Blogs from Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, Europe - page 16

Amsterdam the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, sits at the weirdest of elevations; minus 2 metres - go figure! Originally a small fishing village in the late 12th century it now has around 850,000 residents in the municipality with another 1.3 million urban dwellers. Some of it's more famous residents being Anne Frank, artists Rembrandt and van Gogh, philosopher Baruch Spinoza and it lays claim to having the oldest stock exchange in the world. It has a few other claims to fame, including being near the top of the list in every category tested for drug levels in wastewater (except for methamphetamine) and for it's sex and drug tourism. We've never smoked so much hooch in our lives - even if it was all second hand. With Carol travelling from Belgium ... read more

Hey hey, Vandaag was dan echt de grote dag aangebroken. Na maanden van plannen en donaties inzamelen ( bedankt iedereen die gedoneerd heeft!) is het dan eindelijk zo ver. Laatste check voor de koffers en we waren onderweg naar Schiphol. Daar eenmaal aangekomen was het nog een hele klus om een parkeerplaats te vinden, na ongeveer een half uur hadden we een plekje gevonden. Eenmaal op Schiphol aangekomen was de bagage zo ingecheckt. Ik had geluk dat het niet zo druk was op Schiphol deze keer. We zijn even wat gaan drinken, vliegtuigen spotten en toen was het al tijd om naar de gate te gaan. Afscheid nemen was even moeilijk, maar over een maandje ben ik weer terug met heel veel verhalen om te vertellen. ik vond het heel lief dat jullie kwamen uitzwaaien Mayte, ... read more

A slow start to the day saw us grab something for breakfast and then run for the train. In Amsterdam, we stopped for a coffee/beer before going to the Heineken Experience. Andy asked for a flat white for me. It came in a very small cup and was very, very strong. It was pouring with rain at this stage and so we bought a couple of umbrellas. At the Heineken Experience, we were glad we had prepaid as we could walk straight in rather than stand in the rain waiting for admittance. it is a self guided tour with lots of staff on hand giving talks or providing advice. It is a very family oriented business from its early beginnings. I hadn't realised that the e's the label are smiling e's. It is a good tour ... read more

The next morning we were treated to a wonderful breakfast. Lots of food choices. I had crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, and chicken sausage. I had water and apple juice to drink. I did notice that they don’t serve milk as a beverage just like in England. We headed out for our first location, the Gassan Diamonds Factory. The Amsterdam diamond company, Gassan Diamonds, is located in the former steam-driven diamond polishing factory. In this monumental building, we saw the diamond cutters at work while our guide explained the diamond cutting and polishing process. Gassan Diamonds has over 425 years of craftsmanship and tradition. It is famous for the ‘Amsterdam Cut’ diamond and also, Gassan's inhouse cut diamond; the Gassan 121, which has 121 facets. During our visit to Gassan Diamonds, we had the opportunity to purchase ... read more

We made it to our hotel on the outskirts of Amsterdam about 4:45. We are heading out to do a canal cruise and dinner. We arrived in Amsterdam about 4:30. We are staying on the outskirts of Amsterdam at the Mercure Hotel. My room is on the 15thfloor. The hotel lobby and dining areas are very modern. Amsterdam has a population of 851,373 within the city proper, 1,351,587 in the urban area, and 2,410,960 in the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country. Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital, known for its artistic heritage, elaborate canal system and narrow houses... read more