SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

— travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams —

travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams

When I included Vondelpark in my pre-trip list of free things to do in Amsterdam, I had no idea it would be one of the few things I would actually get to do, free or otherwise, during our visit to Amsterdam. Quality over quantity, they say — and Vondelpark was a treasure worth more than a single tick off any Amsterdam bucket list.

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Because we had set up camp at Stayokay Vondelpark, a fantastic hostel just across a narrow path from one of Vondelpark’s entrances, I was able to visit the park three times. The first was an early morning walk with my sister. There were only a few other people in the park with us, though we often saw cyclists passing by, already dressed for work.

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I knew Holland was famous for its tulips but I didn’t actually expect tulips growing in random patches everywhere. It’s funny because a single stem would cost a pretty penny back home but here they grew by the roadside, under trees, near rivers.

Speaking of trees, this next one’s my favorite. I don’t know what kind it is, just that I’ve never seen one like it before, and its branches standing stiffly upright caught my attention. (This picture was taken when I went back later in the afternoon.)

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Ducks and ponds and kids and walks and lovely spring afternoons are bliss.

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A quiet corner of the park.

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And the tree again.

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These last few pics were actually taken on my third visit — in a day! — to Vondelpark. My second was during my Busking in Amsterdam experience with Louis Puggaard-Mรผller, when we went to the park to have a chat and some coffee and to rehearse for our earth-shattering debut performance later that day at Leidseplein. ๐Ÿ˜€ I didn’t get to see Vondelpark the first time I was in Amsterdam, so I’m glad I was able to explore it this time around. And if anyone’s going to Amsterdam soon, I would actually recommend staying at the Stayokayย — the 6-bed family room is superb — or in any of the other accommodations nearby so it would be easy to fit in a walk (or two, or three) at Vondelpark into your Amsterdam itinerary.

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4 Responses

  1. Gay! there’s a playground (daw) inside the vondelpark that’s good for movement (Montessori churvaloo) and it looks exciting even for adults.. were you able to get to that part of the park? ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Hi Gea! Wala. ๐Ÿ™ We didn’t get to go everywhere in the park, mostly kadto ra’ng part na duol sa Stayokay, kay #timeconstraints hehe. Dad-a dayun imong anak didto. ^_^

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