Why Amsterdam is the best field trip ever!

Maintaining my “off the beaten path mantra,” I settled on Holland for our annual trip. Yes, I’m the mom that takes a five-year-old to Amsterdam to see my favorite band. Crazy right!?! Not really. As it turns out, the canal metropolis is ideal for family travel and should be at the top of your list for Best Field Trip Ever!

Amsterdam Windmill: Nothing says you’re in Holland like a windmill.

Photo: iStock / Prasit Rodphan

I DREAM OF DUTCHLAND

My planning began with Googling coffee shops. Enter search: What do you do with your kid when visiting a coffee shop? Results: You don’t go to coffee shops or any of the other “shops” with your child. There is no kid check, and puffing in the open Dutch air or downing space cakes is off the table too as all consumption must take place at the shop.

Thankfully, there is plenty to see and do in the Renaissance-set city that doesn’t require cannabis. Our to-do list included tulips, art, canals, bikes, good eats and... Jamiroquai!

The Netherlands is known for canals, windmills, dairy products, art and millions of bicycles. During our visit we took in a good part of the country staying forty-five minutes outside the city in Alkmaar.

MUSEUM HOPPING

A tighter than tight budget meant I started with free (not a lot there) and moved on to an Iamsterdam card. The card gives you access to the metro in Amsterdam, discounts on restaurants, a free canal cruise (not the booze one), and entry to several museum attractions. Totally worth it!

However, one of the most important exhibits, The Anne Frank House, is not included. I struggled for like five -minutes as to whether I should take my boy Jay to this one. I mean Anne Frank might be a bit heavy for a kindergartener. But then I considered, he’s going to be a man one day.

Yes, I’m the mom that takes a five-year-old to Amsterdam to see my favorite band. Crazy right!?!

Yes, I’m the mom that takes a five-year-old to Amsterdam to see my favorite band. Crazy right!?!

If you haven’t been to the Anne Frank House... Go! The experience is trans formative. Humanity, suffering, happiness, despair, hope, fear and love consume the senses as you ascend the annex building. I watched with great humility as my little boy expressed deep empathy and a hungering for understanding. Don’t worry if your child hasn’t read Anne’s diary or you haven’t discussed her story beforehand (we didn’t); the exhibit meets everyone who enters right where they are.

The Van Gogh Museum and Amsterdam Tulip Museum, where we learned about the history of tulips in the Netherlands, were also on the bucket list. Who knew such a gorgeous blossom was native to the harsh mountainous regions of Central Asia and Turkey?

Rijksmuseum was an unexpected cherry on top. The fairly contemporary art collection is pretty impressive. We even got to leave a mess age to the art community in the guest drawing room.

Our trip was filled with pancakes— thinly grilled as big as the plate or coin-sized with endless toppings and flavor combinations.

We tried savory recipes with bacon, spinach, and of course... CHEESE! Then there were the sweet ones with apples, cinnamon and chocolate, and topped with caramel-drizzled whipped cream. My son made up several signature recipes during our stay.

I love cheese, and my favorite adventures in the bike nation were at the cheese stores. Since we missed

the cheese museum, I can’t give a comprehensive report as to what makes cheese so wonderfully yummy in Holland, but never mind the reason; when you go to Amsterdam... EAT CHEESE!

CANAL STREETS

There’s something so magical and dreamlike about Amsterdam’s canals—those waterway streets running through its vibrant urban center. A thousand words cannot describe just how beautiful and calming the canals are.

Trees, bicycles, double-arched bridges, and houseboats drift by as we sail through awe-inspiring scenes on the canal tour. We even found a few dream houses along Brouwersgracht, once voted Amsterdam’s most beautiful canal street and the Prince’s Canal, the longest canal in the city center.

The best part about canals is that you don’t have to be on a cruise or live in a houseboat to enjoy and take in their beauty—bike rides, the city train, walks, and plenty of cafe dining are all a part of the canal milieu.

Our Dutch vacay was one of the most fun excursions we’ve had to date. We danced the night away with space cowboys and cosmic girls, bonded along tree-lined water-paths giving way to Fall, stuffed our bellies full and became regulars in the city. When we got back home, learning to ride a bike became a top priority for my son.

I often dream of our return to explore more of the water-land of windmills.

Amsterdam is definitely kid-friendly especially if the grown-ups are on their best behavior.

Story by Myla Twillie – @myghtyink Photos: Myla Twillie and iStockphoto.com