Amsterdam
Sunday 7th April, 2013
The ship docked in Amsterdam at 4am. An early breakfast was available for those catching early flights. Everything was well organised with bags colour coded. We’d opted to stay on board for a bit as we couldn’t book into our hotel until the afternoon (a real hassle when arriving in a city early in the morning).
So after a leisurely breakfast we joined the remaining passengers in the lounge and relaxed on-board until 10am, our departure time. After a while we decided to leave early as it seemed a waste to sit onboard for any longer while we were in such a bustling port.
We discussed booking a taxi but decided to walk - it didn’t look far on the map. Thankfully it was an easy walk even with 3 suitcases between the two of us.
Beware of cyclists! Stick to the walking lanes and look carefully before crossing roads. There are trams and cyclists everywhere.
We cut through the railway station, joining a throng of other tourists. As we emerged from the station our hotel was in front of us across several busy streets. A grand old lady, The Park Plaza Victoria, was positioned in a prime spot. Booking hotels close to the railway stations is a bonus and something I’d recommend to other travellers.
We arrived at the hotel before 10am with the intention of leaving our luggage but to our surprise our room was available so we checked in.
Once again we’re in an older annex but the room is quiet. It has tea and coffee with a fridge. Beds are comfy, heating more than adequate. Room has an annex with writing desk & 2 chairs. Plenty of room for us and our bags. The bathroom is basic with a shower over the bath.
There isn’t much soundproofing between the rooms and we can hear our neighbour snoring then talking on the phone later that evening.
But no time to waste lamenting over hotel rooms. By 11am we’re on the red bus taking in the sights (17 euro). We stop at the Jewish museum (1 euro), Gassons diamonds tour, and Hard Rock Café for coffee (3,35 euro - where our neighbours are asked to leave as it must be the only place in town where you can’t smoke a joint). We find a wonderful seat outside on the canal in the sun. Later it’s back to the hotel for a cuppa. We buy some milk and food (4,25 euro).
We decide to walk over to the Anne Frank House later that evening and join the queue (9 euro). What an experience that was. You could feel the fear as you climbed the narrow steps to the top where the family hid for all that time. Looking out the windows at the neighbouring homes you wonder how they managed to stay hidden at all. As with many museums we’ve visited you don’t have time to stop and admire the exhibits, it’s just keep moving in a line as it’s so busy so they need to keep people moving. I’m keen to read her diary again.
Monday 8th April 2013
Downstairs for a fabulous breakfast - just as if we were still on the ship. Hot variety, yoghurt, cereal & fresh fruits, toast, breads & pastries, cold meats & cheese, juices, hot tea & coffee.
By 9.30am we’re back on the first red bus of the day to have another trip around town. As you pay for a 24 hour ticket we want to get our moneys worth.
Then it’s back to the hotel for a cuppa and dutch currant bun.
Suitably revitalised it’s off again walking to the flower market where we find a fabulous selection of vendors in floating tent-like stalls. Tasted cheese, cheese and more cheese and some wonderful mustards to go with them. There is an absence of fresh flowers but plenty of wooden tulips and bulbs and packs of seeds. This isn’t looking good for the purpose of our trip here - to see the tulips!
These clogs would even be too big for the teenager! With all this wonderful merchandise on display I buy myself a small tulip carry bag and an Amsterdam themed ashtray for one of my sons. Needing to find a bathroom (always an issue when travelling) we head into McDonalds and pay 0,30 E! Not even a free loo in there.
We catch the tram back to our hotel for hot soup and another bun. Real cheap eating so far.
I decide to buy an umbrellas in anticipation of rain. Why I don’t know as it’s the second sunny day and town is still rocking with so many holidaymakers.
A new sound, the sound of Amsterdam, is the continual clatter of rolling suitcases over cobblestones.
I’ve never seen so many bicycles or people in one place, most sitting in cafes in rows worshipping the sun. Very strange, almost like a cult and we snap photos from inside the bus. I wonder what sort of people live here but perhaps it’s what you do when you haven’t seen the sun in over 3 months.
We head off across the street from our hotel for 1 hour canal cruise @ 4.30pm. Interesting! We began out in harbour by where our cruise ship docked then head through one of 11 sets of lock gates into the canals. We pass by merchant’s houses - magnificent. Most are too expensive for private ownership now so are owned by Embassy, banks & insurance companies.
Amsterdam must have been wealthy in it’s heyday.
With the cruise (15 euro) we purchased a reduced price Red Light walking tour for 10 euro leaving at 7pm.
So it’s home to the hotel at 5.30pm then get rugged up and out again by 6pm. Stopped at a vegetarian restaurant for falafel - biggest ever had and you could refill salads. Very busy and I imagine successful business franchise. I ate too much, paused to look in a couple of clothes shops, then walked to Dam Square by 7pm to meet our tour guide.
I’m surprised by how many are there for the tour - around 60 on a cold Monday night.
Apparently Amsterdam is second most popular tourist destination in the world behind San Francisco.
The tour is informative, guide young Aussie, Julian. Not as many girls in the Red Light District as I’d imagined. Tiny, tiny rooms they work in. Not many customers. Plenty looking - don’t know how many buying. We’ve been asked not to take photos unless we want trouble. Our tour group all took in a peep show - priceless! The look on some of the faces was worth the euro we paid.
The area isn’t as seedy as I’d thought. There are plenty of ‘coffee houses’ to tempt smokers. By now we’ve learnt that cafes are where you buy a cup of coffee, coffee houses are where you smoke.
The sex shops are something else - funniest condom & blow up toys I’ve ever seen or imagined. Just imagine, a Maggie Simpson condom! Condoms are made to measure at several establishments.
We walked back to our hotel by 8.30pm. Big day - 11 hours out. I’m in bed by 9.30pm to write up diary, accompanied by loud noise from our neighbour. We can’t help but wonder what she’s doing here, asleep all day, up all night???
Tuesday 9th April
I’ve made myself a note to take a bag to breakfast so we can ‘procure’ our lunch. We’ve been furtively taking a bun but noticing everyone else does the same quite openly we’re getting brazen to the point of making a sandwich which we then wrap in serviettes and pop into our bag for lunch.
After a sleep in - our room was too hot again and I had to open the window in the night, it’s down to a leisurely breakfast 8.45-10am.
We decide to take the tram today and buy a 24 hour tram ticket for 7,50E rather than 2,80E for one hour. Caught the tram from the station to the Heritage Museum. Had to walk 0.6km as closest tram stop is closed. Lots of roadworks meant several stops on red bus were also missed.
Van Gogh exhibition is small and temporary as VG museum is shut, along with Rijks museum. Just our luck! Coldest winter in 100 years so no tulips then two main art museums shut.
I manage to spend a bit at the museum shop though.
Sunflower bag 27,50 E
2 Van Gogh carry bags 2,95E each
Museum entry 15,00E
Back at the hotel mid-afternoon I’m shocked by the news that Iran had a 6.3 earthquake and my 63 story building in Abu Dhabi has been evacuated.. Frantically I try to contact the teenager who is home alone. (Yes, you’ve been wondering where he was.) As per normal he slept through the whole event and didn’t even wake up. Lucky it was only precautionary when after shocks hit rather than the real deal. Another similar event after my return home has me running down 28 flights of stairs. Not something to take lightly, I couldn’t walk for days due to such sore legs!
Then it’s off out for a walk to see the sights. Found a Kings sports shop around the corner down the back alley and bought some brand name t-shirts for the teenager. We’d been so focused on the shops out on the main street we hadn’t been down the back streets which are teeming with life.
We stopped at Burger King for a bite and hot chocolate then I grabbed a slice of pizza for my dinner on the way home.
Went back out later to check out the buses for tomorrow’s outing (easier said than done as rail station staff not very helpful). Rode the tram down & back to Spui to get our moneys worth from day ticket.
Wednesday 10th April, 2013
Up at 7.30, down to breakfast 8am. Then it’s over to the station to attempt catching a bus to Edam. There are plenty of tours but they all cost around 40 euros so are trying to do it ourselves. Obviously Amsterdam relies on tours as difficult to get any information to do it yourself. After the 3rd information desk we finally found a bus just sitting waiting for us!
10 euro for a day pass. A helpful Malaysian tourist has map and shows us where to go. Obviously he’s done his homework.
Tourist tip:
Central station for trains only.
Trams and metro leave out front.
City buses across tram lines (GVB). Only do inside city.
Countryside buses very hard to find. 3rd stop lucky. Walk through to back of station, nothing obvious but luck was with us. Bus to Edam waiting - yellow buses 10E for day pass. Left within 3 mins of us arriving just before 10am. Buy ticket from driver. Newspapers on bus but not in English.
Volandam is the first stop before Edam so get off t here first. Can catch bus & change to go to Marken which saves getting ferry & all included in 10E!
Tip: Get map from info centre opposite front of station.
The landscape is flat - no growth in fields. Fields are dotted with white swans - like on Rhine. We see our first cows in fields. We pass picturesque villages along the busy 2 lane road. I’m not used to that and find the oncoming traffic is very close to us.
The fishing village of Volandam is our first stop. Wow! We’ve bet the tour buses and are first on the scene. Getting off at the bus stop you have no idea what a treat is in store for you once you walk down to the waterfront. A quaint, yet working fishing village with all the tourist facilites you could want. We opt for De Boors café for a hot chocolate and slice of apple cake (4,40 E).
As we stare out at the North Sea it feels like we are at the Arctic with the cold wind blowing. Still, it doesn’t stop us enjoying a freshly cooked meal of fried fish fillet on bread roll for lunch (4E). Delicious! It’s worth braving the cold to sit on an outside bench with the harbour backdrop.
There is so much selection from the fish vendors it’s difficult to know what to choose. Many other tourists opt for the pickled herrings but I don’t think I’ll be able to stomach them. Most of the vendors look like they were born there doing the same job all their lives.
After strolling the many shops we wander back along the side streets to the bus stop. I am amazed to find a shoe shop selling sandals in my size so take the opportunity to buy a pair (59,95e). This was one thing I wanted to do in Amsterdam as they don’t stock many shoes in my size in UAE. Still they are harder to find here than I’d imagined.
Next stop Edam. Now I’d be expecting to see a big cheese or something - well that’s what you’d get in NZ. But we nearly missed the town as there were no directions once we got off the bus. Not sure where to go and looking like we’d been dropped on the outskirts of the town we spy a large church dominating the skyline so cross the road and head down past a busy technical college with students catching buses outside.
As we approach the church the landscape around us is barren & desolate with foggy grey horizon. I spy a paddock of sheep by the church, the first sheep we’ve seen on our trip.
We wander back along the opposite side of the road towards our bus stop and stumble onto a cheese market, just packing up. They have the most beautiful fresh fish for sale here which seems odd!
Into a pub for the obligatory hot chocolate - the best and hottest one we’ve had yet on trip (2,25e). Sadly we couldn’t fit in any cheese as still full from our earlier stop.
We run into a group of ‘Red Hat’ ladies exiting from a pub lunch at Dam Hotel. As I’m wearing purple & red I join in their photo. They remind me of my Aunty Pat with her zest for life and her red hats so I send her a photo that night.
Stopping at a bakery we get some cakes for supper (3,35e) then head back to catch the 110 bus towards Amsterdam. Our plan is to change bus at Mannehke for Marken but once back on the bus we decide to forgo Marken as it’s too cold and foggy for an island visit.
We admire the front windows of the houses we pass on the bus. Front window floral displays are a source of pride & possibly competition between neighbours. They look like show windows or museum displays.
Edam is a quaint village with narrow cobbled streets and many locks and canals. The brick houses are joined together. I’m so pleased we didn’t miss the town of Edam. What a gem!
Back at the hotel it’s time for a cuppa to warm up then we head downstairs to have a beer (3,40e) in the bar and soak up the ambience of our busy inner city hotel.
One quirky aspect of Amsterdam (other than drugs and sex) is the fascination with hot chips. I’ve never seen so many oversized advertisements and so many people queuing to buy chips. They come with a selection of toppings which make them look even less desirable. However, tonight we’ve finally succumbed to chips! Not even nice. Small overcooked ends, nothing like the ones on display, no real chips at all (3,50e). I opted for a curry sauce as couldn’t handle the mayonnaise or cheese most people choose.
Tonight is a night for succumbing and next stop is a visit to the sex museum - which is more like a porn show! (4 e) The interactive models were a hoot (flasher, pisser, red light naked men, loo sex). After close scrutiny of exhibits we return home to the hotel. I wonder if kids here have a better attitude to sex than other countries as I see young kids playing with explicit toys in the many tourist shops we go into. There is none of the ‘dirtiness’ attached to it here.
Another aspect we’ve noticed is even though Amsterdam is party heaven and filled with tourists, many large groups of guys arriving for a weekend, in our time here we only saw one drunk person. So even though everyone’s smoking & drinking up large, the public behaviour is much better than you’d see in any town in NZ. Food for thought!
We’ve been lucky with our hotels on this trip. I can’t emphasise enough how important location is when choosing a hotel, especially in a new city. Another must for me is having tea & coffee facilities as this saves you so much money when travelling. I may live in a different world than I’m used to back in NZ but old habits die hard and I’ll always be a budget traveller. My sisters may laugh at me turning up with my teabags and thermos but it’s stood me in good stead for many a holiday. When travelling abroad the best option is having breakfast included as this can be a substantial meal to start your day thus reducing your food budget significantly.
We are thankful for our hotel as we witness many older people lugging their suitcases up narrow flights of stairs into seedy looking hotels in the back streets. We take the time to check out the other newer side of our hotel with more expensive rooms. We go back happy with what we’ve got, better towels would go a long way to upgrade the feel as would sound-proofing the walls. But for what we’ve paid, we’re happy. We hear others complaining at reception but some people are never satisfied.
Thursday 11th April, 2013
When it’s spring again, I’ll bring again, tulips from Amsterdam...
Today is the big day I’ve waited for for 9 months. No, not a baby, a trip to see the tulips in Amsterdam. This was why I booked this cruise to fulfill a lifelong dream. Only problem is that no-one told me that it was going to be the coldest winter in 100 years and the tulips wouldn’t be flowering. I’d even timed the cruise so that we were on the river first to give us an extra week before arriving here just in case the bulbs were late in flowering. But this late is ridiculous. All week we’ve been looking at floral displays planted in tubs and measuring the rate of growth. All week we’ve been asking our concierge if we should go today. He kept saying go as late as you can, give them some more sun. Well, it’s now as late as we can go so today is the day!
We’ve booked a 10.15am tour so we can have a leisurely, relaxed breakfast. Made our daily snack for lunch along with currant bun & an orange.
Wouldn’t you know it? Today is the first day of real rain since we arrived in Amsterdam. We are wet by the time we walk down to the tour centre. There are heaps of people there. I think we’ve made a mistake paying 40 euro for the tour and should have persevered over at the station to catch the train and a bus. No great saving in cost though.
Most people leave so we feel better until we realise they are already on our double-decker bus before us. Bus must seat 80-100 & it’s nearly full.
We set off, sitting upstairs. It’s wet, cold and bleak so we are wondering what we are doing visiting today. We kept putting it off to allow the tulips time to flower.
Our reluctance is heightened by the constant talking of our guide - 1st in one language then in another. On the way back it’s 3 languages. 45 minutes of this is too much!
As we pass through the Dutch countryside we see yellow fields of daffidols but no tulips blooming.
We arrive at Keukenhof gardens to find hundreds already there. The gardens are magnificent but way off being ready. The ‘most beautiful spring gardens in the world’ just awaits spring!
Crocuses are out and daffodils. There are a few red tulips but most are not ready. Cameras at the ready we pose for photograph after photograph.
However, once we discover the indoor pavilions filled with colourful displays and tulips of every colour imaginable we are in our element. I take so many photos of tulips that my phone goes flat! Whatever will I do with all these photos?
The outdoor gardens are interesting with stepping stones in a lake fill of swans. It’s icy cold in places as we walk around admiring the many displays. I buy a jigsaw at the gift shop to remind me of this day.
We spend a magical 3 ½ hours there then it’s a 45 minute drive back, once again listening to our guide. Why do guides think they have to talk for the whole trip? Are they paid on a word count?
As it’s our final night in Amsterdam and I’ve spent all my cash, I get some money out. Then it’s back to the Kings shop for some more clothes buying before a final walk around the red light district and coffee shops.
Time to pack for the journey home.
Friday 12th April, 2013
After breakfast today we head over to the railway station to take a train out to the airport. Public transport is easy to use here, once you figure it out.
The sounds of Amsterdam continue to haunt me:
Clatter of suitcases on cobblestones
clang of tram bells before they start
screech of trams on lines
chatter of school groups
tinkle of bicycle bells
The train carriage we hop into is full so we push and fight our way through with our bags into an empty section. Why are others standing when this is empty? We sit down and relax. Later we find out it’s the first class section but no conductor comes along so we stay put. It wasn’t worth the upgrade to buy first class but having a seat was worth it. Seen we didn’t upgrade all was good.
We’re at the airport really early and hover around wondering what to do. We’re told the check-in doesn’t open for a couple of hours so McDonalds for a coffee seems like a great idea and we head upstairs to find it.
We end up being second in the queue but this doesn’t mean much as others get through much quicker than us.
It might be easy to get into Amsterdam but it’s not easy to get out. Security at the airport is tight - in fact it’s more like a prison than an airport. We are x-rayed with our arms up while guards walk around acting like they are goalers, barking out orders to those waiting in the line.
The holiday is over. What happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam...
We fly Emirates back to Dubai where I tearfully farewell my sister, Pam. Then it’s onto the bus back to Abu Dhabi for me while Pam stops over ready for her long flight home tomorrow.
Memories of this trip will last me a lifetime.
Sunday 7th April, 2013
The ship docked in Amsterdam at 4am. An early breakfast was available for those catching early flights. Everything was well organised with bags colour coded. We’d opted to stay on board for a bit as we couldn’t book into our hotel until the afternoon (a real hassle when arriving in a city early in the morning).
So after a leisurely breakfast we joined the remaining passengers in the lounge and relaxed on-board until 10am, our departure time. After a while we decided to leave early as it seemed a waste to sit onboard for any longer while we were in such a bustling port.
We discussed booking a taxi but decided to walk - it didn’t look far on the map. Thankfully it was an easy walk even with 3 suitcases between the two of us.
Beware of cyclists! Stick to the walking lanes and look carefully before crossing roads. There are trams and cyclists everywhere.
We cut through the railway station, joining a throng of other tourists. As we emerged from the station our hotel was in front of us across several busy streets. A grand old lady, The Park Plaza Victoria, was positioned in a prime spot. Booking hotels close to the railway stations is a bonus and something I’d recommend to other travellers.
We arrived at the hotel before 10am with the intention of leaving our luggage but to our surprise our room was available so we checked in.
Once again we’re in an older annex but the room is quiet. It has tea and coffee with a fridge. Beds are comfy, heating more than adequate. Room has an annex with writing desk & 2 chairs. Plenty of room for us and our bags. The bathroom is basic with a shower over the bath.
There isn’t much soundproofing between the rooms and we can hear our neighbour snoring then talking on the phone later that evening.
But no time to waste lamenting over hotel rooms. By 11am we’re on the red bus taking in the sights (17 euro). We stop at the Jewish museum (1 euro), Gassons diamonds tour, and Hard Rock Café for coffee (3,35 euro - where our neighbours are asked to leave as it must be the only place in town where you can’t smoke a joint). We find a wonderful seat outside on the canal in the sun. Later it’s back to the hotel for a cuppa. We buy some milk and food (4,25 euro).
We decide to walk over to the Anne Frank House later that evening and join the queue (9 euro). What an experience that was. You could feel the fear as you climbed the narrow steps to the top where the family hid for all that time. Looking out the windows at the neighbouring homes you wonder how they managed to stay hidden at all. As with many museums we’ve visited you don’t have time to stop and admire the exhibits, it’s just keep moving in a line as it’s so busy so they need to keep people moving. I’m keen to read her diary again.
Monday 8th April 2013
Downstairs for a fabulous breakfast - just as if we were still on the ship. Hot variety, yoghurt, cereal & fresh fruits, toast, breads & pastries, cold meats & cheese, juices, hot tea & coffee.
By 9.30am we’re back on the first red bus of the day to have another trip around town. As you pay for a 24 hour ticket we want to get our moneys worth.
Then it’s back to the hotel for a cuppa and dutch currant bun.
Suitably revitalised it’s off again walking to the flower market where we find a fabulous selection of vendors in floating tent-like stalls. Tasted cheese, cheese and more cheese and some wonderful mustards to go with them. There is an absence of fresh flowers but plenty of wooden tulips and bulbs and packs of seeds. This isn’t looking good for the purpose of our trip here - to see the tulips!
These clogs would even be too big for the teenager! With all this wonderful merchandise on display I buy myself a small tulip carry bag and an Amsterdam themed ashtray for one of my sons. Needing to find a bathroom (always an issue when travelling) we head into McDonalds and pay 0,30 E! Not even a free loo in there.
We catch the tram back to our hotel for hot soup and another bun. Real cheap eating so far.
I decide to buy an umbrellas in anticipation of rain. Why I don’t know as it’s the second sunny day and town is still rocking with so many holidaymakers.
A new sound, the sound of Amsterdam, is the continual clatter of rolling suitcases over cobblestones.
I’ve never seen so many bicycles or people in one place, most sitting in cafes in rows worshipping the sun. Very strange, almost like a cult and we snap photos from inside the bus. I wonder what sort of people live here but perhaps it’s what you do when you haven’t seen the sun in over 3 months.
We head off across the street from our hotel for 1 hour canal cruise @ 4.30pm. Interesting! We began out in harbour by where our cruise ship docked then head through one of 11 sets of lock gates into the canals. We pass by merchant’s houses - magnificent. Most are too expensive for private ownership now so are owned by Embassy, banks & insurance companies.
Amsterdam must have been wealthy in it’s heyday.
With the cruise (15 euro) we purchased a reduced price Red Light walking tour for 10 euro leaving at 7pm.
So it’s home to the hotel at 5.30pm then get rugged up and out again by 6pm. Stopped at a vegetarian restaurant for falafel - biggest ever had and you could refill salads. Very busy and I imagine successful business franchise. I ate too much, paused to look in a couple of clothes shops, then walked to Dam Square by 7pm to meet our tour guide.
I’m surprised by how many are there for the tour - around 60 on a cold Monday night.
Apparently Amsterdam is second most popular tourist destination in the world behind San Francisco.
The tour is informative, guide young Aussie, Julian. Not as many girls in the Red Light District as I’d imagined. Tiny, tiny rooms they work in. Not many customers. Plenty looking - don’t know how many buying. We’ve been asked not to take photos unless we want trouble. Our tour group all took in a peep show - priceless! The look on some of the faces was worth the euro we paid.
The area isn’t as seedy as I’d thought. There are plenty of ‘coffee houses’ to tempt smokers. By now we’ve learnt that cafes are where you buy a cup of coffee, coffee houses are where you smoke.
The sex shops are something else - funniest condom & blow up toys I’ve ever seen or imagined. Just imagine, a Maggie Simpson condom! Condoms are made to measure at several establishments.
We walked back to our hotel by 8.30pm. Big day - 11 hours out. I’m in bed by 9.30pm to write up diary, accompanied by loud noise from our neighbour. We can’t help but wonder what she’s doing here, asleep all day, up all night???
Tuesday 9th April
I’ve made myself a note to take a bag to breakfast so we can ‘procure’ our lunch. We’ve been furtively taking a bun but noticing everyone else does the same quite openly we’re getting brazen to the point of making a sandwich which we then wrap in serviettes and pop into our bag for lunch.
After a sleep in - our room was too hot again and I had to open the window in the night, it’s down to a leisurely breakfast 8.45-10am.
We decide to take the tram today and buy a 24 hour tram ticket for 7,50E rather than 2,80E for one hour. Caught the tram from the station to the Heritage Museum. Had to walk 0.6km as closest tram stop is closed. Lots of roadworks meant several stops on red bus were also missed.
Van Gogh exhibition is small and temporary as VG museum is shut, along with Rijks museum. Just our luck! Coldest winter in 100 years so no tulips then two main art museums shut.
I manage to spend a bit at the museum shop though.
Sunflower bag 27,50 E
2 Van Gogh carry bags 2,95E each
Museum entry 15,00E
Back at the hotel mid-afternoon I’m shocked by the news that Iran had a 6.3 earthquake and my 63 story building in Abu Dhabi has been evacuated.. Frantically I try to contact the teenager who is home alone. (Yes, you’ve been wondering where he was.) As per normal he slept through the whole event and didn’t even wake up. Lucky it was only precautionary when after shocks hit rather than the real deal. Another similar event after my return home has me running down 28 flights of stairs. Not something to take lightly, I couldn’t walk for days due to such sore legs!
Then it’s off out for a walk to see the sights. Found a Kings sports shop around the corner down the back alley and bought some brand name t-shirts for the teenager. We’d been so focused on the shops out on the main street we hadn’t been down the back streets which are teeming with life.
We stopped at Burger King for a bite and hot chocolate then I grabbed a slice of pizza for my dinner on the way home.
Went back out later to check out the buses for tomorrow’s outing (easier said than done as rail station staff not very helpful). Rode the tram down & back to Spui to get our moneys worth from day ticket.
Wednesday 10th April, 2013
Up at 7.30, down to breakfast 8am. Then it’s over to the station to attempt catching a bus to Edam. There are plenty of tours but they all cost around 40 euros so are trying to do it ourselves. Obviously Amsterdam relies on tours as difficult to get any information to do it yourself. After the 3rd information desk we finally found a bus just sitting waiting for us!
10 euro for a day pass. A helpful Malaysian tourist has map and shows us where to go. Obviously he’s done his homework.
Tourist tip:
Central station for trains only.
Trams and metro leave out front.
City buses across tram lines (GVB). Only do inside city.
Countryside buses very hard to find. 3rd stop lucky. Walk through to back of station, nothing obvious but luck was with us. Bus to Edam waiting - yellow buses 10E for day pass. Left within 3 mins of us arriving just before 10am. Buy ticket from driver. Newspapers on bus but not in English.
Volandam is the first stop before Edam so get off t here first. Can catch bus & change to go to Marken which saves getting ferry & all included in 10E!
Tip: Get map from info centre opposite front of station.
The landscape is flat - no growth in fields. Fields are dotted with white swans - like on Rhine. We see our first cows in fields. We pass picturesque villages along the busy 2 lane road. I’m not used to that and find the oncoming traffic is very close to us.
The fishing village of Volandam is our first stop. Wow! We’ve bet the tour buses and are first on the scene. Getting off at the bus stop you have no idea what a treat is in store for you once you walk down to the waterfront. A quaint, yet working fishing village with all the tourist facilites you could want. We opt for De Boors café for a hot chocolate and slice of apple cake (4,40 E).
As we stare out at the North Sea it feels like we are at the Arctic with the cold wind blowing. Still, it doesn’t stop us enjoying a freshly cooked meal of fried fish fillet on bread roll for lunch (4E). Delicious! It’s worth braving the cold to sit on an outside bench with the harbour backdrop.
There is so much selection from the fish vendors it’s difficult to know what to choose. Many other tourists opt for the pickled herrings but I don’t think I’ll be able to stomach them. Most of the vendors look like they were born there doing the same job all their lives.
After strolling the many shops we wander back along the side streets to the bus stop. I am amazed to find a shoe shop selling sandals in my size so take the opportunity to buy a pair (59,95e). This was one thing I wanted to do in Amsterdam as they don’t stock many shoes in my size in UAE. Still they are harder to find here than I’d imagined.
Next stop Edam. Now I’d be expecting to see a big cheese or something - well that’s what you’d get in NZ. But we nearly missed the town as there were no directions once we got off the bus. Not sure where to go and looking like we’d been dropped on the outskirts of the town we spy a large church dominating the skyline so cross the road and head down past a busy technical college with students catching buses outside.
As we approach the church the landscape around us is barren & desolate with foggy grey horizon. I spy a paddock of sheep by the church, the first sheep we’ve seen on our trip.
We wander back along the opposite side of the road towards our bus stop and stumble onto a cheese market, just packing up. They have the most beautiful fresh fish for sale here which seems odd!
Into a pub for the obligatory hot chocolate - the best and hottest one we’ve had yet on trip (2,25e). Sadly we couldn’t fit in any cheese as still full from our earlier stop.
We run into a group of ‘Red Hat’ ladies exiting from a pub lunch at Dam Hotel. As I’m wearing purple & red I join in their photo. They remind me of my Aunty Pat with her zest for life and her red hats so I send her a photo that night.
Stopping at a bakery we get some cakes for supper (3,35e) then head back to catch the 110 bus towards Amsterdam. Our plan is to change bus at Mannehke for Marken but once back on the bus we decide to forgo Marken as it’s too cold and foggy for an island visit.
We admire the front windows of the houses we pass on the bus. Front window floral displays are a source of pride & possibly competition between neighbours. They look like show windows or museum displays.
Edam is a quaint village with narrow cobbled streets and many locks and canals. The brick houses are joined together. I’m so pleased we didn’t miss the town of Edam. What a gem!
Back at the hotel it’s time for a cuppa to warm up then we head downstairs to have a beer (3,40e) in the bar and soak up the ambience of our busy inner city hotel.
One quirky aspect of Amsterdam (other than drugs and sex) is the fascination with hot chips. I’ve never seen so many oversized advertisements and so many people queuing to buy chips. They come with a selection of toppings which make them look even less desirable. However, tonight we’ve finally succumbed to chips! Not even nice. Small overcooked ends, nothing like the ones on display, no real chips at all (3,50e). I opted for a curry sauce as couldn’t handle the mayonnaise or cheese most people choose.
Tonight is a night for succumbing and next stop is a visit to the sex museum - which is more like a porn show! (4 e) The interactive models were a hoot (flasher, pisser, red light naked men, loo sex). After close scrutiny of exhibits we return home to the hotel. I wonder if kids here have a better attitude to sex than other countries as I see young kids playing with explicit toys in the many tourist shops we go into. There is none of the ‘dirtiness’ attached to it here.
Another aspect we’ve noticed is even though Amsterdam is party heaven and filled with tourists, many large groups of guys arriving for a weekend, in our time here we only saw one drunk person. So even though everyone’s smoking & drinking up large, the public behaviour is much better than you’d see in any town in NZ. Food for thought!
We’ve been lucky with our hotels on this trip. I can’t emphasise enough how important location is when choosing a hotel, especially in a new city. Another must for me is having tea & coffee facilities as this saves you so much money when travelling. I may live in a different world than I’m used to back in NZ but old habits die hard and I’ll always be a budget traveller. My sisters may laugh at me turning up with my teabags and thermos but it’s stood me in good stead for many a holiday. When travelling abroad the best option is having breakfast included as this can be a substantial meal to start your day thus reducing your food budget significantly.
We are thankful for our hotel as we witness many older people lugging their suitcases up narrow flights of stairs into seedy looking hotels in the back streets. We take the time to check out the other newer side of our hotel with more expensive rooms. We go back happy with what we’ve got, better towels would go a long way to upgrade the feel as would sound-proofing the walls. But for what we’ve paid, we’re happy. We hear others complaining at reception but some people are never satisfied.
Thursday 11th April, 2013
When it’s spring again, I’ll bring again, tulips from Amsterdam...
Today is the big day I’ve waited for for 9 months. No, not a baby, a trip to see the tulips in Amsterdam. This was why I booked this cruise to fulfill a lifelong dream. Only problem is that no-one told me that it was going to be the coldest winter in 100 years and the tulips wouldn’t be flowering. I’d even timed the cruise so that we were on the river first to give us an extra week before arriving here just in case the bulbs were late in flowering. But this late is ridiculous. All week we’ve been looking at floral displays planted in tubs and measuring the rate of growth. All week we’ve been asking our concierge if we should go today. He kept saying go as late as you can, give them some more sun. Well, it’s now as late as we can go so today is the day!
We’ve booked a 10.15am tour so we can have a leisurely, relaxed breakfast. Made our daily snack for lunch along with currant bun & an orange.
Wouldn’t you know it? Today is the first day of real rain since we arrived in Amsterdam. We are wet by the time we walk down to the tour centre. There are heaps of people there. I think we’ve made a mistake paying 40 euro for the tour and should have persevered over at the station to catch the train and a bus. No great saving in cost though.
Most people leave so we feel better until we realise they are already on our double-decker bus before us. Bus must seat 80-100 & it’s nearly full.
We set off, sitting upstairs. It’s wet, cold and bleak so we are wondering what we are doing visiting today. We kept putting it off to allow the tulips time to flower.
Our reluctance is heightened by the constant talking of our guide - 1st in one language then in another. On the way back it’s 3 languages. 45 minutes of this is too much!
As we pass through the Dutch countryside we see yellow fields of daffidols but no tulips blooming.
We arrive at Keukenhof gardens to find hundreds already there. The gardens are magnificent but way off being ready. The ‘most beautiful spring gardens in the world’ just awaits spring!
Crocuses are out and daffodils. There are a few red tulips but most are not ready. Cameras at the ready we pose for photograph after photograph.
However, once we discover the indoor pavilions filled with colourful displays and tulips of every colour imaginable we are in our element. I take so many photos of tulips that my phone goes flat! Whatever will I do with all these photos?
The outdoor gardens are interesting with stepping stones in a lake fill of swans. It’s icy cold in places as we walk around admiring the many displays. I buy a jigsaw at the gift shop to remind me of this day.
We spend a magical 3 ½ hours there then it’s a 45 minute drive back, once again listening to our guide. Why do guides think they have to talk for the whole trip? Are they paid on a word count?
As it’s our final night in Amsterdam and I’ve spent all my cash, I get some money out. Then it’s back to the Kings shop for some more clothes buying before a final walk around the red light district and coffee shops.
Time to pack for the journey home.
Friday 12th April, 2013
After breakfast today we head over to the railway station to take a train out to the airport. Public transport is easy to use here, once you figure it out.
The sounds of Amsterdam continue to haunt me:
Clatter of suitcases on cobblestones
clang of tram bells before they start
screech of trams on lines
chatter of school groups
tinkle of bicycle bells
The train carriage we hop into is full so we push and fight our way through with our bags into an empty section. Why are others standing when this is empty? We sit down and relax. Later we find out it’s the first class section but no conductor comes along so we stay put. It wasn’t worth the upgrade to buy first class but having a seat was worth it. Seen we didn’t upgrade all was good.
We’re at the airport really early and hover around wondering what to do. We’re told the check-in doesn’t open for a couple of hours so McDonalds for a coffee seems like a great idea and we head upstairs to find it.
It might be easy to get into Amsterdam but it’s not easy to get out. Security at the airport is tight - in fact it’s more like a prison than an airport. We are x-rayed with our arms up while guards walk around acting like they are goalers, barking out orders to those waiting in the line.
The holiday is over. What happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam...
We fly Emirates back to Dubai where I tearfully farewell my sister, Pam. Then it’s onto the bus back to Abu Dhabi for me while Pam stops over ready for her long flight home tomorrow.
Memories of this trip will last me a lifetime.
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