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Published: April 19th 2012
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At 5am on the morning of Easter Friday, I grabbed my suitcase and set off to join an unknown group of travellers, who would accompany me on a four day Contiki Tour to Amsterdam and soon become my close friends.
The group gelled quickly and there was not much silence on the coach as we drove to the White Cliffs of Dover and took the ferry across to Calais in France. Unfortunately we couldn't stop but it was nice to get a glimpse of the beach, a sight that I have very much missed since moving to London from New Zealand. We carried on through the countryside of Belgium and then arrived in Amsterdam in the afternoon. Our hotel was nice and it was close to the centre of the city. We dropped off our bags, ate an included hotel dinner and then headed off for a cruise along the canal. It was the perfect way to spend the evening after a long journey and a must-do while in Amsterdam. As an added bonus the cruise offered free food, wine, beer and, of course, Flügel. Graciously, my tour mates were careful not to let anything go to waste. After the
cruise we hit the town to dance our first night in Amsterdam away.
On Saturday morning we had an included breakfast at the hotel and then hopped back on the coach to travel to Keukenhof, Holland’s world famous spring flower festival. Keukenhof is only open for two months a year and was voted one of the worlds top destinations by CNN. If you are a flower lover then put it on your to do list but make sure you pick a sunny day and some likeminded friends. Beautiful as it is, there is not much to see except many, many tulips and three hours was ample time to explore.
We had the afternoon free and the chance to wander around and explore the city. Described by the Lonely Planet as ‘quirky, creative and open-minded’, Amsterdam was everything and more than we imagined it to be. The canals were beautiful, the buildings and boats were charming, the people were friendly and the laidback, tolerant atmosphere was surreal. There were bicycles in every direction we looked, old fashioned and full of character, foot break and all. I couldn’t help question the stories each bike might tell. Who is the owner
and where are they now? What journeys has it been on and where will it go next? Or, for what reason was it abandoned and will it soon join the metre high stack of bicycles at the bottom of the canal? The biggest question of all was how anyone could remember which bike was theirs! Possibly another unique skill developed only in Amsterdam.
On Saturday night we went to a picturesque fishing village named Volendam, about a 20 minute drive from the city centre. Our tour manager gave us the option to dine at a lovely restaurant situated by the water. Here we enjoyed a four course meal before travelling back to town for another night out in true Contiki style.
Sunday morning we woke to the shining sun, perfect for a bike ride through the village of Edam. Without a doubt visiting this village was one of the highlights of my trip and I fell in love with its serenity. None of us wanted the bike ride to end but our next destination did not disappoint. We headed to De Simonehoeve for cheese and clog making demonstrations followed by a cheese tasting which for me, being an
avid cheese lover, was a highlight of the show.
We had more free time in the afternoon so I went to the Anne Frank Huis with a few of my new friends. It was a sad but moving place to visit and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to go. Unfortunately, we ran out of time for the Van Gogh Museum but we got our typical tourist moment posing on top of the I Amsterdam sign and enjoyed an afternoon exploring more of the city.
After dinner out we met up with the rest of the tour group for a walk through the red light district. Sure, it’s definitely not a place I ever imagined I would be visiting on Easter Sunday, but it is a big part of Amsterdam’s culture and something you have to see while you are in the city. We were told that the district makes for one of Amsterdam's biggest sources of income, the ladies pay their taxes like they would in any other job and there is even a childcare centre in one of the main district streets where they can send their children while they go off to work.
The district is also located right around a busy church yet nobody seems to care. You must have an open mind when in Amsterdam, but somehow the magic of the city helps to make even the most conservative traveller feel at ease. No, don't worry, I am not talking about the 'magic' of mushrooms. I left that side of the city to the practised locals.
After 3 late nights and early starts it was hard getting up early Monday morning for the coach ride home and a quieter journey as we caught up on some much needed sleep. We agreed the four day trip was long enough as it was action packed and consumed all of our energy. Before the trip I was not altogether keen on the idea of an organised tour but this weekend away changed my mind. I would not hesitate to do a short tour again and I ended the trip with some wonderful new friends and no complaints. 5 stars for Amsterdam and 5 for Contiki! Time to get the brochures out to search for my next trip away.
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