Travelsmartplanet

Amsterdam is fun, hopping, bustling with bikes, museums, cafe life, canals and history. After a day of all that stimulation, it’s a blessing to come back “home” to the Okura Hotel, a 4o-year old sea of tranquility. Fabulous sleek design (love those light fixtures) and super friendly service.

Sure it has a pool and sauna but also a jet lag program, a hairdressing salon, cooking school, shoe shine service, a florist – and – half of all the Michelin starred restaurants in Amsterdam (one French and one Japanese). Best new secret in town is the new sunny Michelinesque cafe, Serre, facing the canal and cheffed by some of the staff from Ciel Bleu. So, the food has all the quality, sauces and presentation of its sisters but at prices you can afford – 35 Euros for a tasting menu or a giant bento box with 9 surprise dishes inside.

www.okura.nl

Holland was first with wind energy and now the  rest of us are playing catch up. If you want to see some of the original kind, it’s a quick 20 minutes from downtown Amsterdam to Zaanse Schans www.zaanseschans.nl

Windmills were built as mini factories making the products of daily life with free energy. At this outdoor museum, you can still see a half dozen of them making spices, paint, linseed oil and doing wood cutting. There’s an indoor museum, a cheese building, one for wooden shoes and village houses.

Walking the streets of Amsterdam is like playing a live video game. Your street is shared with a tram gliding down the middle, cars, a bike lane filled to the brim with bikeaholics and finally a sidewalk. Often you are sharing the street with cars or bikes. Keep your eyes peeled  to avoid these moving obstacles. If you want to join them, you can rent a McBike enjoy the energy of this hopping city.

The city is very walkable and easy to get around on trams. Museums are even fun here – besides Van Gogh and Rembrandt, you can view one for purses, houseboats, windmills, tattoos and – yikes, cannabis.