Amsterdam- The Heineken Experience Canal Shuttle

Considering that bicycling and boating are popular modes of transportation in Amsterdam, the only time we were on the water, was on our fifteen minute The Heineken Experience canal shuttle ride. We also never got on a bike. Although bikes are everywhere in Amsterdam, the idea of trying to navigate through busy streets was terrified me. I stuck to walking and taxis.

The Heineken Experience canal trip was a pleasure. The weather was warm and the sun was still shining. It was truly a magical early evening. Here are some pictures that we took from the boat.

Naturally, The Heineken Experience had another reason for the shuttle...they led us right to their outlet store. Didn't buy enough souvenirs at full price? No problem. Here's a second chance and a bargain.

They sweetened the deal with free Heineken glasses, just like the ones that the samples came in at The Heineken Experience. We did a cursory walk around the store, but having already purchased a few knick-knacks at the main store, we had enough. We were "Heinekened-out".

We walked through Rembrant Square and saw an amazing group of statues dedicated to the artist.

Amazing art and architecture. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city.

We ended our epic sight-seeing day with a latte at Blue, a cafe on the top floor of a shopping center, with panoramic views of the city. To reach Blue, we had to ride in a glass elevator. Truthfully, I think the elevator is what sold us on eating at Blue.

Right outside of our hotel, we saw this cute car.

I was exhausted from a epic day of sightseeing and this was only the first day. Coming up- Amsterdam Food Tour, The Tulip Museum, Anne Frank's house and so much more...

Amsterdam- The Heineken Experience

Just a short walk from the Rijksmuseum, was The Heineken Experience. We managed to buy tickets just minutes before the last entry of the day. The Heineken Experience is very much like Cadbury World ( factory tour, glitzy interactive displays, a ride, plethora of samples), just with beer, rather than chocolate. Also, The Heineken Experience is adults only.

Tickets were eighteen euros, which included the self-guided tour, and four small, yet full, glasses of Heineken. The beer coupons were attached to a rubber bracelet, making the whole process very convenient.

As with Cadbury World, the tour was at our own pace, but kept us moving in one direction through the building. The first part was focused on the Heineken's history, including advertising, methods of making beer, and the innovations in bottling.

Just before entering the Historic Brew Room, we listened to a lesson on beer making.

The Historic Brew Room is no longer in use, but it was very cool to see.

If someone ever tells you to try barley water, decline. To say that it's a unique, acquired taste, is being kind. Barley Sugar = Yes. Barley Water = No.

The Heineken Experience has beer and...horses! I may have squealed a little.

Next came the ride. As a theme park enthusiast, I always appreciate a ride. This was a bumpy, 4-D film experience about Heineken beer being made. We were the beer! Funny enough, Cadbury has a very similar ride, where "You are a cocoa bean". I'm wondering what other factories I can visit to "be a food".

Next, it was time for the samples. Whoo-hoo!

One of the coolest things was the interactive coasters. Check out this video that Dan made. We could have played with the coasters all day. It's mesmerizing.

I'm a light-weight; two beers was more than enough, so we passed along our additional beer tickets to another couple, before finishing up with the last of the displays. Here is another interactive one.

We had the opportunity to create a personalized Heineken label and watch a machine bottle it. We did the personalized Cadbury label, so we skipped the Heineken Souvenir, but Dan took a video of the machine.

Speaking of bottles, there was this artsy display using Heineken bottles.

Here are the bottles through the decades, plenty of changes.

We left The Heineken Experience feeling like we got value for money. We had a great time. And then, we were totally surprised with an additional element after leaving the factory. Heineken offered a free canal boat shuttle to take us across town, much closer to our hotel. The boat was docked right outside of The Heineken Experience and leaving in five minutes.

Stay tuned for pictures and videos of our canal ride and snaps from the rest of our evening touring the city.

Amsterdam - Rijksmuseum

In Amsterdam, a city that is known for its art museums, the Rijksmuseum is one of the premiere museums. We arrived late in the day and only had a few hours before the museum closed, but luckily it is relatively small and we were able to see everything we wanted to see, without feeling rushed.

The Rijksmuseum was originally located in The Hague, but it moved to Amsterdam in 1809. Additionally, it moved to its current location in 1885 and underwent major renovations in 2013. The museum's architecture is a beautiful blend of old and new.

Before we entered the Rijksmuseum, we found another Miffy statue.

And a Amsterdam sign. There was no time to bother with walking around to the proper side for a picture, we had "museuming" to do! Don't I look beat after a long day of being a tourist? I do sightseeing in the typical American style: you can sleep when you're dead!!! I'm going to see it all!!!

Isn't it grand? I love architecture.

Our tickets were 17.50 euros each, and we had the option to add five euros for an audio tour, which we declined in interest of time. I'm normally all about the audio tours.

Here is the interior entrance.

The Rijksmuseum had a special Miffy exhibit, showing the art of Miffy creator, Dick Bruna. Miffy was easily one of my favorite things about The Netherlands.

Looking at a zoetrope.

Arguably, the most famous piece at the Rijksmuseum is Rembrandt's The Night Watch. It's enormous, overwhelming, and impressive. It also had a huge crowd, so we didn't take a picture of it. Plus, it really was so massive, that I'm not sure we could have taken a decent picture. In any case, it was amazing to see this famous masterpiece in person. It had a "wow" factor.

Another famous painting: this Van Gogh self-portrait.

Rembrandt and Van Gogh have their own museums in Amsterdam, both of which I visited later in the trip. More on those in a future post.

Here is a sampling of the art that we saw at the Rijksmuseum.

We are fans of modern art, so the small modern art wing was a must visit. Admittedly, it was smaller and less impressive than we had hoped. The Rijksmuseum is definitely not the place for modern art, however, they did have a cool plane and some mid-century furniture.

As we exited the museum, walking a different direction from where we had entered, we discovered a sculpture garden.

Here's the thing, if you're an art lover and you're planning a trip to Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum is going to be on your itinerary. It's a solid museums with masterpieces. However, I have to admit that the Rijksmuseum was my least favorite stop during my week in Amsterdam. I'd not likely return on a future trip and if you're visiting the city for a limited time, I'd encourage you to think this one through. I'm from Los Angeles and being from a major city, having visited many other major cities....the Rijksmuseum doesn't compare to other big city art museums.