Anne Frank Museum, Enormous Pancakes & X'Mas Markets @ The Dam!

More and more gorgeous canals - especially along Prinsengracht (where the Anne Frank Museum is located). I took a canal cruise here and was so taken by the lovely houses lining the canals and how gorgeous everything from the balconies covered with ivy to church bells ringing in the distance to every leaveless tree. People cycle EVERYWHERE in Amsterdam, by the way. In fact, there are lanes dedicated for cyclists so before you cross anywhere, look out!

The Anne Frank Museum was such a moving experience for me. If you've read her diary before, you'll feel the same way, I'm sure. As I went through room to room, I felt as if I was transported back to World War 2 and there I was living in this tiny room. It's an enlightening experience just moving through the place the Franks hid for months before being caught by Nazis. I highly recommend anyone who's read the book or just plain love going museum-hopping, to visit the this place. 

One of the best croissants I've ever had in my life - was at this place. It's just next to the Anne Frank Museum so you can't miss it. In my case, it was the best option in getting out of the cold!

Westerkerk Church is just around the corner from Anne Frank Museum. Since we were there just before Sinterklaas, church bells kept ringing every now and then which made the whole atmosphere even more enchanting. I had planned on climbing to the top of the church tower as you can apparently get an awesome view from there, but sadly the tower is closed to the public at least until next year. 

Yes, you're right. I did not finish this gigantic (apparently normal-sized) bacon-cheese pancake but that's only because it was deliciously filling! Less than 10 Euro :)

As we had our nights free, we ventured into the X'Mas market in Leidseplein, a noted nightspot area in Amsterdam. Plenty of street food to cater to the hungry in the ice-cold weather. Speaking of which, shortly after we got here, it started raining ice! Thanks to this, we had to eat in one of the bars nearby. There was also an ice skating rink nearby with skates available for rental. 

Glad to say, we didn't go skating but enjoyed soaking in the scene that made us feel all Christmas-y inside.

Charming Windmills, Sex Shops & Heineken Up-Close @ The Dam!

This is the windmill village of Zaanse Schans. There are about 4-5 windmills still operating here, each for a different purpose, spice, wood, etc. The village is surrounded by water and complemented by lots greenery, quaint houses, cheese and clog factories, windmills, sheep, ducks and fresh, crisp morning air. About 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal Station, the entire village can take about 2 hours or more to walk through.

Amsterdam Centraal Station - where most of the Intercity trains, buses and trams start from/end at. When I first saw the building, I thought it was a church of some sort coz the architecture was so intricate. We spent some time here just looking for the right tram stop to head back to the hotel. Mind you, there are trams going in every direction, especially in Dam Square. So it's not a surprise if you end up on the wrong tram heading in a different direction all together.

One of the many, many canals around Amsterdam. When I first got here, I was so excited that every single time I saw a canal, I just started snapping like a mad person. I'm sure the Dutch people in trams would have looked upon us with amusement and thought, "The things tourists do!"

One of the many sex shops in the city. For someone like me, this was something different so you can imagine the number of passersby staring at me as I tried to take pics of the shop!

Heineken Experience was highly enjoyable. Since it's a former brewery, we were taken on a tour of how Heineken started, with cool motion shows, games and a look at the ingredients/process in brewing beer. You'll need about 1.5 - 2 hours in here. Plus, at the end you get 3 free pints of Heineken beer and another cool thing is, you can get your name or something similar engraved on a bottle of Heineken beer, various mugs or glasses. 

I opted for the glass, as you can see from the pic above - got it engraved as a x'mas gift for caramel honey. Would have bought more if I didn't have a lot to carry already!