Join me as I go through the adventures of my Netherlands escape room trip!
Alright, part three. We had 19 rooms (and one giant experience) behind us and another 19 rooms (and a long but not giant experience) in front of us. Day six had a total of four games. It was on the lighter side, especially since it was at one company, but our trip planner wanted to spend some time in the city.
I’m not one to argue against cheese and stroopwaffels. There was a cheese store across the road from the escape room, which made for some excellent snacking when we were between rooms. And just… wow… the cheese was creamy and delicious. The aged cheeses had a rich flavor that I really liked.
Stroopwaffel is also a must-get when in Amsterdam. It is hard to resist a layer of caramel between two halves of a thin waffle. I tried making stroopwaffel before, and I will never do it again. My hands felt numb from all the heat. One other thing I must shout out to before I get back to the escape rooms is the delftware. Delftware is a type of tin-glazed earthenware. And the classic Dutch look is white and blue. It looks so beautiful. We passed a delftware elephant while I was in a rush, and I still think about it. Very much a missed opportunity.
Okay, back to escape rooms. Day seven was more scattered for escape rooms. We went back to Mama Bazooka’s for their other games, took a detour out to a lovely, renovated, and repurposed church, and then ended back up in the city. I do love the public transit in Europe. Taking the car into the city would have proved difficult, so dropping off the car and taking the train felt like the right way to go. Also felt a bit more European to use the trains.
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For day six, we played all four games at Sherlocked. They were able to get space right in the center of Amsterdam. It was a six-minute walk from the central station. And I said we did four games, but that’s a little misleading.
Our first experience of the day was ‘The Lost Cabinet’. I say experience because it was not an escape room. It was a box. ‘The Lost Cabinet’ was a product of our previously restricted world. Escape rooms are not on the table during social distancing. But Sherlocked didn’t want people to lose their puzzle time, so they came up with ‘The Lost Cabinet’ instead. And someone would bike it around town for people to play.
The box is not that large, but I would not call it small either. It looks simple, yet it wouldn’t open with standard pressure. Puzzles are meant to be a challenge, are they not? I was delighted by how many puzzles were contained within the box. But maybe I should have expected that since I knew it was going to be a 2-hour experience.
Sherlocked – The Escape Rooms
Once we solved the mysteries of the box, it was time for some other tasks as agents of… someone. Our first mission was to break into ‘The Vault’. But first, we had to get into the area next door. I was honestly surprised by how in character the GM was. She was a bit stern, but it was amazing to interact with her.
Then we swung around the office of a very important person. They called him ‘The Architect’. The office was a bit sparse, which was even more confusing when we were searching for clues. But there are always secrets.
Working our way up the ladder, we ended up in the office of ‘the Alchemist’. This room had some breathtaking moments. I felt in awe when I first walked into see the stained-glass window illuminating the place. And I must give a shoutout to the fireplace because I heard it was quite difficult to install.
I do not trust myself, so I will not say too much about ‘The Alchemist’. But this room was one of my favorites of the trip. They did a really good job with the effects and the puzzle feedback.
Mama Bazooka’s
While we were at Mama Bazooka’s once before, we did not play the room of much renown – ‘The Dome’. So, we had to come back. But we didn’t start with the dome. No, we started with the game I geeked out about in my first article – ‘The Laboratory’. The Laboratory was the first room in the Netherlands and one of the sparks that really started escape room culture.
Despite being twelve years old, the room held up surprisingly well. There were no over-the-top dramatics, and the puzzles weren’t too complex (although we did try to make them harder).
There was good use of many elements, and I can see how it inspired some of the rooms we played earlier on the trip.
And then it was time for the big one. ‘The Dome’. This room has been rated number one in the world numerous times. When it was released, ‘The Dome’ really pushed the limit of what an escape room can be in terms of set technology. I will admit, ‘The Dome’ has one puzzle in particular that is quite amazing. We could not come to the Netherlands and not play ‘The Dome’.
Rock City Escapes
The next room on our journey was at Rock City Escapes. One of the main reasons we decided to go to this location was that the room ‘Poppet’ will be closing soon. Their aesthetic is staged as a church. Because it is inside a church. I do think ‘Poppet’ made good use of the space. Especially the final room. I won’t say much beyond that, but the moment they were able to stage will haunt my dreams.
We also played ‘Soup D’Jour’ while at the location. Going from the classroom to a fancy restaurant felt a bit disconnected, but it still managed to work. Again, some very cool moments were able to be achieved. I also appreciated the encouragement for communication that was present throughout the room.
The Amsterdam Catacombs
For the final room of the day, we headed back into the city center. This is where we went on an archaeological adventure into the catacombs of Amsterdam. And yes, it was the actual catacombs and not a set. At least for the building itself. The catacombs were not originally built with puzzles. Although it may have been an early idea for an escape room…
The room was haunting. And a great way to end the day, as the sky went from day to night while we were inside.
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