I'm going to be in Amsterdam with my girlfriend this spring, most likely for a week around the AZ match on March 6. We'd also like to travel outside of Amsterdam, perhaps even to another nearby country like Belgium. Anybody have some good touristy recommendations for us? Everything is up in the air right now, so even tips on where to stay are appreciated.
Some long time ago I read an article about a college (Hogeschool) that is training youngsters to become hotel personal/management. If I'm right it was in the Hague and that college let those students run a "4 star hotel" to sort of training on the job. The good thing about it is that you pay far less than for a regular 4 star hotel. So if that appeals to you, you should try to find out what college it is.
Interesting I'll look into that thanks. I'll probably end up doing some research online or maybe getting a book for tourists but I was wondering if people have any unique recommendations. Maybe something I wouldn't find in a tourist book. Cool places to eat? Cool record shops (I'm a huge music fan)? Cool places to see some street art/graffiti? Just throwing ideas out there...
I was just going to ask you about your interests! You might not like to hear this as an Ajax fan but Rotterdam is the most edgy town to visit in the west of the country from a popular culture perspective. I'm sure the Amsterdam and Rotterdam-based posters will point you in the right direction. As for places to eat in the NL, generally, it's always a good idea to go to an Indonesian restaurant. Best Indonesian food outside of Indonesia can be found in the NL. Great value for money too. Order a rijsttafel - a variety of Indonesian dishes - and thank me later. Surinamese food is great here too. One of the corniest yet fun things to do in Amsterdam, esp seeing that you're with your girlfriend, is take a canal boat trip. If you want to go to the Anne Frank house, which by the way is the most popular tourist attraction in the country, make a reservation on their website first to avoid half a day of waiting in line. If you like the conventional idea of Dutch 17th century cities, visit Haarlem, and Delft. If you want to do something really unique for an american tourist, or ndeed Dutch tourist (HA!) visit Enschede, which is described by English Wikipedia as the Dutch Berlin because of its edgy art community and laid back atmosphere. Seriously though when one of my foreign friends asks me where to go in the NL I always say the coast. Dutch beaches are gorgeous any time of the year. Zandvoort is near Amsterdam and Scheveningen isn't far away either. Have high tea at the Kurhaus and your girlfriend will love you for it.
Just one thing... if you wanna drink coffee, ask for that and not for a "coffee shop" since they sell them funny cigarettes in there... I would recommend Madurodam, I loved it (as a foreigner). Rotterdam zoo is nice too.
Well I spent a good couple of years of my life travelling and working in South East Asia and the Caribbean but I still think the long long stretches of Dutch beach with its dunes is gorgeous. Each to their own, of course.
browse websites such as travelpod and travelblog, it's what i do whenever i go abroad . i love reading some of their blogs. amsterdam is considered one of the most popular tourist spots in europe. i think your girlfriend will love the keukenhof gardens, considering you're going in the spring. best things about the city are the canals, the variety of museums, the squares (dam, leidse, rembrandt & museum) and the vondelpark. i strongly recommend you to buy the iamsterdam pass the hague is probably the 2nd most tourist friendly bigger city (since volendam, a fishers village near amsterdam is another tourist hotspot), it has scheveningen, madurodam and is the seat of government. rotterdam is different than both amsterdam and the hague because it's city/down town area is more modern due to the ww2 bombings. you will find that in both rotterdam and the hague there are far less other travellers around so if you want to get away from all the hustle and bustle of amsterdam they are a great alternative, utrecht as well.
Guy, I feel I have to encourage you to be sure to watch every minute Barcelona plays. What these guys are showing is of an unprecedented quality. It's mouth watering. It's the best football that has EVER been played. Last 5-0 against Sociedad was breathtaking again. The number six in the league were lucky to make a single successful pass. Barcelona made nearly a thousand! And Barcelona wasn't even trying. If you love football, watch every game. You will never get another chance to watch a team like this one. Visca Cruijff, Visca Barça!!
I got a few tips maybe. Hotels in Amsterdam are expensive and crappy. A friend of mine made this website, it's pretty big www.easytobook.com since it's Amsterdam based it got quite a lof information about hotels in Amsterdam. There's might be a somewhat interesting music store you're bound to come across. It's near De Dam, on your left side if you're facing the Palace. It's on your right hand side in the Kalverstraat. I think it's called Fame. You could also visit a concert in the Paradiso if there's something good. Graffiti is all over the city. There's also some nice graffiti in the Red light district. And check out the swans when you're there.
About food The Indonesion kitchen already was mentioned. In Amsterdam there is the only one with a Michelin star, so if you want to impress your lady with a meal in the only one...or you could take her to the Indonesian restaurant in Hilversum that was the favourite place for our late queen Juliana and the rest of the Royal family. In order to save money to pay for that you have the option to go to the Dutch department store HEMA, that in the bigger ones in the big cities serve breakfast till 10:00 AM for 1,-€ (=about 1,35 $) which consists of 1 coffee and a croissant and another type of bun. So for 2,70$$ x 2 you have a cheap breakfast for the both of you. In the same big Hema's the restaurants serve meals that arenot costly either. About the Royal family, you could also have a look at the Golden Carriage, that is used at the opening of the Parlemaintery year by our Queen. That's different cook than a cadillac of your president
so, um..... got to Gorinchem last Wednesday and brought a lot of snow with me from sunny Mexico... You can start thanking me...
My wife's family live there... so free lodging. Seriously people... stop it with the freaking snow.... It was a nice novelty for a few days...
Yep, People who claim snow is fun, are little kids or have rarely seen snow. Hate it, I simply hate it. It gives a nice picture while cycling, but the cold weather makes that nice picture worth nothing. I rarely see you at BSMX?
When the first with billions in his bank account took over this club I started a thread there "spending money wisely"....well, they learned from that thread
It's unbelievable the way they are running that club. The fair play regulations are going to bite them in the ass if they don't slow down their spending.
Best free kicks of the season so far. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw45my2YAzQ&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw45my2YAzQ&feature=player_embedded[/ame]
Hey guys. It's been a long time since I've posted here but maybe some of you still know me. I think I was the only Roda fan on the board, so... Anyways, I just wanted to say that I've started writing about the Eredivisie for theoffside.com. Ill try to update it as much as possible, but I hope you could come and check it out. and here it is If you like it, leave a comment. I would love to get an active Eredivisie community going there. take care