Euro Travel & More

My buddy just came home from Amsterdam and before he left, he had asked me what to expect going to Amsterdam in Spring.  Well, it’s the end of Spring and the beginning of summer in Amsterdam but in Spring – Amsterdam is just as lively as in the summer.  But one thing for sure – going to Amsterdam in Spring is definitely a lot lower than in the summer.

Lots and lots of beautiful flowers, from Dutch tulips to lupins, watch the hyacinth and narcissus bloom and of course the days gets longer and sunset is like 8pm.

There are less than 100 working windmills in Amsterdam now – see if you can spot them when you are there.  This was enroute to Brussel.

I called it the blue boat ride because I first saw this in a movie of Jackie Chan some 15 yrs ago when i was getting an lcd monitor and the sale man wanted to show me how clear the picture was on it.   So when you are in Amsterdam  – don’t forget to take that canal cruise ride on board the Rederij Noord – Zuid (hard name to pronounce eh).   It’s really meant for tourist if you asked me.  But we had used the day pass for the ride which lasted 75 minutes.  I had motion sickness – so i had taken some gravol like 2 hours before I went for the cruise.  It was very relaxing and one can see the different views of Amsterdam -  they have these electronic voice tour guide on board the cruise.  The cruis is from 10am to 9pm and adults are charged like $12 USD and d$7 for kids – kids below 4 yrs old goes on them free.

When we were in Amsterdam – we stayed at the Grand Hotel Krasnopolsky – unfortunately the spa there did not do any anti wrinkle treatments when i enquired, so i was unable to book some spa time there.  But this hotel is located centrally and has 400+ rooms and right in the middle of Dam Square.  It was pretty convenient to get to everywhere – for they have shops and eateries around the hotel.  Although my travel agent said it was a 5-star hotel – i beg to differ but it is not the prettiest hotel in Amsterdam as we later learned.  The rooms were alright and nothing to shout about – and i was pretty glad we didn’t stay there for too long.  For reasonable price and a better hotel i wouldn’t really choose Hotel Krasnapolsky anymore but the being centrally located was actually a good thing.

Since i wrote about Amsterdam in Spring in my last post – i thought i should tell you all to visit the Van Gogh Museum there too while you are there.  There are som 40 museums in Amsterdam and if you have your Amsterdam Card you get free entry to the museum plus we went in pretty quick as compared to the friends who was there and didn’t have the card.  Vincent Van Gogh’sd collection was magnificent to say the least and the museum was awesome.   Did you know that Van Gogh only sold 1 painting when he was alive..??  very strange eh.  Admission for adults is like $15 Cdn and $4.50 for kids – those under 12 gets to go in for free – so it is a relatively cheap expedition.

April is round the corner and while going thru’ some vacation pictures of yesteryear – I remember the tulips in Amsterdam and the best time to travel because there wasn’t too much tourist at that time.  We started with visiting Keukenhof but the tulips were in full bloom and you should see the endless fields of tulips.  Peak tourist season don’t start till June in Amsterdam and don’t forget to check out the Queens Day Festival at the end of Aril and then you have the Mardi Gras too and the National Holiday – the birthday of one of the Queen.

Amsterdam in the Autumn is quite an amazing sight – to another friend, it was quite strange – was it the culture?  was it  because there were too many bikes?  but to some Amsterdam brings a sense of fear  .. is it because of being the international drug lord/land there..?? the red light district..??  or the many stories we hear of american girls going on backpacks .. and missing and never to be found..?

I travel with my Blue Cross NC but even though it is no use overseas, I know that they have most of my info with them – when in need.  Amsterdam never brings fear to me because there are a lot of Asians around too and whenever I am there, I take in the lights and sights, bridges, canals and all thing gorgeous.  I was in Hague one time and it was pretty awesome to see the International Court of Justice.  If you haven’t been tot he Muritshuis Museum, you should..! because i got to see some of Vermeer’s famous work and the work of Rembrandt.  I’m not the arty farty type.. but i really liked it.. and sat down for lunch outside the museum.. and took in the cool air.

The Keizersgracht

Amsterdam summer months are wonderful.. and the weather is just nice. .not to hot.. and not too cold. And i guess the city lives outdoors during the summer. Go anytime besides summer.. you may find yourself in the rain all the time.. and for a tourist.. it can be quite devastating..!

Touted as one os the world’s best hangouts.. it’s is truly a blend of the old and new. Bicycles are aplenty here.. and a friend living in Netherland confirms by buying his own bicycle as well. It does look like at times.. the city is full of tourists. Very Dutch feeling, when you see the old crooked houses, the cobbled streets and tree lined canals and generous parks contributed to the atmosphere.

Like anyone traveling for business or going on vacation, looking for the right place to stay is very important.  For us, we were usually traveling because of business and we sometimes have meetings and late conference calls to our head office, from our hotel room, which sometimes can be not feasible at all.  Hotel rooms are kind of small but if we choose to stay in an apartment like those offered at Amsterdam Short Stay Apartments, you can understand why we choose an apartment over a hotel.

Conveniently located, these apartments are spacious, have equipped kitchens and are fully furnished from living room to bedrooms.  Here we don’t have to cram into a small room for our meetings and conference calls and it certainly wouldn’t look weird to invite an office associate to the apartment.  As in a hotel, most of our guests need to register at the front desk after 9pm, which can be a real hassle.

Rental is as low as € 105.00, therefore it is very cost effective for those of us who were traveling in groups. Check the availability online or you can contact them by phone or thru’ their contact form online.  Why pay an arm and a leg to book an extra conference room for your meetings when you can have the whole apartment to utilize as you wish.

Amsterdam is not only famous for it’s red light district, I can assure you.  Amsterdam has a lot more to offer to tourists than any book or tourist information magazines can offer you.  Folks from the UK or around Europe fly into Amsterdam often enough for a short break and we all know that Schipol Airport is the gateway to other parts of Europe as well as the rest if world.  Plus flights to Amsterdam are relatively cheap because of the many budget airlines they have coming from the UK.

Arriving at the Schipol Airport in the wee hours of the morning can be a bit chilly, but don’t be fooled by the quiet sights you see. Further up you will find many people getting ready to take a flight or waiting for the arrival of a loved one.  Cheap amsterdam flights is mostly the reason why Amsterdam is so accessible to vacationers.  Underneath Schipol Airport, you can also find the rail station.

For those who are visiting Amsterdam for the first time, you have to go visit the Red Light District, just because.  It’s not as bad as you think it is, definitely not BangKok, but yes there are sex shops and museums and cafes.  Oh by the way, just a tip (an important one) don’t take any pictures of people standing in the windows.  It can turn out to be rather crowded.  Taking Amsterdam flights with budget airlines like Jet2, bmibaby and even with Flybe is by no means asking you to fly with a two propeller aircraft. So like any frequent traveler like myself, I would use them all the time.

Going thru’ some of my pictures .. i found one of Schipol Airport, Amsterdam.  I was a relatively new  to this airport at that time.. but Schipol Airport impressed me. It was huge and pretty high tech,  if i can remembered  correctly.. and it  had a underground railway station with a 15 mins interval for each train and 5 mins for peak hours.  It was wee hours in the morning.. when took this picture .. i think it had to be like 5am.. i had a flight for like 6.45am.  The corridors were cold looking . .and the hustle and bustle had not started for the day.

This was another picture taken another time while waiting to pick up my boss who was arriving from Heathrow .. and of course KLM was late as usual! Several airlines serves Schipol Airport aalthough a little cold.. it was a place where they even find a casino hotel, a very nice spa.. a museum.. a business center.. it was like a mini mall.   I didn’t take more pictures that day.. for when i was finished my pedicure.. the boss’s flight arrived.  Bummer..!! But not before i sent some postcards .. and grabbed a snack.  By the way, all airport taxi drivers were required to wear a tie and i heard it is still the rule right now.