A Long Weekend in Amsterdam with my Parents

My parents came to visit me in Amsterdam for 4.5 days

Last weekend, my Mom and Dad came to visit me. They were only here for around five days, but we still managed to do quite a bit in that time. So here is what we did!

I met them on Friday morning at the apartment they stayed at, pastries in hand for breakfast. I had stopped at Vlaamsch Broodhuys on Haarlemmerstraat as I biked down the street on my way. We had pastries and coffee and spent the morning catching up. We also headed out to the grocery store to pick up some of their favourite treats.

For lunch, we went to Dignita and got some brunch food. After eating, we walked to one of the larger thrift stores. They helped me pick out a bunch of things for my new apartment (as well as a few pieces of clothing).

In the afternoon, I took them to see my new apartment. I had to work at the bar/restaurant that evening (until 3 a.m.), but the two of them came by to have dinner there.

Saturday morning we met for breakfast at Lova at 10:30. After food and coffee, we went to Noordermarkt, which is always a favourite. We picked up a few snacks for a late lunch at their apartment.

Mid-afternoon we headed out again, this time to Noord. This was really fun as it was an area my parents didn’t know before. We took the ferry to NDSM and walked around there first.

We continued our walk and made our way to De Ceuvel. On the way, we found this great spot selling (or giving away) a wide variety of antiques. It was the kind of place that seemed to just keep going, with so much random stuff to find. I can’t find it on Google Maps, so I have no idea what it was called, but it was on the road leading to De Ceuvel. Once we got to De Ceuvel, we wondered around a little and then found a quiet spot next to the water to sit and have a few drinks.

Our dinner reservation was just one street over at v12. This was a really great restaurant, plus fairly affordable. Everything we tried was super delicious and the atmosphere was lovely.

Sunday morning we met at Bakkerij Wolf for some coffee and pastries. After that, we walked to church. Following the service, we had a little picnic in the park. We had rented a car for this day, so we got that and then spent the rest of the day visiting family.

We only got back to Amsterdam in the evening. We dropped off the car and then had to walk back home, stopping along the way at SottoZero Gelatobar for ice cream.

On Monday, my mom was attending a conference all day. While she did that, my dad and I did a longer bike ride out to Monnickendam, which is around an hour and a half each way. The views along the way are really nice, and you end up in a super cute village on the water. We had lunch there and wandered around a little before heading back to Amsterdam.

The two of us had a drink and played cards at their apartment before meeting up with my mom at La Fiorita for dinner. After dinner, we of course had to stop at our favourite ice cream spot Monte Pelmo.

Tuesday morning, my mom went to attend the conference again, but the three of us walked together to where it was taking place. My dad still had his rental bike, so he and I biked back, stopping along the way to grab some pastries from Glitch Bakery. The rest of the morning was just spent packing and tidying up. Mom got back around noon, so we had lunch before they called their Uber and headed to the airport.

It was a short but very sweet trip together, and I’m grateful they were able to come, even if just for a few days.