Day two Amsterdam started at the Rijksmuseum. After taking a million obligatory shots of the IAmsterdam sign in front of the museum, I finally headed inside and started browsing the collection. The museum has an impressive display of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, including Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. While you could easily spend an entire day inside, I limited myself to about three hours, which gave me enough time to walk through all the exhibits. For lunch I grabbed something small from the museum restaurant RIJKS, then I was on my way to the next attraction on my list.

The great thing about the IAmsterdam card is that it offers either free or discounted admission to countless number of places in the city. The bad thing about it is, most places are only open between 10-5pm, so trying to fit in your top picks requires a bit of planning. I was lucky I did the majority of my museums and galleries during my time in Amsterdam, cause by the time I got to Belgium all I wanted to do was explore the city outside. =P

The next stop on my list was the Museum Van Loon. The museum used to be home of the Van Loon family and is an example of one of the finest canal houses in the city. Not only are all the rooms beautifully maintained, but the garden is just magnificent. It was so peaceful and tranquil that I almost didn’t want to leave after finishing my lemonade and apple tart. Definitely a hidden gem within the city.

I couldn’t really fit in anything on my list since it was nearing the end of the day. I ended up heading back towards the Royal Palace and going inside an exhibition at the De Nieuwe Kerk, or The New Church. The church was built in the 15th century. Aside from being used for national and royal events, it also has many high-profile exhibitions on display. The one I ended up seeing was an exhibition on the Buddha’s Life. It was actually opened by the Dalai Lama a month prior to my visit and features work by artists like Ai Wei Wei and Kohei Nawa.

After the church I slowly made my way over to the Jordaan neighbourhood where I had tickets for the Anne Frank House. Everyone says Anne Frank is a tourist trap and it totally felt that way even with a timed entry ticket. It was lineup after lineup as you’re herded through the rooms. However, once you take a moment to reflect on the history and significance of the space, you’ll find that it was worth the visit.

Later that night I met up with a friend and she took me around the red light district after dinner. It was my first time going and it was definitely an eye opener. Some of the store fronts were quite…impressive to say the least. I don’t think any other city is like Amsterdam in that sense. =D