We left Berlin the morning of September 26, 2023 and planned to take a direct, 6.5-hour train ride to Amsterdam, but our train was cancelled. At the train station, we rebooked twice, and those were cancelled too. In fact, all trains from Berlin to Amsterdam were cancelled for the rest of the day. We rebooked a train to Hannover, Germany thinking we could transfer to an Amsterdam-bound train there. After arriving in Hannover, we found out all trains from Hannover to Amsterdam were cancelled, too. Electrical problems. We were stuck in middle of Germany with no place to go. Our only options were to fly (wouldn’t land until the next day), rent a car (we’d kill each other), walk, or take a bus. We took our chances and hopped on the only available bus (“Flixbus“) for a 6.5 hour ride to Amsterdam. Peter was still under the weather, but he pushed on – lugging bags on various trains and busses all day long, until we finally got to Amsterdam almost 24 hours later.
Our Hotels and Covid
The first place we stayed was the Pulitzer Amsterdam, recommended by our NYC friends Jill and Joe, as well as a Monica’s friend Colby from Holland. It was great advice. The Pulitzer is a five-star hotel in Amsterdam’s famous Canal Ring. Inside the grounds are gardens, restaurants, bars and a well-equipped spa and fitness center. Thanks to Amex we received an upgrade to a gorgeous hotel room with huge French windows overlooking the canal.
Shortly into our stay, Peter started getting feeling worse and started wheezing, which often precedes pneumonia for him. We went to an Amsterdam “tourist doctor” who prescribed antibiotics and inhalers for an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis. They didn’t work. A few days later, Peter took a Covid test, and BINGO! It was positive. We decided to skip our next stop in Bruges, Belgium and stay in Amsterdam until he felt better and was no longer contagious. (We think Monica gave Covid to Peter. She was sick for ten days while we were in Vienna and Budapest, but we thought it was just a cold. Her symptoms were much milder than his.)
We moved from the Pulitzer to the nearby Ambassade Hotel until Peter was well enough to travel, which ended up being an additional five days.
Ambassade Hotel Tour
The Ambassade Hotel offered a tour of its grounds by a neighborhood local. Sensing our new hotel was something special, Monica jumped at the opportunity. The Ambassade Hotel is known as the “Author’s Hotel.” Its walls are lined with glass-encased, bestselling books of the last several decades, and each book is signed by the author when he/she stayed there. The hotel was also the headquarters of the CoBrA (“Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam”) experimental art movement of 1947-1951, and CoBrA art lines the hotel’s walls, too. The hotel oozes the spirit of Amsterdam and became Monica’s favorite of the entire European vacation. Monica wants to return to Amsterdam just to experience the Ambassade again!
Amsterdam Canal Cruise
Before we found out Peter had Covid, we took a beautiful canal cruise that began in the Red-Light District. When Peter felt better, we returned to the Red-Light District one evening to check out the…lights.
The City, People and Food
While Pete was recovering, Monica spent days meandering around Amsterdam, admiring the history and architecture, watching people, going to shope, spas and salons, and feeling like a local. One day, she took a walking tour of the city. Another day, she took a more detailed tour of the Jewish area and learned about the city’s Holocaust history.
When Peter felt well-enough, he joined Monica on her meanderings. We loved the quaint restaurants and hearty food, especially soups, bitten balls, and Stroup waffles.
We ate at the Ambassade hotel’s restaurant three times. It was the best food we had in Amsterdam. When he was no longer contagious, Peter also enjoyed his nightcaps among the books in the Ambassade’s lounge.
Van Stapele Cookies
Near our hotel, a tiny bakery always had lines around the block to get in. The bakery, Van Stapele, is Instagram-famous for its decadent chocolate cookies, which is the only item it sells. Of course, Monica had to stand in line to buy some, too. (FOMO at its finest!) They cookies were, indeed, very good, but Amsterdam locals say they’re just tourist hype, and there’s a much more traditional bakery right next door.
Anne Frank House
On our final day in Amsterdam, Monica snagged a last-minute ticket to the Anne Frank House. It was a sad, meaningful and somewhat hopeful experience. Definitely one of the most important tours of the entire vacation.
After nine days, we left Amsterdam for Paris. Even though we had to bypass our previously planned trip to Belgium, we enjoyed our extra time in Amsterdam. Each day, we liked the city more and more, and it wasn’t just because Monica felt among family around all the tall, mild-mannered Dutch people. (Her dad was 6″9″ and grandmother was 6’1″, and both were gentle giants.)
Our extended Amsterdam stay was a reminder that it takes more than a few days to get the full flavor of a city, and a city is much more than its tourist attractions.