Hi guys!
Today’s video is all about Amsterdam, the most popular city to visit in The Netherlands
and, arguably, in the entire world.
This is a place people love to go and visit and the Canal Ring is gorgeous, of course,
with the canals and the bridges but we wanted to get a little bit off the beaten track
so this is a neighbourhood profile of a place called Oud West or Old West.
I fell in love with a plant store there called Wildernis.
It opened in 2015 and I love the concept.
The goal for them is to make the city greener so they work with green professionals
and organizations to do that.
So they give workshops and lectures on nature and urban gardening.
Even if you’re just visiting Amsterdam and you’re not necessarily in the market to buy a plant,
because that doesn’t travel very well,
it’s still a great place to visit because you walk in and there’s just so much beautiful greenery around you
that I just breathed a little bit easier.
So it’s a nice kind of respite from walking around the streets
and you can also just sit there and get a coffee or a slice of homemade cake
and enjoy the feeling of being in an indoor garden.
Across the street from Wildernis you’ll find a restaurant called HappyHappyJoyJoy.
It’s the newest restaurant of a Dutch Chef named Julius Jaspers.
He’s a cookbook author and a TV host
and the idea here is that everything from the food to the decor is designed to make you smile.
You really, really do feel happy and joy when you go inside.
It is seriously Instagrammable.
I didn’t get a chance to eat here but I heard a ton of great reviews
and I’d love to go back another time.
Not far from the restaurant is De Hallen
and if you only have time for one stop in this neighbourhood this is definitely where you need to go.
It’s a multi-use space that used to be a tram depot
and it’s a fantastic example of repurposing an old space and making something new out of it.
It was built in phases between 1902 and 1928
and it’s the only old tram depot in The Netherlands that’s kept in its original state.
It’s had a lot of purposes throughout the years.
In 1996 it was a public transportation museum and in 2005 it was occupied by squatters
and we’re lucky that people in the neighbourhood got together and made sure that this building was saved.
Now it’s home to an arthouse cinema, lots of creative independent shops,
and a weekly indoor craft market.
This historic converted building has become one of Amsterdam’s most popular spots
and although there are a ton of places that you can look around and explore,
of course I did have some favourites.
One of which was actually a sock store called Qnoop.
Qnoop with a Q is a play on the Dutch word for ‘button.’
The idea is that their socks come with a button, which is biodegradable by the way,
to save us from losing over 15 socks a year.
We all lose them in the wash or when they get separated in your drawer
and, if you have a button so that they’re always together, you won’t lose them.
If you get hungry while visiting De Hallen do not worry because there are tons of places
where you can get delicious food in the food hall.
You can get a full meal or a snack or just have a drink.
There are over 20 street vendors
that serve everything from pizza to Vietnamese food to Greek.
I’m sure you can find something that you like.
We ate at a place called Bao Wowow and, as I’m sure you can guess, had a bao.
I was a little shocked when the girl got out a blow torch but it did taste good.
If you walk all the way through the food hall at the back there’s a restaurant called Kanarie Klub
and for me, the coolest thing is to see all of the little details that they preserved
from when it was a tram depot.
So if you look down at the floor you’ll see the tracks,
above the bar there are more details,
and they’ve really kept the overall sense of history in this building.
Do not miss going upstairs because there’s a pool
and this is inspired by when the building was occupied by squatters
who had a pool that was filled with rainwater.
One of the best stores in De Hallen is definitely The Maker Store and, as the name implies,
here you’ll find original brands and amazingly unique products by local creators.
If you want to buy a souvenir from Amsterdam I can’t think of a better place to go.
They had tons of unique things that you just can’t find anywhere else.
There’s also a street market that takes place outside De Hallen
so if you walk outside the building you can see that as well.
A few blocks away from De Hallen is Vondelpark.
This is the largest park in Amsterdam with 120 acres.
If you’re craving some space or you just want to do some great people watching
you’ll find people biking or walking their dogs
and it’s a great place to just sit and have a rest.
I hope you enjoyed seeing this young, creative neighbourhood in Amsterdam.
If you did then give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment down below.
Tell me your favourite part of Oud West and, if you haven’t already,
please subscribe to my channel for more travel videos and I’ll see you in my next one.
Bye!