Travel Tuesday- Amsterdam

Welcome to Amsterdam during the World Cup! 

My sister-in-law relocated to Holland at the end of last year and invited us over to visit now that the house renovations are complete. She and her partner live in Hilversum, which is a lovely rural area 20 minutes from Amsterdam. A day return into the city is €11 and the trains are overground two story trains, so you get to see a bit if the countryside on your journey. One of the most colourful views were different allotments with individual summer houses. What a lovely environment to garden in! Being pregnant I have a bladder the size of a peanut! Public toilets cost 50 cents but they are self cleaning between each use. It's run in a red, amber, green light system. It encourages people to wait and pay for a fresh toilet experience! 

The other option are the random men's pee screens throughout the city- I'll opt for the self cleaning loo thanks! 

I went to Amsterdam about 10 years ago with a friend and did all the traditional cultural things- Anne Frank museum, The Square, Van Gogh museum, Grasshopper Cafe, red light district, etc. On this trip I saw a very different side to the city, it's very residential! As we wandered through the neighbourhoods and down side streets we came across kids parks like this one. 

There were also boutique shops and cafés along the canals and at the bottom of 7 story apartments or houses. 

This shop sold handmade bags from all different types of material and patterns. 

It's a bit more difficult to see in this window, but it sold handmade felt clothing. 

Amsterdam is know as the most watery city in the world and the name originated from a centre focal point- the dam! You can read more about the history of this city at http://www.amsterdam.info/canals/. 

It's very picturesque and calming walking along the canals. In this photo you can see some of the canal boats people live on, the centre hasn't been rebuilt so it's very residential & has a relaxed atmosphere. These canal boats are like floating caravans, so much wider than UK narrow boats! 

This was a sculpture on top of one of the boats. 

Vondel park is in the centre of the city and it's buzzing with activity and there is art on display throughout the park. It's a very social place with groups of people having picnics, naps, sharing ice creams. A glorious way to share an afternoon in the sunshine! 

FYI- Two random things to know whilst staying here: 

1. They only accept Dutch credit or bank cards only in many places. 

2. Markt grocery stores are credit card only stores.