The weekend before Easter I treated myself to 4 wonderful days in Amsterdam...
I stayed in a cosy "boutique bed and breakfast" situated in the peaceful and posh Canal Ring, chosen among thousands of accomodations on the internet...
Every minute of my weekend had been carefully planned, tickets purchased via web, in order to see as much as I could and avoid queues, etc...
On the first afternoon I hit :
- the floating flower market..a bit disappointing as I didn't t expect to see only millions of packages of bulbs and seeds!!! (note to self : next time make sure the packages you're buying don't contain a pot full of compost..no need to add extra kilos to your baggage allowance... :-)
- Waterlooplein flea market (full of crap)
- Albert Cuyp market, where stalls sell everything from fruit, vegetables, cheese. fish and spices to clothes, cosmetics and beddings...
- the Rijksmuseum
- the Van Gogh Museum (the Irises and the Sunflowers are just like Monna Lisa at the Louvre...so tiny!!!)....
- the Begiinhof
..and took a stroll around the picturesque Canal Ring......after all Amsterdam is called "the Venice of the North!", LOL!
VERY IMPORTANT : mind the bicycles because most of them do not have brakes!!!
Got back to Amsterdam, visited the Red Light District, it looks pretty normal during the day with theaters, shops, museums, restaurants, bars and coffee shops, whilst at night the famous windows with sexy girls turn their neon lights on...an area to avoid being full of Italian men looking for prostitutes and smoking...
I had booked the Anna Frank House for the evening..
it was even more touching and sad with the dark....
On day 3 back to Schipol Airport by train for catching the bus to Keukenhof gardens in Lisse, the world's largest flower gardens, where 7 million flower bulbs bloom over 32 hectares....shame that if I had come 2 weeks later it would have been a kaleidoscope of colours :-(
Being the weather very changeable and too much C-O-L-D for my "Southern" likes, I truly enjoyed some comfort food....
Dutch people are very helpful, friendly and do have a wicked sense of humour....
Thank you for flying with me..I hope you enjoyed your flight and I look forward to flying with you
again (I wonder when my next holiday will be now....phew...........)
Off to dust my Blogger reading list now :-)
29 comments:
Looks like you had a fab time!!
Victoria xxx
I'm so jealous what a great time you had it shows in every picture!!! glad to have you back!!
Glad you are back again Michela! You certainly know how to travel don't you? I would love to live in a place where the air smells of cocoa!!! x
E' vero! Non ci sono muri interessanti...l'unico che ho trovato è uno con scritto: "Aò annamo da coso?"... ma non sapevo come tradurlo!!:))
...E poi, lo sai che mi piace riciclare! ahahah
I'm really curious to get to know amesterdam... and what you've chosen seems really cute!
XOXO
Glad your back. I love Holland as it is late fathers home country. I spent a bout 3 months there when i was backpacking, Thanks for taking me back.
Hey, long time no see, glad you're back!
Looks like a great holiday.
I have to ask, what's going on in that painting in the bed and breakfast with the bare behind? And talking about paintings, are they the original Van Gogh's that are tiny?
I love the green windmill, it looks to have a little face!
Heehee! I am glad you dusted and updated your travel scrapbook! Better late than never.
Yes, I wonder too, when your next holiday will be!
you saw a lot in a short time ! Great pictures !
Thanks for the trip,it all looks so tempting.I must go there one day.In a few weeks we go to Paris for my birthday,hope I can get some lovely photos like yours. All the best to you.
Everything looked so stunning - from the hotel to the food - everything! xxxx
Thank you for sweet words on my blog..and better late than never:)
I hope you come back and visit soon..I have more swedish inspiration for you:)
LOVE Maria at inredningsvis
Beautiful place for a vacation! Love all that cheese!!! The food you had there looks very yummy. We passed through that city in a hurry many years ago. I regret that we couldn't stay for awhile. Great photos!
I want to follow your blog! I love Italy!!!
It all looks wonderful! I love your photos especially those of the village which has green houses and the aroma of cocoa :)
WOW! you had a tremendous time!
Julie xxxxxxxxx
Went to Amsterdam for my 40th and had a fab time. Would love to go back. Like you, I was a little disappointed in the markets though. M x
You did pack so much into your visit. Love the photo of you with your clogs on!
Thank you for sharing your short, but very busy, break with us, I enjoyed seeing all the different things you got up to.
Lisa x
I am so pleased that you decided to dust off the cobwebs and share your trip to Amsterdam with us. This is somewhere that is still on our list of places to visit one day, I would especially love to see the Tulip fields. Thankyou also for your continuing support of News From Italy, it is appreciated.
Hi Michela Thankyou for sharing your trip, it looks like you had a great time! I hope you are well and thankyou for your lovely comments over on my blog recently...
did you see a mouse with clogs on?
It looks lovely, I have never been to Holland, just passed through! I would love to see the tulips they look spectacular!
xxx
lucky you!! looks and sounds like a fabulous time...your pictures are great!
Hi Michela! Thank you as always for all your lovely comments on my blog. I am sorry to hear about the earthquake in your country and hope that your friends and family are not affected by it. x
Hi Michela,
Was great to come along on your trip to Amsterdam, thanks for sharing your photos. Looks like a wonderful place to have a vacation.
Do hope that you are safe from the earthquake, my thoughts go out to the people that have been affected.
Happy week
Hugs
Carolyn
what fun photos! I like the green mills, and look at all those tulips! Every May in Iowa they have a tulip festival, beautiful.
Hi Michela! Oh, would you please message me on Facebook and tell me about the Anne Frank house?
I would love to go there!
Your pictures are gorgeous and you are an excellent tour guide!
Hi there Michela! Please dont worry about the swap, you've far more important things to concern yourself with right now! It hasn't caused any problems at all. Fingers crossed you have a speedy recovery and are pampered all the way,
sending lots of love from the sunny North East!
Kerry xx
Hi Michela! I deleted my Linden grove kitchen blog a while back and then I noticed someone else had taken it over! He has now turned it into an automobile blog!!! I deleted my Mutant Trees and Linden Grove Mercantile blogs too. I hope you are well. x
Lovely to see you back - we stayed in a Dutch-run and Dutch-inhabited campsite in Abruzzo last month! Fun, as you say... and sunshine, too! Thanks for your comment - the rentrée is going OK so far!
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