedon
Day 3
I started the day at Hortus Botanicus, the botanic garden. Over 4,000 species of plants are growing in this garden.
Joods Historisch Museum (Jewish Museum) is a total surprise. I was drawn to the museum by its logo. It turns out the design of the museum is even better. The children's museum is soooooo cool. It helps kids to learn about the Jewish culture and history through cooking, drawing and music.
Next stop is science center NEMO. The architecture is by Renzo Piano.
Then I checked out the Stedelijk Museum in De Nieuwe Kerk (The New Church). It's an exhibition about "Holy Inspiration, religion and spirituality in modern art". I can tell for sure I don't like contemporary art.
To have a rest, I took the 75-minute boat tour to have a good look at the city along the canal. Last, I finished the day by visiting the Rijksmuseum. As the museum is undergoing a major restoration, only a small part of the museum is open to public.
Day 4
It's my second last day at Amsterdam. First I went to Albert Cuyp market. What interested me most is the shops on Gerard Doustraat.
Blond Amsterdam has a wide collection of fun lifestyle products.
Kinderfeestwinkel has everything for kids.
Duikelman offers professional cooking tools.
Following the Amsterdam Design Guide made by Danielle from the Style Files, I checked out shops at Negen straatjes. Of course, droog design, frozen fountain and kitsch kitchen are too good to be missed.
Day 5
On my last day at amsterdam, I went to De Oude Kerk (Old Church) to have a glimpse of sunday service in dutch. Then I went to the Piet Heinkade region to check out all the modern architecture. I guess my camera knew its the end of my journey. It decided to take a break. So, I could only let the pictures stayed in my mind.