FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 2
August 23, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 2
Day 36 – Tuesday, August 5 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – breezy, low clouds & sun – 70’s
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – more good hot coffee
- 9:15 – ready to go
- – Chris not doing museums – taking pictures of city
- 9:30 – tram to Rijksmuseum stop for Van Gogh
- 10:00 – walk in & get head set
- 10:15 – start exploring the 3 story museum
- – only wish Starry Night & Café Terrace were here
- – 1st in MOMA & 2nd in Otterlo, Netherlands
- 12:30 – walk to Rijksmuseum
FUN-food – Ironically USA Today has Amsterdam feature – read that Rijksmuseum restaurant was good.
Dutch Tapas = bread, meat & cheese plate for 2 – enough for 3 of us = 20 Euro
- 2:00 – start self guided tour
Otto Frank House
- – famous for Rembrandt & Vermeer
- – really crowded there
- – covers art from 1100 to 1950 – so big @ 4 floors
- – only stop for items that catch my eye & draw me in
- – find female artist Therese Schwartze from 1800’s – that’s a 1st!
- 3:15 – hear chimes! – turn around to find clock from 1765 – what a treat!
- – tells time, day of week, moon phase, high tide & 14 different chime tones
- *3:30 – go to hop on boat
- 4:05 – nice rest & ride to next stop
- 4:40 – reservation for Anne Frank Museum
- – huge line snakes down around block
- – have tickets so go in side door
- 4:50 – walk in – excellent crowd control!
- – very small but well organized
- **6:15 – happy hour – Wiezen beer @ Cafe Kalkhoven
- Head off for dinner – Season’s rated high on TA
- – closed & restaurants around fully booked
- – server @ one suggests going to Westerstraat
- 7:30 – Boca’s – really nice server Eliza accommodates us – acts more like the owner or manager
FUN-food – menu is plateaus = tapas like bites served on wooden boards – order 1 small veggie & 1 small combo fish, meat & cheese – 1 order of French fries served 3 ways w/dipping sauces – plenty for 4 – 2012 Cruz Alta Reserve Malbec – only 80 Euro
- 9:30 – give Eliza my 2nd TA excellent service pin – find out her birthday is @ midnight – she is thrilled to get it!
- 9:45 – hit red light district in full swing! – single glass doors w/curtains line narrow walkway – inside each, scantily clad women of all shapes, sizes & colors – posing & strutting their “stuff” – in hope of luring a client in
- After midnight night night
What I DON’T LIKE
- *should have checked the schedule as they don’t run every 15 mins like another line
- **asked for food menu – told none – buy falafel next door & told we can’t eat it
- – then see other table w/cheese tray – really rude server!
- Told @ checkout all king beds were booked – reservations made in March said no king beds @ hotel
- – which means they don’t give you that room if you use points
Rijksmuseum
FUN-fact – Rick Steve’s book suggested buying all tickets ahead of time. Brilliant! We had no lines. While the 1st floor at the Van Gogh museum was packed (every hour on the hour reservations arrive) if you wait 15 minutes the tour groups thin out. The rest of the 2nd & 3rd floors were relatively not crowded.
More FF – You really need dinner reservations for 1) to make sure they’re open & 2) because of the summer crowds.
FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 1
August 22, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Amsterdam – Full Day 1
Day 35 – Monday, August 4 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – full sun – 70’s
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – wake up to good hot coffee & USA Today!!
- – Starbuck’s attached to hotel
- 9:15 – meet to plan our day
- 9:45 –TI office – buy Canal boat 24 hr = 24 Euro
- – 3 different routes approx 1.5 hr each – validated on 1st departure
- Take off to explore city by foot first
- New Market area
- – see Rembrandt House (where he grew up – don’t go in)
- Walk thru Flea market – lots of old & used things
- Flower market – all kinds of plants, bulbs & seeds
- 1:00 – lunch
FUN-food – Herengracht (on corner of Leidsestraat) – quinoa salad & crostini’s w/5 different toppings – salmon, cheese, tartar, ham & carpaccio -10 total – Weizen beer – really good! – Cinzia treated!
- 2:50 – hop on red line Canal boat @ Leidseplein
- 4:20 – hop off @ Rijksmuseum stop – nutella ice cream & cappuccino break
- 5:45 – tram back to station – only 15 mins
- 7:45 – dinner Italia Oggi – short walk from hotel
- – concierge suggested
- – eggplant parmesan, caprese salad, seafood linguine – Italian wine no so good = 99 Euro
- Walk back attempting to see red light district
- 10:30 – Sky lounge 11th floor Doubletree – hip, hop & happening!
- – full of people – DJ playing
- – open air seating – couches & lots of pillows – bottle of Shiraz = 60 Euro
- 11:30 – ready for bed – big full day tomorrow
What I DON’T LIKE
- Queen bed too small
Flower Market
FUN-fact – Amsterdam is filled with canals and the average boat ride for 1 hour costs 15 Euro. The TI office at the central station sells Canal hop on boat tours. The cost is 22 Euro for one day and 24 Euro for 24 hours. They do 48 hours and special trips too. There is more than one company to choose from and some have shorter wait times at the stops.
View From Sky Lounge
FUN-travel: Cologne, Germany to Amsterdam, Holland
August 22, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Cologne, Germany to Amsterdam, Holland
Day 34 – Sunday, August 3 – Cologne, Germany to Amsterdam, Netherlands – full sun – high 70’s
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – Chris gives me last Via – I’m so spoiled
- 8:30 – check out – Hilton Cologne says self parking is 28 Euro
- – but they park it for you at no additional charge
- 9:00 – both navigations work
- Sunday morning & no traffic – blast out of city
Bremen, Germany
- 10:30 – McDonalds’ for toilet & cappuccino w/add shot – not bad
- Only takes 1 min to get ipod to connect to station!
- No tolls on any roads
- 12:15 – arrive Doubletree – great location next to central station
- – drop bags
- 12:45 – head to Hertz downtown – only 20 mins
- *Auto Europe tells where Hertz is & where to get gas
- 1:30 – drop car
- 1:40 – catch tram 2.80 Euro one way (7.50 for 24 hr)
- 2:25 – lunch @ B&B – chain restaurant w/fresh salads & sandwiches
Bremen
- – 1 smoked chicken & 1 tuna fish salad w/2 Heinekens = 27 Euro
- 3:00 – room check in
- 4:20 – internet is free & fast
- MY EMAIL WORKS!
- Room R & R – awaiting arrival of Cinzia (Chris’ half sister) & Fabio her new love
- – so excited to see her again
- 6:45 – go to concierge to call Cinzia
- – no answer – discuss dinner options
- 7:00 – try to call her again – she is standing behind me!
Cologne
- 8:00 – walk to dinner – Noordwest – 8:30 reservation
- – suggested by hotel – 4 glasses sparkling wine on house
- – dorado & pulpo salad – French red wine (forgot my notepad) – 102 Euro
- 11:00 – walk back
What I DON’T LIKE
- 11:15 – traffic @ standstill – 2 lanes to 1 – accident clearing
- Germany has terrible graffiti problem
- *address #’s don’t match across street (silly me for assuming that)
- Should have gotten their flight info to check arrival
Amsterdam
FUN-fact – We have been carrying “good weather karma” since we started this trip. We never had any rain other than a few sprinkles when we were out and about. When it did rain, we were inside.
Major FUN-fact – We will never drive in a foreign country again! We’re done! We had a 5 door, full size, automatic Opal and it was one of the most uncomfortable cars we have ever been in. The VW we drove in Scotland in 2011 was the best and the Ford we just had in Berlin wasn’t bad.
More FF – We love the freedom of having a car but hate the expense of it. We had to pay a 350 Euro drop fee in Amsterdam and as expensive as it was it was cheaper than the train. Unless you buy a Eurail pass and plan on riding it a lot, it just doesn’t pencil out. It’s cheaper to fly these days.
FYI – Enterprise has been the best value for pick up & return same city, same day.
Not so FF – We’ve never had a rental car that had a USB port like our Tundra which makes using the Ipod a whole lot easier.
