So I was lucky to come and see the tail end of the last cheese market held for 2015. It was pretty…read morecool to see the men in their traditional costumes carrying the cheese and in front of the Holland cheese museum, which is a wonderfully austere brick building, made for a beautiful backdrop. Also the women amazed me as they wore the traditional wooden shoes and were walking around pretty darn briskly. I loved that the announcer also described the history and the tradition behind how the cheese is weighed and taken to the market in English, so that was fantastic. The big screen tv which showed the action up close was also a great touch. It's nice to see these traditions carried on till today and the crowd was a good mix of locals and tourists. And of course the best part of the market is checking out all the cheese! The stall owners are super generous about letting you taste and there were some wonderful varieties like one Gouda with Sambal that I enjoyed but it wasn't spicy at all. These cheese tastes so fresh and lovely, it was hard to restrict my purchases. It's a great morning out and a definite recommend if you love cheese.

Nice place to visit if you are already in holland. Take the boat tour worth the 6 euros!!!read more

As the Dutch say... Het komt allemaal in één maag - It all goes into one stomach! IKR?! Brilliant!…read more So apparently this is the official Albert Heijn I first walked into, I had no idea there's so many across Holland lol. If you can imagine a Nordic version of American Trader Joe's or Sprouts Market. Cool, eh? Local cheeses, organic fruits and drinks, cheeses, fresh breads and Dutch baked goods. Did I mention cheeses? Lol like a load of cheesy stuff! Deli meats, local beir and alcohol. I think you get the gist of it. And yes, greeting cards, toothpaste, etc., etc., etc. On my visit I stumbled across this Albert Heijn located just across the tiny wooden Dutch bridge of my hotel in Zaandam. I picked up Appeltaart Punten Uit De Bakkery for only €2.50 euro, Pecan Karamel Vanille Ice Cream from Hertog Yysalon only €1.50 euro, and a organic berry drink for only €1 euro! Just look at the pics if you don't speak Dutch lol! TIP: They don't take Visa or Mastercard! So make sure you have a small amount of Euros on you! In the end, I highly recommend Albert Heijn in Holland! Great options for traveling families or someone like me just looking for a late night snack:P I ended up going to this location in Zaandam twice and to another location at the Amsterdam Schiphol. Wonderful Dutch grocery chain! ME LIKEY! :D

This Albert Heijn has been recently renovated and they have a large international food section!…read more That's really all I can say about this Albert Heijn since it's the best known supermarket chain in the Netherlands. Oh, and since the prices of the AH supermarkets vary based on their location, this one is not too bad and they have a lot of store brand organic food as well, though I don't know to what extend their definition of "organic" goes.

To clarify, this is not a market where you buy your groceries. We may have thought that going in,…read morebut we also knew there would be ready to eat food too. So, this beautiful space is filled is amazing smells that welcome you inside and adorable handmade signs with great quotes or instructions. Many of the vendors are set up under tents even though it's an indoor venue, this gives a fun feeling of an outside market. It can get a little cramped and there may not be any seats left when you want to sit down to eat your goodies, but that's the mark of a good spot, right? Here's a run down of the SOME of the food you could find here: Vietnamese, Brazilian, Caribbean, Italian, Greek, and some fancier finds for an amazing price. You can also get coffee, fruit smoothies, honey, granola, pulled pork, and sweets! We bought some awesome fudge in flavors I had never seen before. Prepare to be impressed when going to the Neighbourfoodmarket!

If you're in Amsterdam on a Sunday, when the Neighboorfood market takes place, then do yourself a…read morefavour. Go there. I've rarely seen so many different options for food gathered in so little space. Pizza, Thai papaya salad, raw cakes, Chinese dumplings, Spanish tapas and a huge range of other options. It's very unique. Hardly any two places serves the same. The standard of the food is in general high and the service friendly, sometimes rather amusing. Prices vary, but overall it's not exactly cheap to buy yourself a full lunch here, though far from expensive. 5 euros here and there might not seem a lot, but it adds up, since portions in general are small. There's quite a lot of room in front of the stalls, so it never feels completely crowded. The options for sitting down to eat are definitely here, but they are limited. However, you're in a park. There're a lot of other options around.

Delicious cappuccinos and pastries. Their apple pie is awesome - I suggest getting a whole pie to…read morego (~€10). It's a little tight inside but you can sit at a table to enjoy a coffee and watch passerbys.

Ask for Nonja who will serve you a fine cappuccino. Don't miss the Kwekkeboom Black Angus…read moreSaucijzenbroodje.