Tulips, Cheese and more
One of the great advantages of living in London is the easy accessibility to the rest of Europe. This works a charm when you feel the need to disappear over the weekend for quick city breaks. It's one of the things I've been doing a lot of in the last few months with trips to various places.
I spent this past weekend in one of the most colourful, diverse and charming cities in Europe - Amsterdam. With its tree-lined canals, art filled Museums and lively social scene this is perhaps one of the best cities to visit. The fact that you can get around either on a boat, a tram or do what most Dutch do - a gentle bit of peddling makes this a fun place. And of course, unlike the rude locals of other places, the Dutch are a friendly bunch.
Museum square is amazing with its famous museums like- the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum. The Rijksmuseum was celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Rembrandt and there were some amazing works on display. I also found myself in front of Anne Franks house (truth is I was lost wandering along one of the main canals and got lucky). This house is really worth the view. Very moving stuff indeed. Then of course, there is the diamond factories and the red light area. The red light area is interesting. I went on a candlelight tour around this area. The guides were really good and we dropped by the prostitution information centre, which is run by former prostitutes. The system is complex and their view is that legalising prostitution means that sex workers now work under their own terms and conditions for the majority. Along the way we were also shown the various "coffee houses" which serve up some nice "space cake". I have to say that all of these areas were really safe areas and not quite like the sleazy images one conjures of a red light district.
There is a lot more to the Netherlands than just Amsterdam and of course the tulips. And so I hopped on a bus to try and imbibe a bit more of the unique Dutch flavour. I saw a lot of the rectilinear landscape of polders (reclaimed land) with its characteristic locks, dikes, windmills, farms and cows on my way to the Zaanse Schans. This is a well known windmill village with some rather interesting windmills. Here, I met a guy who makes traditional Dutch clogs. A demonstration promptly followed and I was amazed at how skilfully they are done (even if aided by machinery).
I rode on the coast along the former Zuiderzee to see the famous Volendam and Marken. Volendam is a fishing village and very much in the picture postcard sense. Also, the houses here are wooden and colourful and its just so lively. I suspect the people do well from all the tourists stopping by. I also stopped by a few cheese farms. The cheese here is made in the traditional way and it's quite interesting to watch and sample. All very nice of course.
Sadly, like most good things, my time there came to an end far too quickly. I'm back in London chained to my desk…that is until the next weekend when I'm off to Brussels
I spent this past weekend in one of the most colourful, diverse and charming cities in Europe - Amsterdam. With its tree-lined canals, art filled Museums and lively social scene this is perhaps one of the best cities to visit. The fact that you can get around either on a boat, a tram or do what most Dutch do - a gentle bit of peddling makes this a fun place. And of course, unlike the rude locals of other places, the Dutch are a friendly bunch.
Museum square is amazing with its famous museums like- the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum. The Rijksmuseum was celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Rembrandt and there were some amazing works on display. I also found myself in front of Anne Franks house (truth is I was lost wandering along one of the main canals and got lucky). This house is really worth the view. Very moving stuff indeed. Then of course, there is the diamond factories and the red light area. The red light area is interesting. I went on a candlelight tour around this area. The guides were really good and we dropped by the prostitution information centre, which is run by former prostitutes. The system is complex and their view is that legalising prostitution means that sex workers now work under their own terms and conditions for the majority. Along the way we were also shown the various "coffee houses" which serve up some nice "space cake". I have to say that all of these areas were really safe areas and not quite like the sleazy images one conjures of a red light district.
There is a lot more to the Netherlands than just Amsterdam and of course the tulips. And so I hopped on a bus to try and imbibe a bit more of the unique Dutch flavour. I saw a lot of the rectilinear landscape of polders (reclaimed land) with its characteristic locks, dikes, windmills, farms and cows on my way to the Zaanse Schans. This is a well known windmill village with some rather interesting windmills. Here, I met a guy who makes traditional Dutch clogs. A demonstration promptly followed and I was amazed at how skilfully they are done (even if aided by machinery).
I rode on the coast along the former Zuiderzee to see the famous Volendam and Marken. Volendam is a fishing village and very much in the picture postcard sense. Also, the houses here are wooden and colourful and its just so lively. I suspect the people do well from all the tourists stopping by. I also stopped by a few cheese farms. The cheese here is made in the traditional way and it's quite interesting to watch and sample. All very nice of course.
Sadly, like most good things, my time there came to an end far too quickly. I'm back in London chained to my desk…that is until the next weekend when I'm off to Brussels
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