Food

Whether you are in the mood for something casual or something elegant, Amsterdam has everything that you need to make your idea of a great dining experience happen.

For those who just want to rest and relax, packing a picnic lunch and heading to the Vondelpark is the ideal solution. Easily the largest park in the city, the facility is named after the city’s best known poet, Joost van den Vondel. Sports enthusiasts can work off some of the food by participating in cycling or football, or enjoy a brisk walk through and around the park. Visitors can also enjoy the Nederlands Filmmuseum, or any of the various dance festivals that are held in the park during the summer months.

For those that want to give herring a try, heading to the Museum Quarter is a good idea. The Old Centre is also an excellent choice. You can also ask the concierge at the hotel for ideas on where to find the best herring in the immediate area. There are a number of locally owned shops throughout the city that offer herring that is fresh and prepared to perfection.

Amsterdam is noted for its rich and varied cuisine. It is possible to enjoy Indonesian, Surinamese, and Chinese food alongside traditional Dutch dishes. The rich blends of herbs and spices can tantalise just about any palette. For vegetarians, there are plenty of options that do not include any type of meat and fish.

History

Amsterdam is the site of the house where the world famous World War II diarist, Anne Frank, hid with her family from the Nazis. Now a museum, the guided tour includes visits to the secret rooms where the family hid, along with a new wing that provides information about the war, the persecution of the Jews, and the rise of fascism during that era.

Cruising the canals that run throughout the city can also be a great way to spend the day. These waterways make it easy to reach many of the key districts around the city, as well as providing the ideal opportunity to enjoy all the sights and sounds that Amsterdam has to offer, including churches and other structures that date back several centuries.

Nightlife

When visiting Amsterdam, enjoying the nightlife offered in the cafes and clubs around the city is essential; there is something to suit any taste. Families can find places that offer music, dance, and selections of food and drink that are ideal for every member of the group. Couples looking for romantic out of the way spots can also find what they crave. For the adventurous, there are also a number of adult entertainment spots, making Amsterdam a popular destination for people from all over the world.

Music is always part of the entertainment scene around the city. Visitors can enjoy traditional music as well as more contemporary sounds at the various clubs located in different districts. Musical theatre is also found in a number of locations, offering everything from the comedic to the risqué.

Culture

In order to learn more about the Amsterdam of today, visiting any of the museums found around the city can be extremely informative as well as entertaining. Amsterdam’s Historisch Museum covers over 700 years of Dutch history, giving visitors the opportunity to learn all about the creation of such uniquely Dutch products as wooden shoes (clogs).

A trip to the Rijksmuseum to see the works of the Old Masters from the 17th century all the way through to the dawn of the 20th century is recommended. Housed within its walls are over forty Rembrandt’s, as well as four Vermeer’s. All in all, the museum has the largest selection of artwork of its kind to be found in the nation, making it an essential stop during any holiday to Amsterdam. Recently Damien Hirst’s For the Love of God a Diamond encrusted human skull.

If your tastes run to more modern sensibilities, plan a trip to the Stedelijk Museum. Here, the works of some of the finest artists of the 20th century are found. Works by artists such as Chagall, Picasso, and Matisse are on display there. Artists who came onto the scene during the latter half of the century, such as Judd, Lichtenstein, and Warhol are also represented among the artwork found at the Stedelijk.

While touring around the city, be sure to enjoy the tulips found along the Singel, as well as the wonderful cheeses that are made in and near the city. You can also visit historic windmills, and learn of their role in keeping the city safe and dry. For those who prefer to venture out from the confines of an organised tour group, it is possible to rent bicycles in many places around the city, and thus stop wherever you like for as long as you like.

When planning a trip to Amsterdam, the best approach is to fly into the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Located in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, only a short distance southwest of the city proper, the airport is one of the largest in the country, and routinely receives flights from just about every country around the world.

Many hotels operate shuttles to and from the airport, making it easy to settle into your accommodation before you venture out into the city. It is also possible to rent vehicles, take taxis, and hire private tour guides at the airport.

On Friday 19th December I took my EasyJet flight to Schiphol (AMS) airport in Amsterdam to meet Dorota. We would have a nights rest before we set off on our 2,746km roadtrip to Poland and back.

We got to Tychy in Poland around 2100 after 1,157km and an 11 hour drive. The best part of the drive there was driving from perfectly flat roads in Germany to passing through the old border control and entering Poland the other side. Video to follow

I will write about the places we visited in more detail later but here is our itinary below.

20th Dec – Amsterdam to Tychy

21st Dec – Tychy

22nd Dec – Drove to Krakow from Tychy
Stary Rynek (Main Market Square)
Brama Florianska (Florian’s Gate)
Barbakan (Barbican)
Bazylika Mariacka (St. Mary’s Basilica) with Oltarz Wita Stwosza (Altar of Veit Stoss), 2m Wooden People, Trumpeter who know one knows

Sukiennice (Sukiennice Cloth Hall) – Middle age cloth hall
Wieza ratuszowa w Krakowie (Town Hall)
Adam Mickiewicz Monument
Wawel – Hill, Castle, Katedra (Cathedral), Dzwon Zygmunta (The Sigismund Bell), Groby Krolewskie (The Royal Tombs), Private and Royal Apartments, Smok, Vistula River (Wista)
Kazimierz Jewish Ghetto – The biggest in Poland

24th – 26th – Polish Christmas in Tychy
Here are some of the Polish dishes we got to enjoy:
Sledzie w Smietanie (Herring in cream) i ziemniaki (with Potatoes)
Smazony Karp (Fried Carp)
Kapusta z grochem (Cabbage with Peas)
Duszone grzyby (Strangled Mushrooms)
Barszcz z uszkami (Borsch with “earlings”, dumplings stuffed with minced meat)
Pierogi z kapusta i grzybami – dumplings with cabbage and mushroom
Kompot z suszowych owocow – dried fruit compote
kaczka z nadzieniem – stuffed duck (with herbs, spices and chicken liver)
Karczek – Pig Neck
Salatki Warzywne – Vegatable Salads
Kielbasa – Sausage
kurczak w galaretce – jellied chicken
Kapusta z grzybami w ciescie francuskim – cabbage with mushroom in French bread
25th Dec – Ice Skating in Pszczyna
27th Dec – Oswiecim /Auschwitz, Brzezinka / Birkenau – the Museum
My first sample of Zapiekanka (Halved baguette topped with mushrooms and Ketchup)

28th – 29th Dec – Czech Republic
Svoboda Nad Upou, Pec Pod Snezkou

30th Dec – Wroclaw
Panorama Raclawicka
Krasnale (Dwarfs)
PRL
Spiz (http://www.spiz.pl/) (Underground pub built within mini Brewery)
Piwnica Swidnicka (http://www.piwnicaswidnicka.com/ Oldest Pub in Europe)
Jatki
Jas i Malgosia (Two buildings)
Garnizon Church & Tower, today Kosciol Sw. Elzbiety (St. Elisabeth’s Church)
Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island) with Wroclaw Cathedral
University

2nd – 3rd Jan – Berlin
Feeling extremely rough both with flu and after a near crash experience that day we managed to bear the 1 hour queue to go to the top of the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), the view was ok, but nothing as spectactular as the Eiffle Tower.

The next day we decided to take the easy route and paid for a tour bus to take us to the following:
Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie
Kurfürstendamm – The Protestant Kaiser William Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
Dom Aquaree/Sea-Life
Hotel Berlin
Kulturforum, Kemperplatz
Potsdamer Platz
Judisches Museum (Jewish Museum)
Gendarmenmarkt
Alexanderplatz
Friedrichstrabe/Unter den Linden
Brandenburger Tor/Brandenburg Gate
Berlin Hauptbahnhof/Central Station
Flohmarkt
Schloss/Palace Charlottenburg

4th January – Amsterdam then back to Brighton

More to come…

Luckily we had our tickets from museum night which gave us fast entry so we didn’t need to queue up which was great. You get the preferential treatment if you buy your tickets online.

The ground floor is the most interesting with information on the colonies of the Dutch, their relationships with the Spanish, the Golden era and how they lost it all. There were a few open questions in my mind after the visit, such as how Suriname returned back to the hands of the Dutch after the British controlled it and how and when other colonies were returned.

Thinking of colonies I’m not sure what was happening in Amsterdam this weekend, but we saw lots of children in fancy dress with black faces, presumably it has something to do with the slave trade. I’m not to sure on their motivation for this event but it doesn’t seem like the sort of act to be celebrating.

I was surprised to see an exhibition inside of Damien Hirst. After queuing up for about 30 minutes where we were squeezed into a pitch black room. I realised that in fact this was the only piece of work. I’m not too sure what I thought of Damien Hirst’s “For the Love of God”. It did look amazing with the way the light reflects of the diamonds, Photos here of the £50 million disco ball. I’ll let you decide on this one.

“First and foremost, World Press Photo is known for organizing the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest. Prizewinning photographs are assembled into a traveling exhibition that is visited by over two million people in some 45 countries worldwide. A yearbook presenting all prizewinning entries is published annually in six languages.”

Oude Kerk means old church, it’s the oldest church in Amsterdam. Obviously quite a creative name

The exhibition was great, what was even better was to see photos which weren’t perfect, but were technically bad, but showing meaning and making you think about the situation.

Photo of the Oude Kerk by devo_andare