There are certain things which people see as quintessentially Amsterdam. Of course, when you’re being tour guide, you tend to take people to the things that call to them the loudest. In the case of N, his Mecca was and is, the Heineken Brewery.
From what I understand the brewery is no longer in this space, but the building is preserved now in the form of the “Heineken Experience”. Himself and I left them to this one while we went off to sit in a café and have cake!
Having a little knowledge into what inspires N, once the Heineken Experience was completed and we re-joined the crew, I steered everyone towards a brewery which is a little more boutique in nature! Brouwerij ‘t IJ, or “the IJ Brewery”.
It’s on a canal, it’s under a windmill, and you can do tours! I outdid myself! Of course, just because I’d only just gotten there, didn’t mean it didn’t already have a cult following, and it was utterly PACKED!
This probably wasn’t helped by the soft top car that pulled up, band that jumped out, and old time rock that then began. It was AWESOME! *dances*
Later that evening we headed to another well known local, the Wynand Fockink distillery and tasting room.
This distillery has been around since 1679 and still retains an original feel and décor!
And the samples aren’t so bad either! From very hazy memory, left to right we have; cherry, raspberry, and blackberry. All were utterly delicious!
Where else from there would you head except for Japanese food? Obviously delicious as there was nothing left!
The next day there was little left to do except head for the Amsterdam Cheese Museum for that final and lasting (you can take it home!!!) taste of Amsterdam!
This has always been a hit with anyone I’ve taken there as the cheese is packaged for shipping and doesn’t need to be refrigerated for 3 months from the time of purchase! One of the best things about this particular museum though is that you can taste all the different varieties of cheese!!!
On that happy note, I’ll say goodbye from our guests, and wish everyone at home a happy weekend! See you next week!
ghoti industries 
Looks like a wonderful trip. The bar, in the sunshine, accompanied by a band on top of a classic car? That’s a trifecta of win 🙂 Was there any explanation behind the band?
No explanation! We saw the driving around later. I think they just do that! I don’t think the bar had any idea it was happening until it did!
That’s a pretty awesome thing to happen upon 🙂 Definitely would add to the factors that made the outing memorable, I’d imagine!
I actually got them to 2 brewerys (other than Heineken) and a distillery! But skipped the House of Bols. Know your audience! 😉