It’s a curious thing
To travel away from home
And ending up
Feeling more at home
When arriving
☼
©Christina de Vries
Tag: The Netherlands
Vegan in Amsterdam
Being a vegan when traveling can from time to time be a bit challenging, so it’s always interesting to travel to a new city and explore their vegan options.
When I was planning my Amsterdam trip, I had already done quite a lot of research around vegan places I would like to try out. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to all of them, but the ones that I tried was absolutely amazing!
Juice by Nature
Warmoesstraat 108, 1012 JJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
On my very first day in Amsterdam, while wandering around in the city, I stumbled across this place. I almost walked right past it actually, but I’m glad that the sign on the other side of the road grabbed my attention.
It’s not a big café, but it has a really calm and nice vibe to it. The staff that worked there made me feel very welcomed and at home.
I ordered a hummus wrap, black coffee, and a carrot cake, then I found myself a table and enjoyed the hell out of it! Up until that point, I had eaten the vegan options from Starbucks and local stores, which were surprisingly good (kudos to Dutch Starbucks for serving vegan food options), so it was to sit down somewhere quiet and have a proper meal.
The hummus wrap was good, but it could’ve been a bit more spiced up. But the carrot cake was divine! A vegan, no bake, no sugar cake that just melted in my mouth! Holy moly was that a wonderful experience!
I left the place feeling very satisfied and happy, and I went back several times for juice/smoothies (which were amazing!) and salads.
A really good spot for a lunch or a snack. They did have soups and other hot dishes too, but I did not have time to try them out. Next time!
If you want to know more about Juice by Nature, you can visit their website here:
VEGABOND
Leliegracht 16, 1015 Amsterdam, Netherlands
When I came across Vegabond while doing my research, I knew that I had to visit the place! First off, it looks super cozy! Second, VEGAN DONUTS!
I had been craving donuts for weeks but did not have the time to go in search of them here in Oslo, so Amsterdam was donut time!
Vegabond is located in a quiet area, with a view of one of the many canals. It’s quite small though, so don’t go there and expect to get a very private table. But I loved that part too. It was a great way to meet new people and easily interact with fellow vegans.
Vegabond is not just a café, it’s a shop too. You can buy lots and lots of vegan products like snacks, food prep ingredients, sodas and more.
I was met by a kind, smiling and welcoming staff that had plenty of recommendations for food and cake options.
So let’s talk about the donuts! It was well worth the wait! I think it’s actually the best donut I’ve ever had, and that’s not even an exaggeration. When vegan donuts taste that good, and they’re sprinkled with good conscience, why would one ever opt for having any other kind??
The first day I was there I had a wrap, the second day I went there we tried a “mozzarella” sandwich, “brie” sandwich, spinach pastries and several cakes, plus snacks, coffees, and sodas.
Their vegan mozzarella and brie tasted so like the real thing that if I didn’t know that everything they serve is vegan, I would’ve thought that it wasn’t! Amazing!
It’s fair to say that we stuffed our faces and had absolutely NO regrets!
I got to enjoy the view from the table at the window both times, and I got to meet and talk to some really amazing people while I was there. It’s a great place to go as a solo traveler, or to enjoy food/desserts that will make your taste buds have a proper party! And don’t leave the place without having tried the donuts! You can thank me later!
Vegabond is definitely my favorite vegan spot in Amsterdam, and I can’t wait to go back there for my next visit!
If you want to know more about Vegabond, you can visit their website here:
I found Amsterdam to be a city where it was easy to be a satisfied and happy vegan traveler! As long as you do a little bit of research, then there are quite a few places that are completely vegan, or at least has vegan options on the menu.
I also found that being a vegan on the go was quite easy too. Most of their food markets/retail stores had a good variety of vegan options and every single one that I tried was tasty.
I already miss all of the wonderful food and the vibe, and I can’t wait for my next trip there❤️
ClinkNOORD – HOSTEL REVIEW
When I first decided to go to Amsterdam for VidCon Europe 2018, I initially booked a hotel. It was cute, had a library in it and looked like a great place to get some interesting video footage.
But as life and situations often do, things changed and I decided to do something a bit different. I wanted to rent a houseboat and travel with a group of friends, but when the departure date was approaching, the friends that I had hoped would join me couldn’t make the trip this time around. By then, all the houseboats were rented out for the period when I was going.
So I sat down and started browsing the web for an interesting, but also an affordable place to stay. There were some interesting apartments on Airbnb for sure, but I started to think back on my two recent trips to London and how much I enjoyed staying at St. Christopher’s Inn. And then the search for interesting hostels in Amsterdam begun. The one that popped up most frequently with high praise and rating was ClinkNOORD.
I clicked my way into their website and as soon as I started to look through the pictures, I knew that this was the perfect place for me to stay!
It’s a big hostel situated in the Noord district. It sits on the bank of the river IJ, and is just a few minutes boat ride away from the Amsterdam Centraal Station. Oh, and the ferry runs 24/7 and it’s free!
With colorful open spaces and lots of social events going on, I knew that this was my best bet for a social and unique experience while I was traveling alone.
As soon as I got there I was welcomed by a charming receptionist that gave me all the information that I needed to get situated. I got there a few hours before check-in, but they welcomed me to either store my luggage in the luggage room or to use a padlock (you can buy one from them (€6), or bring your own) and lock my things in one of the many storage lockers that they have in the reception area. I locked up my valuables and headed into the city to explore.
Later that day, I got back to the hostel and could find my bunk. I was sleeping in a 14 bed shared facility. I met my bunkmate, a wonderful 68-year-old woman from Canada, and instantly bonded with her. There were lots of stories to be shared throughout the time I was there.
Every bed has its own locker, so you can easily store your valuables while you’re out and about. There’s also a reading light, power outlet and 2 USB charger ports over each bed so you can charge your gadgets. The beds were comfortable. The showers and restrooms were right outside of the room, and it was clean and inviting throughout my whole stay. You can rent towels from the hostel for €3.
They have a kitchen that you can use if you want to make your own food, or you can order food from the café or bar. They have a good range of vegan options for both breakfast/lunch and dinner. I had the falafel sandwich for lunch and it was delicious!
I think what makes ClinkNOORD so special is all of the activities. Cider pong, quiz, solo traveler meet up, yoga, secret concerts, beer tasting, free guided tours of the city and more. There’s always something to do, and if you just want to be social, then you can head to their bar (Zinc Bar) and use the 2 for 1 voucher that they hand you when you check in. Buy a new friend a drink and chat away!
All in all, I had an absolutely fantastic time! ClinkNOORd is hands down the best hostel I’ve been to so far! I highly recommend it, and I can’t wait to go back!
You tempted to try ClinkNOORD out? Click on the Hotels.com logo below to read more!
☼If you shop via my affiliate link, I get a small commission☼
Amsterdam – A Magical City
Some cities have magic in them, but the magic will always be different for each person who experiences it. To me, Amsterdam has a certain kind of magic that is hard to put into words. It’s not about being high, although that can certainly make the experience into something special for sure. It’s something else.
It’s the canals and the houseboats. Where people live on water and have a different outlook on life. A city where you’re always close to water.
It’s the crowded streets. The vibe from all the people, and not just the Dutch, but there are people from all over the world. As you walk through the alleys you hear so many different languages, and see so many different and beautiful faces.
It’s the restaurants, the cafés, and the vegan food. A city packed with cozy places to sit down for a meal, a coffee or a smoke.
It’s the atmosphere in this city that makes me smile just thinking back on it.
I guess magic is the only right word to really describe it after all!
During the next couple of days, I will be posting some reviews and other tidbits about my Amsterdam trip, and I can’t wait to share it all with you guys! The video from the trip will be up sometime later this week too, so stick around for that 💛
Now I’m going to get myself a much needed good night’s sleep!
Do you have a city that’s magical to you? Let me know in the comments 😊
Home is where the heart is!
I’ve been traveling quite a bit, and my parents moved around a lot when I was a kid, so I don’t really have one particular house that I think of as my childhood home. I have my hometown that I’m very fond of, and I always enjoy coming back to it, but there are other places that feel more like home to me. The weird thing is that the places where I’ve traveled to that feel the most like home are not places that I have any relation to. It’s more of a feeling that just comes over me whenever I’ve visited the first time, and that feeling persists for every visit.
London has always been like that for me. Every time I arrive in London city, I get this feeling of utter bliss. It’s heartwarming in a way I find hard to explain.
Copenhagen is the same.
I remember having that very same feeling when I used to travel to Amsterdam with my dad as a kid, and the very same feeling came over me when I arrived here yesterday. I’ve now been here for almost two days, and it feels like being in love. I small all the time, my heart beats a little bit faster, and it feels like I don’t have a worry in this world.
So maybe the saying is completely right, but for me, I travel with my heart on my sleeve and sometimes the destination is a perfect match. Maybe I have a stronger connection to some places more than others because it was somehow meant to be. I’m a strong believer in everything happening for a reason, and I think that some cities and I were meant for each other.
So here I find myself in Amsterdam, totally, utterly, unbelievably in love with a city. A place I hope to someday in the future be able to call my home for a while.
For now, it is home though, for a few more days at least❤️
Christina de Vries 