When my friend Stephanie and I were in Amsterdam, we took a short 15 minute train ride to Haarlem, a quiet town just outside of Amsterdam to visit the Corrie ten Boom house. Haarlem was such a charming little town, and I wanted to share some of the fun shops we found in case you ever have the opportunity to go. Our first stop was a cute purple tea shop, Bij Babette.
When we saw these amazingly fluffy looking scones in a window, we knew we had to pop in and check this place out!
We tried this delicious apple cinnamon scone…
And a decadent slice of lemon cake!
Their scones were to die for! This place is a foodie’s dream, their kitchen is right behind the counter and they are always experimenting and offering samples.
This raspberry scone was a new creation! They gave us a sample with jam and cream. Phenomenal!!
There were also a number of samples along the counter. Their homemade granola was the best I’ve ever had.
Their hot chocolate is famously called “The Boyfriend Substitute”!! When we saw it on the menu, we knew right then and there it was a must order. They serve steaming milk with high-quality chocolate chips that you stir in and melt yourself. Top with whipped cream and enjoy! Definitely plan a stop here if you’re in the area! I would love to come back for afternoon tea here! Actually I would just like to try every single one of their scones! :)
Right across the street from the tea shop is The Chocolate Company CHCO Cafe.
They had all different kinds of fun chocolate spreads, like Caramel Almond, Brownie, and Hazelnut, and you could taste-test them all!
You could even break your own chocolate bark to take home!
How neat is this chocolate curling machine?? You could buy the machine and wheels of all different kinds of chocolate.
Our last stop was Bakker Barteljorisstraat, on the corner near the Corrie ten Boom house.
Here we found some of Amsterdam’s famous Boterkoek (Butter Cake) which is a MUST try if you are ever in the area!! It’s a very soft, buttery cake/cookie — like a soft, super decadent shortbread. You can usually even find it in regular grocery stores in the bakery section, so definitely be on the lookout for it if you are ever in the Netherlands!
Thanks so much for looking! More to come from Amsterdam soon — everything we ate in Amsterdam!! :) Talk soon!
You are so kind to answer me such in depth and useful info, thank you very much!! Last quick question….which would you say was more expensive, Scotland or Amsterdam? We are looking for the most affordable….thanks again :)
I can’t remember! I would probably look at hotel room prices and go from there. I will say we did just get back from Budapest and it was SO cheap!! It was fun, family-friendly, and had AMAZING food! :) Good luck with your adventure!
Hi Amanda, I am trying to plan a family trip to Europe (with kids) and we HAD picked Ireland because they obviously speak English. However, it certainly looks like Amsterdam speaks quite a bit of English gauging by the store fronts, etc. Did you drive there or use public transportation? That is another factor…..we are rather reluctant to drive on the other side of road/steering wheel while in Ireland and it is largely rural so we’d need a vehicle. It seems like you’ve traveled quite extensively these past few months so perhaps another country in Europe would better suit our needs, what do you think? Thanks very much ;) I’ll stop pestering you with questions now!!
Hi Christine,
We used public transportation in Amsterdam. It was very easy to use, especially with the Google Maps app. You just search for where you want to go, then it pops up with the address and it will give you directions on how to get there. You can choose walking directions or public transportation directions. If you choose public transportation, it will tell you which bus/streetcar to get on, walking directions to get to the bus/streetcar, how many stops it will make, and at what stop you’ll get off. With the iAmsterdam card, public transportation is free.
From our experience in Scotland, driving on the opposite side of the road wasn’t that bad. The only time it was very different was in the roundabouts, but we were able to navigate them without any problems.
Bottom line: I wouldn’t let transportation or language make your final decision. In our experience, with the larger cities in Europe, most everyone will speak enough English to get you by. Learn how to say “hello, goodbye, yes, no, please and thank you” it will get you far. I would figure out where you most want to go and go there! :)
Hope this helps! :)
This looks like the most incredible trip!
Let’s see now, it is cold up there, most people walk to get to work or shop unless they are riding their bicycle. So I would imagine those calories would get burned up easily enough in Amsterdam. Not so much in the USA –where no one walks to work, sits at a desk all day and drives to lunch in a drive thru window and eats while driving between texting and making phone calls. I would also hazard a guess the flour is unbleached non gmo flour. What a beautiful CLEAN city– I think I saw some graffiti though . Thanks for sharing.
Wow! I had dental work today, and all I can have is jello or ice cream. Those GIGANTIC, up-close photos about did me in! Especially the scone with raspberry and cream! And I want all of that chocolate bark! I wouldn’t be breaking any chunks off, I’d grab the whole thing, every one of them! And Boterkoek??? Are you kidding? After your post about Corrie Ten Boom’s house, and now these darling shops with their incredible goodies in Haarlem, I SO want to go to Holland! Thanks for taking us with you! :)
Ooh all of those chocolate spreads look so good!
Yum yum! The scones and cake look heavenly!
That Boterkoek looks amazing! Would you want to recreate it for those of us who can’t jet over to the Netherlands? ;)
Of course!! Check the blog next week! :) xoxo
Awesome!!! I can’t wait!
The lemon cake looks so amazing. Might be worth a trip to the Netherlands. Thank you for sharing your trips. I love being an internet traveler.
Blessings to you and yours,