A walk in Vondelpark

Vondelpark is a 120 acre garden that has been open since 1865 and welcomes almost 10 million visitors a year. It’s easy to see why. It’s filled with rolling green lawns and beautiful sculptures scattered throughout. Vondelpark feels like the sort of location where fantasy adventures would take place. There are trails that wander off the main path and into secret gardens. There are hundreds of ways to traverse through Vondelpark. I doubt that any two trips would be similar in the experience they have to offer.

Museumplein is a short walk away which makes it a convenient place to visit. We saw rented bikes throughout the entire park. Green grass goes on for forever and I could picture music venues taking advantage of how sprawling the park is. Last year Sander and I visited a Food Truck event. If a similar event happened in Vondelpark there would at least be 100 trucks that could fit inside. Picture all the different types of foods!

There’s more than enough space for dogs to walk off leash. People were having picnics and even composing music on the grass. Of course we didn’t want to disturb them by asking if we could take pictures so we spectated a bit before moving on. The air is so fresh for being in the middle of the city. One of my favorite things about The Netherlands, is the vast amount of land set aside for forests. Real forests. Not the type I used to see back home. Those were pretty small and underwhelming. Here it’s a different story.

The sound of running water is calming here. It’s hard to believe that it’s in the heart of Amsterdam. I’m not a fan of chick flicks but I’d image that coming to Vondelpark to film such a movie would not be out of the question. There’s a beautiful sense of calm and mystery even if you’re walking your dog.

I wish I was exaggerating how green this place is but I’m not! Every blade of grass is so bright, it’s like nature turned up the saturation for fun. The first time we went to Europe, I was 16. When I came back I had two realizations. I had fallen in love with London and Europe houses the most exciting shade of natural green. That same green throughout the European landscape.

Take a walk or bike ride in Vondelpark. If you’ve ever been curious about what Dutch forests are like, this is a prime example.