6/30/2023: Heineken Tour & Ripley’s Believe It or Not

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Another jam packed day. We left our hotel to grab some actual coffee and ended up in an Amsterdam coffee shop. We were only one hour late to our reservation at Riley’s Believe it or Not Museum. Our entrance was sidetracked as they had “the smallest disco in the world” where the three of us (Sav, J & B), squeezed into a British telephone booth and danced to "Dancing Queen" by ABBA.

Like the TV show, Ripley’s museum was full of bizarre and interesting facts. What may have differed, is the story provided behind them. Many of the exhibits included a backstory on how Robert Ripley came to uncover the item and in some cases how it was gifted to him. Ripley is the epitome of an adventurer, a go-getter, someone who squeezes out the juice in the world for what it is.

Some of the standout items included a full cobra skeleton, skin from human skulls that had been shrunken down to wear as necklaces after being killed by rival tribes, full replicas of the tallest and fattest men (8’11 and 1,400 lbs respectively), a replica of a women who had grown up in a den with wolves for 8 years of her formative life, a lamb who was born without a face, and a plaque explaining how infant blue whales can gain up to 10 lbs an hour.

After Ripley’s, we headed to the Heineken Experience. This museum / tour / corporate office, offered a perspective of Heineken’s history. From their early brewing days, Heineken was one of the first to use science to improve the art of beer-making. From this point on, Heineken established itself as a global brand and has gotten involved in various atheltic events (racing, rugby, cricket, soccer…). The best part of the tour was a standing ride where we, the wheat / barley, went though the process of being mashed, fermented, mixed, bottled, and served.

The tour ended with rooftop drinks where our bartenders were clearly in their first week on the job

~ J