Hi guys!
Today’s video is about Amsterdam and, specifically, a neighbourhood called the Jordaan.
This is arguably the most famous spot in the whole city, if not the country.
It used to be a working class neighbourhood
and has since become one of the most upscale locations in The Netherlands.
One theory about the name Jordaan comes from the French word ‘jardin’ which means garden
and a lot of the streets and canals in this area are named after trees and flowers.
There’s another theory that the main canal called the Prinsengracht
was once named Jordaan which is the Dutch name for the river Jordan.
Rembrandt spent the last years of his life in the Jordaan and he’s buried in the Westerkerk
which is a church just beyond the borders of this gorgeous neighbourhood.
Right across from the church is the Anne Frank House
where Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding for more than two years during the Nazi occupation of Holland.
The building was established as a historical landmark in 1957
and it’s where Anne Frank wrote her esteemed memoir The Diary of a Young Girl.
Like many, many people I read Anne’s diary at a young age -
about the age she was when she wrote it -
and it has really stayed with me and, to be honest, this was the one place in Amsterdam
that I couldn’t leave without seeing and paying respect.
You can’t film inside the building but I can tell you that when you go through you’re given a headset
which not only keeps people moving through the often very cramped space
but it also keeps it - importantly - silent.
You can see her room and some of the postcards and cut outs of her favourite movie stars on the wall.
Her father brought them for her to decorate her space with.
Of the eight people who lived in hiding there only her father, Otto Frank, survived.
This is a very busy place so make sure you buy tickets online in advance
which you can do up to two months ahead.
I think as a human being alive in this world it’s a place that you just need to go.
Very close by to the Anne Frank House is an area that’s a little micro-neighbourhood within the Jordaan
called the Little 9 Streets and it is just as cute and charming as you imagine.
The nine little streets are actually three streets that cross two canals - the Herengracht
and the Keizersgracht - and that makes it into nine little streets.
The names of the little nine streets refer to the old skin tanning industry
and if you look at the street signs you’ll notice skin, deer, bears, and wolves street.
You’ll find lots of little restaurants and shops
and one of the places I’d recommend checking out is a sneaker store called No Boys Allowed.
The reason it’s unique is given away by its name.
It’s a store that stocks sneakers only in women’s sizes
and you should visit there if you want some nice shoes that not every girl will have
because they sell limited quantities and they get exclusive releases
from brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma.
One of my favourite places in the Jordaan is called The Mouse Mansion
and this is a place that I walked by when it was closed
and I got a peak inside one of the most charming window displays I’ve ever seen
and I specifically went back during opening hours
so that I could go inside and figure out what this place was all about.
I found out that it’s a family business run by a mom and her four adult children
and one of her daughter’s was in the shop at the time so I got to chat with her all about it.
They write stories about mouse characters, build sets and environments for the stories
and then photograph them for books and also make them into videos
and they sell those books, along with merchandise and toys, all over the world.
The sets are like a giant dollhouse and every single detail is accounted for.
It’s honestly just so sweet and the type of book you wish you could gift every child in the world with.
I loved everything about it.
It’s a family business and they spend sometimes years working on the sets
and they’re always creating new stories for their world of mouse characters.
Another of my highlights from this neighbourhood is a cafe called De Vergulde Gaper.
I hope I am saying that properly.
It’s a cafe located in an old pharmacy or drug store on a corner across from the canal.
I have this fantastic memory of sitting there because it was the first place I went
after arriving in Amsterdam for my very first time.
Marc and I sat there and ordered a coffee and just enjoyed the view.
We had arrived by train and exited the station with absolutely no idea where we were going
and we just stumbled across this area, which we now know is the Jordaan,
and just had to sit down and enjoy a coffee to just soak it all in.
And, while this is a lovely place to sit, I don’t mean you have to sit at this cafe necessarily
but more I just want to suggest that you find a place to park yourself
somewhere in the Jordaan and just enjoys the views
that make Amsterdam’s Canal Ring such a totally unique place in the world.
The Jordaan is the perfect place in Amsterdam to just sit down and soak it all in
which I absolutely loved doing and I hope that you also enjoyed seeing this neighbourhood.
If you liked this video then please give it a thumbs up and leave a comment down below.
These were my highlights but I’d love to know if any of this struck your particular fancy as well -
if it’s a place that you would like to visit.
Subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already for more travel videos
and I’ll see you in my next one.
Bye!