Scotland is rightly famed worldwide for its Hogmanay celebrations, and every year we see the television coverage of people (or 'revellers' as the TV calls them) in Times Square, fireworks lighting up the sky over the Thames in London, and so on.

But what about New Year in or favourite city, Amsterdam...?

Here are a couple of links giving us the lowdown on the Dam's celebrations:

About.com - champagne and fireworks...

iAmsterdam - and parties galore

Amsterdam is of course the party capital of the world, so it's no surprise that it gets into the mood for the final big party of the festive season. Just make sure you don't start the party too early on the ferry over or you'll have no energy left for the night itself!

Here are a few links to sites with info on Amsterdam/ Holland at Christmas (Kerstfeest):

amsterdam.info - interesting stuff about Dutch Christmas customs - Sinterklass and all that.

GoAmsterdam has some pretty cool pictures of Amsterdam during the holiday season.

iamsterdam picks out the 12 best Christmas holiday events

... and has a guide to Christmas markets and festive shopping in the city


Enjoy...!

Some news from Amsterdam this week about Schiphol, according to a report in Dutchnews.nl the boss of Schiphol told the Telegraaf newspaper that "Schiphol would prefer to be without holiday traffic. It has less value for us".


I'm not sure that he meant all holiday traffic though - my guess is that he meant having budget carriers go elswehere in the Randstad or maybe a city further inland but not too far away. After all it's not like every holiday visitor to Paris goes through CdG is it?

Amsterdam's known for a few things that - ahem - don't get talked about in polite company. A lot of these things take place in the old town area of De Wallen.

Dunno about you lot, but I think it would be good to spend the actual Christmas Day part of the holiday season abroad, preferably in Amsterdam.

While there's nothing wrong with a traditional British Christmas, I have to say it's all a bit overfamiliar after all these years - the TV specials, the Stig advent calendars, all the rest of it.

Mainland Europe I think does the season best in all the world - the markets, the traditions, the lights and candles.

Sadly due to family commitments I'm stuck in Blighty though, so it'll be the Bernard Matthews turkey roast and Mateus Rose for me!

Bit of a musical interlude for you today. Brel - a true Beneluxian (if that's a word...) wrote this powerful song that has been translated and then sung in English by Scott Walker among others. Brel's version remains the daddy though.

While Amsterdam is a big city, it's not a metropolis on the scale of London or Paris, so it doesn't have an equivalent of, say, Harrods. But what it does have is an independent and vibrant sense of style, and hundreds of great shops to prove it. There's Hoofstraat, also known as the 5th Ave of Amsterdam, which has literally hundreds of high quality clothes shops in it, then there's the more conventional department stores in the centre of town. One of the best places I've been clothes-wise is Look Out, which sells the kind of decent designer gear that's for real people - Paul Smith, Stone Island etc.

Amsterdam also excels in its antique shops, I'm told, but beyond passing a few of these shops in the street, I've not got much experience of them, not being much of an antique freak. The markets in Amsterdam are uniformly excellent - as you'd expect from mainland western Europe, with special emphasis on typically Dutch specialities such as the flower market. Supermarkets aren't particularly varied in terms of operators, the main one being the Albert Heijn chain, which is reasonably cheap (if you're from the UK you'll find the price of beer in Dutch supermarkets to be agreeable), well stocked and has friendly staff who pretty much all seem to speak perfect English.

Another type of shop that I'm unfamiliar with (you'll just have to trust me on this) is the Coffee Shop. They are dotted around here and there, maybe with slightly more in the De Wallen area. But despite Amsterdam being well known for its liberalised laws in allowing coffee shops, you wouldn't notice them had you not been told of their existence.

All in all I'd rate Amsterdam extremely highly for its retail - it definitely has more to offer than most cities of comparable size elsewhere. Might need to get cheap ferry tickets - leaves all the more money to spend when when I get there...

As any traveller knows, communication can often be a problem. A bit of learning the local language can go a long way though, especially in countries where there aren't that many native speakers. People in, for instance, Sweden really appreciate people giving their language a shot.

But in The Netherlands, what I've found is that everyone speaks English, and not only do they speak English, they speak it so well that Holland should surely be classified as an bilingual country. From the girl at the Albert Heijn checkout to the airport staff to taxi drivers - everyone speaks English. And maybe it's just me, bit when I try out a bit of Dutch, it's like I'm wasting everyone's time - you suddenly think "Come on, everyone hear speaks good English, just quit the terrible attempt at Dutch".

All of which makes visiting Amsterdam even more of a pleasure. Not because I don't want to converse in foreign languages, but because Dutch is really difficult to pronounce.

Tot ziens...!

It's pretty cool how the internet has made the world smaller. If you want to take a 'virtual' trip- somewhere then just by looking up a webcam you're there in seconds seeing the place as it really is.


As a Netherlands obsessive I'm always checking out the country on various tourist sites and there's often a webcam or list of webcams at various famous areas. There's something exciting about seeing a city street from afar, traffic and pedestrians in motion, all watched by a tiny camera that nobody ever thinks about or notices.

The other thing about the internet is that it's also made booking holidays very easy. No need to go into town and queue at the travel agents, you can get everything from cheap ferry tickets to  detailed maps online, putting you in a position where you can plan a trip and buy tickets without any effort at all. And if you have a smartphone or a netbook, you can even do so on a whim while you sit in your favourite coffee outlet, sipping a cappuccino and dreaming about your upcoming adventures!

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Some Amsterdam news flashed across the globe this week with the sad story that Anne Frank's chestnut tree has blown over in a storm. The 150 year old tree didn't actually belong to the Frank family, but it is written about in her diary as somthing that gave her hope.

When I visited the Anne Frank museum earlier this year I'd hoped to get a look at the tree, but the highest room of the house was blocked off by perspex so you could see into the room but not out of the window.

The Anne Frank tree has apparently been condemned for some time, held up only by metal supports and campaigning voices. The tree had been badly rotting and was perhaps lucky to have survived as long as it did.

So, what now for the space behind the building? Plant a new one, I say. Thankfully clones exist of the original tree, so it should be easy enough.

August is a strange month - parliament is in recess, the weather is kind of deciding whether to continue as summer or make the move into colder days, and the whole world feels slightly as if it's in a pre-Autumn limbo, where things aren't quite summer anymore but a real season is yet to take summer's place.

In short - it's the perfect time to take a short break. Much as winter holidays can be fun, there is a mildness to the weather at this time of year that is truly special, and if like me you're not a great fan of high summer, it's ideal.

I'm loving this Fall In Amsterdam photos page - and there are some great pics n Flickr - here are the results when you type in Autumn and Amsterdam to the search field. Nice! Although it's giving me strong Amsterdam pinings so maybe I need to get on with something else instead of poring over photos of golden leaves and glinting waterways.

Of course, short breaks away don't need to be in Autumn, it would be a bit different and very exciting to try out some New Years Eve breaks- but for me Autumn is a special kind of time for a trip abroad- epecially to a city as magical as Amsterdam.

Photo by David Enker

Amsterdam's Vondelpark might not be as famous as new York's Central park, but it's definitely a competitior in the world-class parks stakes, attracting a healthy 10 million visitors a year.Combining space, art and buildings in one green space in the city, it's a must for anyone visiting Amsterdam.

 


The Netherlands Film Museum, situated in Vondelpark, and below it, Pablo Picasso's iconic (or should that be Ikhthus-ic) fish sculpture - a true classic.


More at http://www.amsterdam.info/parks/vondelpark/

If you're planning a short break to Amsterdam, you'll have your own personal inventory of stuff to take, of course. Your Euros, your bicycle clips, and other essentials. What I've compiled below isn't anything in the way of a physical inventory - it's kind of like a web inventory for your netbook, smartphone or tablet.



I amsterdam -http://www.iamsterdam.com/ - a wealth of Amsterdam-related info on this one. This is a very well-designed site, with up-to-date information for your trip. A cut above most other tourist info sites I've seen, it also has its own smartcard - the I amsterdam Card. This little card is pretty useful and gives you free entry to a long list of museums, and doubles as a public transport ticket for trams, buses etc (train travel to and from Schiphol excepted). Full info here.

GVB -http://www.gvb.nl/english/Pages/default.aspx - official website of the public transport company of Amsterdam. Includes FAQ, maps, timetables, ticket info etc for tram, bus, metro and more. Pretty essential site. Amsterdam's not the biggest city in the world, but to see it properly you'll definitely be using Amsterdam's clean and easy to use public transport system.

Trip Advisor's Amsterdam Tourism page. Honest reviews by people who've been. Covers hotels, attractions and eating out. While in my experience a lot of Trip Advisor users' experiences don't exactly chime with my own, always an interesting read.


Official Holland tourism site - http://www.holland.com/uk/ - even if your stay is short, there's still time to go further afield, as Holland is a fairly compact place. This site is informational, well designed and will give you a flavour of what awaits in this, my favourite, country.


So, that's your concise virtual inventory for Amsterdam. If you're planning a short break then be sure to maximise your enjoyment potential by getting as much out of Amsterdam as you can. And drop us a comment if you think there are other essential links for the inventory and we can do another blog post on this subject sometime soon.

Amsterdam has, of course, plenty of places to stay. You can choose from thrifty accommodation right up to millionaire class hospitality. But to day we thought we'd concentrate not on the mega-cheap or the mega-luxurious, just the smart and (dare we say it) trendy kind of places.

Hotel Vondel - a very smart looking hotel, firmly in the boutique category. Situated within very easy reach of the main nightlife areas and handy for the centre of town. See some pics and get more info at: http://www.hotelvondel.nl/site/index.php




Another real beauty, the Dylan Amsterdam, is also situated in just the right place if you want to be close (but not too close) to all the action of Holland's biggest and most exciting city. With its imposing entranceway and its brilliantly designed rooms, this is one place that will make you feel like you're in a movie.


The CitizenM hotel at Schiphol is one of those new breed of hotels that are futuristic but at the same time reassuringly good quality. CitizenM's well designed website is a good sign, as is its high rating on Trip Advisor. Another interestung point to note is that in each room is a Philips design touchscreen moodpad. Basically a remote control not just for the telly but the entire room: lighting, blinds, heating, etc. Awesome :)

I love the idea of staying at a hotel in an airport - but can Schiphol really be classed as an airport or should it be classed as a city in its own right? You could concievably visit Holland and never actually leave Schiphol - it's got that much to offer.

With the Netherlands currently priced at 7/1 for a World Cup win, excitement on the streets of Amsterdam is bound to be increasing by the day. The Netherlands after all is a nation with an enviable World Cup history, with a national side that are no strangers to the actual final. Could they repeat this feat and become runners-up? Could they do the unprecedented and go on to take the prize? It's all to play for...

One thing's for certain - the bars in and around Amsterdam's vibrant Old Town district are going to be doing good business no matter the result, since Amsterdam is a world city that attracts holidaymakers from around the globe. But it would be extra special to be among the throng of football fans and pub-goers should the Netherlands national side clinch victory in their next game, opening up a very real chance of tournament success.

No doubt the ferry to Amsterdam will be bustling more than usual (if that's possible...) should the Netherlands progress. In fact I'll bet there will be a fair few people going over just for the next game alone. Can you imagine a more fun place to be than Amsterdam's Old Town while the match is on...?

Just thought we'd post this little video featuring footage of some boats on the canals of Amsterdam - its very relaxing.......

The Volcanic dust from Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland has struck Europe once again over the weekend, closing many UK airports and once again Amsterdam Schipol (one of the businest airports in Europe). Anyone who is due to be travelling from Schiphol is being asked to contact their airline for further information.We wish you a safe journey however you get to and from your destination!

If your one of many that follows the Tour De France then you better get yourself on a ferry to Rotterdam quickly because this year that’s the host city. We all know with the size of this event ferries and hotels will be hard to come by nearer the Grand Depart which is the 1st of July to the 4th.

This will be the fifth time that the Netherlands has hosted the biggest cycling event in the world and how proud they must be. We all know it should be a magnificent opening ceremony as the same as others have done in the past like Monaco in 2009 and also our own London in 2007.

In the coming up till this exciting tour starts  there will be all different stuff happening for the people of Rotterdam with the plan of “New Energy” well under way to get people back into fitness and to lead a healthier life style so as you can imagine the centre of Rotterdam will be rocking!
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Even though its scheduled in for the 1st of July the tour its self doesn’t get under way until the 3rd and will leave from Rotterdam Zuid. The following day the wearer of the yellow jersey will head the peloton as it sets out on the second stage from the Scheepvaartkwartier to the official starting line on the Erasmusbridge, a superb spot to give a send-off to the Tour competitors. After the Tour has completed Rotterdam it will head for Belgium to continue with this fantastic race.

Amsterdam is a beautful city. Nothing more need be said.

A quick note to alert you to a deal that's on the DFDS Seaways website at the moment (until Sunday 31st). They are currently offering 2 for 1 on their Mini Cruises to Amsterdam, which is a great deal if you're thinking of booking a trip to the great city. Let us know if you decide to take up the offer!