A very Laufey weekend in Amsterdam

A weekend of music, museums and making friends!

As someone who lives in the middle of nowhere in the Netherlands I am always amazed how big this tiny land can feel. I adore living in the countryside. However, I do love travelling to big cities to explore them and make use of everything that never seems far out of reach over there, but takes days in the countryside. Or worse, it doesn’t even exist.

Amsterdam is one of those places where everything seems to exist and doesn’t care to match, it just moves with echoes of the past. Ever since last summer when I visited Amsterdam for another concert, I find myself admiring the city in ways I haven’t before. So when another concert of one of my top artists passed the city, I immediately got my ticket and booked a hotel in the heart of the city. And I had big plans: be a bit of a tourist in the city to see it with different eyes. And I did!

Saturday, February 28
After travelling for a few hours I got to the hotel. Last time I had booked an apartment on the outskirts of town with nature, this time around I wanted to be within walking distance of the sights, so a hotel felt the right choice. Besides, as a frequent traveller I have my favourite chains, they keep me sane on those hectic travel days. Going to the same chain does work wonders cause I got a room upgrade! My room was so big compared to the one I originally booked. And the comfy chair near the window would soon turn into my favourite spot.

But first, I was going to meet with someone I only ever met once at an event 3,5 years before. We kept in contact and always chatted about anything and everything. She lives in Amsterdam, but there is a theme here, she is also very much a tourist when it comes down to the city centre. We had the best time exploring even if the rain came crashing down letting us know we might be tourists, but this is still the Netherlands we are talking about. 

Under umbrellas we walked from store to store. We met at The American Book Center where we chatted just like we normally do in our online chats: about anything and everything. After a while we made our way to Waterstones. Even though we met at a book event, no books were bought that afternoon. We also explored P.W. Akkerman Amsterdam, De Posthumus Winkel and Uniqlo before we had to say our goodbyes. It took us a while, we talked outside the stores for some time before we gave each other a hug and a see you next time. 

I visited Bijenkorf before I headed for dinner at Dumpling Bros. My plan for the rest of the night? Get snacks from the store and chill in my hotel room. Showered and all, the duvet (only hotels get this fluffy) made me turn into a marshmallow watching my current favourite show. 

Sunday, March 1
After a good night of sleep I went for breakfast to Tony’s NY City Bagels where I enjoyed a sundried tomato bagel, juice and coffee. I had to gear up, because I was finally going to do something I have been wanting to do for YEARS: visiting the Rijksmuseum. The day was still young so I wanted to beat the crowd and explore the spring exhibition Metamorfosen first. If only I could find the way just as easily… I got distracted and then I was wondering if I had to get to a different floor. So I asked people I noticed had just visited the exhibition. The answer was: I am still learning Dutch, could you please ask in English? That was the start of a new friendship. Two friends my age, and also tourists, were over from England to visit Amsterdam. We chatted about the exhibition before I entered it and was amazed by the curation. I have never read such amazing texts at temporary exhibition halls that quickly knew how to get in depth and tie in all the artworks at the same time. Only the ending felt quite abrupt and not finished. It felt there was more to be said or at least some kind of conclusion of what I had just witnessed would have sustained for me. 

I needed something to calm my mind down. And one of the arts that always does that for me is art from Asia. Lucky for me the Asian Pavilion is close to the spring exhibition. My mind turned quiet when entering the Home is where the Heart is exhibition. I am still in awe of Tong Yang-Tze works. Honestly, I could stare at every single detail if I had the time, but there was a concert that night I simply would not want to miss for the world. 

Of course you cannot visit the Rijsmuseum and not go to the Hero Hall, could you? After some exploring and digesting all I had seen that day I had to sit down. In an attempt to not feel overloaded with information, my mind still wandered the room when I spotted the two friends from England. They came walking over to where I sat down to say that they regretted (and me too!) not getting my Instagram. Especially since we found out during our first meeting we had the same plans for the next day. We exchanged contact information, before we went our own way again and met again on another floor of the museum. It was truly comical!  

After a while I knew it was time to have a proper sit down at the café. A piece of carrot cake did the trick to feel reborn again, but my mind was still all over the place. It was time for me to go outside, however not before I visited the shop, bought a book and some other souvenirs to remember the trip by.
With the museum in my back, I went on a nice stroll to Concerto. I checked out some music, then went to grab some food and ended up settling down in the comfy chair in my hotel room with said food. 

Sunday Night
The night announced itself right after I cleared my plate. I touched up my makeup and got my evening bag ready while being ecstatic. By metro and a short walk I arrived at the Ziggo Dome at the back of the VIP line of the A Matter of Time tour by Laufey. The vibes in the lines were great and I soon met the person in line behind me who, funny enough, would be sitting in the row behind me during the concert! We chatted while we got our VIP bags, bought merch together, drinks and even realised we both forgot our earplugs! I am so happy earprotection is the new normal, so we were able to get great ones at the venue. 

This was my first time at the Ziggo Dome but upon entering the concert hall all I could say is that the atmosphere felt relaxed. I had the first row of the first ring seat close to the stage. When I took a sip of my drink the supporting act, Alice Phoebe Lou, started her set with the band. Her ethereal indie-folk sound was the perfect way to start the concert and dive into this dreamland that is Laufey’s A Matter of Time tour. 

The concerts consisted, like a play, out of acts. Those acts are different sets, for example, jazz, acoustic, piano, etc. The stage was turned into extensions for it and to highlight the storyline of the concert. From the band to the orchestra and the dancers, they are part of the bigger story Laufey tells. She sings her heart out while playing instruments, but also takes time to make contact with the audience that is just as sincere as her lyrics are. 

Honestly, this concert is in my top five concerts I have ever been to! As the concert came to a close my heart felt full. It was an experience I would love to relive many times in the future. That night I arrived before midnight back at the hotel with lots of refreshed energy. I started to pack up my stuff a bit before I turned to bed. 

Monday, March 2
Way too soon my alarm went off, but I had big plans for the day. That morning I finished packing and left everything besides a small bag at the hotel. Taking my breakfast to go. To meet up with the two friends from the day before and explore the Van Gogh Museum together. We started with the permanent collection. In that same building we also were met with the An Ode to Printmaking exhibition. Somewhere in between we visited the café that had an amazing spread of pastries and drinks. We continued our way through the permanent exhibition before we moved on to the spring exhibition Yellow. As someone whose favourite flower is the sunflower, you can probably imagine how much I enjoyed this exhibition. 

We ended up going back to the first building’s bookshop before we headed to one of the giftshops to get some other things. I bought two books, one about Van Gogh’s time in Paris and the other one explores Van Gogh’s love for Japanese graphic art. My mom and I collect pins of places we visit, so in this case I had to get a sunflower and an almond blossom. 

A very Laufey weekend in Amsterdam
Thinking back about this weekend makes me incredibly happy. I had fun, felt the kindness of so many people (special shout-out to the receptionist of my hotel who I suspect was actually giving me the room upgrade instead of the system!), loved spending time at the museums and I can’t even put into words how I feel about the amazing concert I saw. What a wonderful time!

Love,