Marianne:

Amsterdam: What’s On This Week

March is a good month to visit museums and theatres, because it is still too cold to be outside all day. The cultural season is still in full swing so you have plenty to choose from. AMSTERDAM FOR CULTURE LOVERS WHAT: Photography and Astronomy Photo exhibition documenting the history of astronomy and...

March 18th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

The Tulip Bubble and How it Burst

Would you pay 5,000 florins, or €2,000 for one tulip bulb? That is exactly what people did in 17th century Amsterdam. The latest fashion dictated that flowers were brought inside to cheer up the rooms. The wives of wealthy merchant were besotted with tulips, because they were so colourful. As with...

March 16th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Spend Easter in Amsterdam

If you want to spend the Easter weekend in Amsterdam, start planning now. The city is a popular destination this time of year. The days are getting longer and milder and many tourists combine Amsterdam sightseeing with a trip to Keukenhof Flower Gardens. Watch the Flower parades in the park on Easter...

March 14th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Amsterdam’s Silent Procession

Each year in March pilgrims flock in their thousands to Amsterdam to take part in de Stille Omgang, a silent procession through the Amsterdam’s old centre. Tradition has it that on 15 March 1345 a dying man was administered the last rites. After receiving the host he became sick. The vomit was...

March 12th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Leidseplein: Popular Square Where Tourists Meet Locals

Leidseplein buzzes with activity day and night. Sip chardonnay and savour bitterballen, bite-size deep-fried ragout filled balls. On chilly spring and autumn days wrap a fleece shawl around your shoulders and only the tip of your nose will get cold. In winter the square is almost abandoned. All activity...

March 10th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Amsterdam Photo: What Tourists Do in Amsterdam

Whenever I spot the IAMSTERDAM logo, I cannot ignore it. I always take photos of this Amsterdam icon. I am not the only one. Passing tourists nudge each other and clamber up, on and around the giant red and white letters. IAMSTERDAM is a two-metre tall (6.5 ft) and twenty-four-metre(26 yards)long wall...

March 8th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Buy a Dutch Book and Travel Free on Trains

Spend €12,50 or more on a Dutch language books between 11 – 21 March and get a copy of Duel, the title of this year’s Book Week Gift. Duel is written by Joost Zwagerman (1963). This tragicomic story tells how the director of a modern art museum gets into problems when a €30 million worth work...

March 6th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

New York Subway Goes Dutch

Do you live in New York but would you rather live in ‘Nieuw Amsterdam’? Hop on the S shuttle train—running between Grand Central and Times Square and get that Dutch feeling. When the train pulls in, you stand in the middle of a bulb field. Red, pink and yellow tulips wave in a gentle breeze. Farmsteads...

March 3rd, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Keukenhof Flower Garden: A Kaleidoscope of Colour

Rows of purple, white, pink, yellow and orange dance in the wind. Sweet aromatic scents caress your nose. Drifts of daffodils, hyacinths and tulips dazzle your eyes in all their Technicolour. Keukenhof Flower Garden greets you with football fields of flower extravaganza. Plan your trip now because this...

March 2nd, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

March Weather in Amsterdam

March is the perfect time to visit Amsterdam if you do not mind a nip in the air. Crowds are still small and airfares still low. Locals begin to claim their seats at favourite cafe terraces and their mooring places for their canal-cruising vessels. Outdoor art markets reopen. The change of seasons is...

March 1st, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Medieval Amsterdam

Amsterdam was founded in 1306, or to be more precise that is the year city rights were granted. Few buildings from this period remain because in 1421 fire destroyed two-thirds of the city. When in 1452 another blaze swept through the city, legislation was passed banning the use of wood as building material. MEDIEVAL...

February 28th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Dutch Railway Tourist Trap

The train ticket machines in Schiphol Airport concourse show a welcome screen with a leafy Amsterdam canal and invite the tourist to buy a Comfort Class Ticket to Amsterdam. Comfort Class simply means first class. This type of tickets costs €6.50 for a single trip from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal...

February 26th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Dutch Winter Food

Winter is the best time to try Dutch cuisine. Dutch dishes are not refined or very subtle in taste. That’s why restaurants serving traditional Dutch food can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Another reason is that Dutch dishes are considered best when home-cooked. Few restaurants bother to promote...

February 24th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Amsterdam’s Secret Church

Climb the narrow back staircase to the secret room in the attic, known as Ons Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic). The room is a ravishing little church that recalls the days when Catholics weren’t allowed to practice their religion freely. In the 16th century, Catholicism toppled in many...

February 22nd, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

All Kids Love Nijntje

Nijntje is a true celebrity. Nijntje is short for konijntje, meaning little rabbit. She is an endearing creature and the brainchild of writer and artist Dick Bruna. Nijntje was born in the small seaside resort of Egmond aan Zee, not far from Amsterdam. Dick’s son was playing with his cuddly konijntje....

February 20th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Prague at a Glance

Prague sparkles with Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture. The Vltava River flows like a satin ribbon through the heart of the city. Prague Castle crowns the hill on the west bank and dozens of spires reach for the sky. Tourists amble through the historic centre, sniffing up culture, hunting...

February 19th, 2010 | On The Road | Read More

Bijenkorf Department Store Fears Tumbling Down

A new metro line connecting the north of Amsterdam to the rest of the city seemed such a good idea. In 1996, the city council approved an €800 million budget, by 2002 the line was expected to cost €1.4 million and would be up and running in 2011. The new route is 9.8 km long and 6 km will be underground....

February 18th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Quirky Shops in Amsterdam

Warmoesstraat one of the oldest streets in Amsterdam lies on the edge of the Red Light District and is filled with funky boutiques, quirky shops, bars, coffeeshops, souvenirs and tourists. Buying dildos proves as easy as stocking up on chicken drumsticks for an evening meal. Warmoesstraat 53: The Greenhouse...

February 16th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

Dutch Coffee Shops Sometimes Sell Coffee

Coffee shop can mean only one thing in the Netherlands: hash bar. You may think that buying and selling marihuana is legal in the Netherlands. It is not. Buying and selling is decriminalised. This means that possession of small quantities of drugs is not a crime under Dutch law. Coffee shops are allowed...

February 15th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More

A Rose for your Sweetheart

Are you going to buy your sweetheart a rose for Valentine? And did you know that your rose is one of the hundred million flowers auctioned at Aalsmeer in preparation for Valentine’s Day? Flowers are big business in Holland and especially for Valentine’s day. On ordinary weekdays the turnover at Aalsmeer...

February 13th, 2010 | Amsterdam | Read More