Amsterdam: Anne Frank's House, Van Gogh, and the Bike That Almost Sent Karen Into a Canal

Karen Cordaway of the Everyday Bucket List booked Amsterdam almost on a whim after watching a Ted Lasso episode. She stayed in the Jordaan neighborhood -- one of the swankiest in the city -- walked to the Anne Frank House, spent an afternoon at the Van Gogh Museum, took a canal tour in the rain, and nearly got knocked into the water by a cyclist who apparently had the right of way. She brings back everything: what surprised her, what moved her, what to eat, and what to watch out for when you're standing anywhere near a bike lane.

What You'll Walk Away With

• Why Karen almost ended up in a canal -- and the unofficial rule of Amsterdam that puts pedestrians firmly at the bottom of the hierarchy
• What the Anne Frank House actually feels like to walk through, including the real bookcase, the original sink, and the room where a 12-year-old pinned up pictures of movie stars
• How Karen did the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, and a canal tour all in one day -- and why she recommends spreading them out if you can
• The Napoleon window tax story: why those narrow, vertical Amsterdam houses may have been built to avoid paying taxes on frontage
• Why spring is Karen's pick for the best time to visit -- and the hop-on hop-off tulip bus that takes you to what she calls the Disney World of flowers
• The open curtains culture: the Calvinist transparency theory versus the "showing off wealth" theory, and why the canal tour guide had a very different take
• Where to find Dutch pancakes with bacon embedded in the middle -- and why Karen thinks Amsterdam's food scene is surprisingly international
• The red light district at noon: what it's actually like to walk through, and the one rule that absolutely applies whether it's day or night
• Why Amsterdam works well for a 7-day trip with day trips built in -- and how to get to the Zaanse Schans windmills for free on a bus
• What kind of traveler Amsterdam is perfect for -- and why it's a harder trip with small children than you might expect

Where in the World is Crystal?

Adventure Annette tries to guess whether Crystal is in Tokyo. 

Resources Mentioned

• Everyday Bucket List -- Karen Cordaway's podcast and travel content; Amsterdam playlist linked in show notes
• Anne Frank House, Amsterdam -- advance tickets required; no photography inside; annefrank.org
• Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam -- advance tickets required; vangoghmuseum.nl
• Zaanse Schans windmill village -- free entry, about one hour by bus from central Amsterdam; zaanseschans.nl
• Jordaan neighborhood -- recommended area to stay; central, walkable, canal access
• Keukenhof tulip gardens -- seasonal (spring); hop-on hop-off bus available from Amsterdam; keukenhof.nl
• Eating With Todd -- food content creator mentioned for Amsterdam restaurant recommendations; search on TikTok and Instagram
• Tony Chocolonely -- Dutch ethical chocolate brand; flagship store in Amsterdam; tonyschocolonely.com
• Stacking Adventures gear store -- stackingadventures.com/gotd
• Where in the World is Crystal? -- stackingadventures.com/mystory