LOCAL EVENTS ADORED: WATERLOOPLEIN MARKET, IJ HALLEN & ALBERT
Shopping. One of the exciting parts I looked forward to as I traveled abroad. I love fashion, trends, and being unique with style, which made me a victim of market shopping every day. Amsterdam is home to many different kinds of markets: food vendors, clothes, jewelry, etc. My favorite ones were obviously the clothing kinds, and lucky for me Amsterdam is home to the largest flea market in Europe. Ij Hallen is such a large event it was only held one weekend a month, and cost $6 admission. It is located on NDSM (a shipyard turned into an artsy neighborhood located in the Noord area (North side of Amsterdam ) so we had to take a ferry over from Centraal Station (a metro stop in the center of the city of Amsterdam).
Once you get there, it is so crowded and filled with vendors, that you can't even see the end of it. I went multiple times during my stay, and I must say I got some of my favorite pieces from this market, including a pair of Burberry pants for 3 euros.
Another fan favorite, a bit closer in location and more often is the Waterlooplein Market! Waterlooplein was a metro stop that I was familiar with, and I have to say ended up being one of my favorite metro stops. Being the oldest flea market, Waterlooplein is located right next to the metro steps, along a strip of pubs, nice bakeries, and the waterfront. On a sunny day, this stop with crowded with young adults, and families enjoying the day. Here the market sells mostly clothes, but also souvenirs, flowers, jewelry, bags, and more!
Whenever I had schoolwork to do or a test to study for, this was where I would come to. I brought all my friends here when they visited me, so I gotta say it is obvious I loved it there. It was a clear local favorite as well.
Lastly, to shift gears, after all this shopping the next thing on our minds was food! Albert Cupy Market. This market is a very popular outdoor food street market, known for authentic food finds, homemade jewelry, soaps, and more! I came here with my hometown friends so they could try all my favorite Dutch staples! My favorite meal I got to try was from a stand named: Benny's Chicken. It was a Korean Fried Chicken sandwich and it was so delicious! Also, I am a huge fan of potatoes in any form, and Amsterdam had the best fries I have had abroad! The Dutch mayo is so different than mayo here, and I liked it on my fries a lot more than I thought I would. I also came here during my final week in Amsterdam to do my souvenir shopping for my friends and family at home, and it was the best decision I made. I found so many personal and unique gifts to bring home.
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