Ooops sorry for my lack of posts in a while, I have been pretty busy with life and as a result this little corner of the internet has been neglected somewhat. But I am back - yay - to tell you about my trip to Amsterdam :)
Nick and I went over to Amsterdam in March, and as you can see from my previous post, I did a lovely bit of retail therapy which is essentially all it takes to make a trip worth it for me haha! But it was also gorgeous, so all in all it was worth hopping over the North Sea.
Now, I actually didn't take that many photos really, so I haven't got too much to show, but it was a great trip and really nice way to get away. I've wanted to go to Amsterdam for years but it's sort of never really been high on my list of priorities for whatever reason. But after we went to Brugge on the P&O mini cruise last year, I suggested to Nick (who had already been in his younger years) that we do the same but go to Amsterdam instead. It's just such a cheap and easy way to get there that there's actually very little excuses you can make to not do the trip!
So, in early March off we popped on the boat over to the Netherlands. With Amsterdam we decided to stay over an additional night so we had two full days and one night there. Mainly this was just because Amsterdam is obviously much bigger than Brugge, and also, the coach that takes you from the port (Rotterdam) to Amsterdam actually lasts about 2 hours so, this greatly eats into the time you really get to spend in the city (unlike the mini cruise to Brugge, where Brugge is literally about 15 minutes down the road from the port). We stayed in the Inntel Hotel, which is really near to the station (where the coach drops you off) and is in the perfect location for exploring.
I bought a mini fold out map before we went but it really wasn't as good as the maps they gave out free in our hotel (and I imagine would be relatively easy to get hold of from any hotel or tourist information). The map they gave us had all the essentials on it, and was extremely useful for working out which tram to get to where. That is actually the one thing I would advise anyone going to Amsterdam - make use of the trams!!! The first day we walked around, mainly because we were keen to have a good look at everything, but later on that day and definitely the second day we just trammed it everywhere!
My Amsterdam Recommendations -
1. THE FLOWER MARKET - Without a doubt. Very pretty, loads of Amsterdam souvenirs (aka utter tat) but well worth a visit! Also, the street that sort of runs parallel behind the flower market (Kalverstraat 176) is great for shopping.
2. The Heinekien Experience - this was Nick's choice (obv!) but such a surprise for me, I actually really enjoyed the whole thing. It had minimal boring beer making talk, and had loads of interactive things to do. Plus, you got a few free beers so winner!
3. Anne Frank Huis - we didn't go in because the queue was insane, and I didn't want to get too upset (I've read her diary and never fully recovered), but I felt like I wanted to go and pay my respects and see it. I'm glad I did but it is quite harrowing.
4. Walk down the canals - you can find some great side streets with antique shops which are always good for a browse.
5. Red Light District - now, this is a bit of a controversial one but I would say it is worth a look. Now, I am in no way an advocater of drugs, and definitely not of prositution, but it is just so culturally different to England over there it's something I had to see. I managed to walk around a few little streets with the girls in the windows, until I got utterly freaked out and made Nick take me back to our hotel haha.
I would like to note, we also went to the Van Gough Museum, which was okay (great gift shop) but didn't completely blow my mind so I probably wouldn't recommend it unless you were really into art and such like!
If I were to go again, I would definitely go to the Amsterdam Dungeon, eat at Vlaming Eten & Drinken (which is meant to be one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam, but was sadly closed when we went, boo), visit the Bible Museum (weird, I know) and go on a boat ride!
I hope this was mildly interesting reading for my return to the 'blogosphere'. I have a few posts in mind for the coming days/weeks that may be a bit more serious than what my blog has had on it before so it might be a shock!
Until next time :)
No comments:
Post a Comment