I AMsterdam

Hi Everyone :) please see below, a guest blogger Chandni, also my sister and best friend blogs about her travel experience in Amsterdam...

Excitement set in, in March 2013 when myself (Chandni Ramjee) and a close friend traveled to Europe. Our first stop was Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Our view from the hotel where we stayed was amazing!  We literally had a bird’s eye view and the room had sliding doors which lead out onto the farms. The food was pretty fantastic too, as they served traditional Dutch cuisine. The substitute for vegetarians was just as great.

While in Amsterdam we visited the Van Gough art museum which displays some of his most breath taking and sought after art pieces. A definite must see for art lovers and collectors. We also visited the Irene clog and cheese farm where we watched the locals makes a pair of clogs from raw wood in a just a few minutes.  Following that was a short demonstration of how they make their own handcrafted cheese. While we were there, they prepared garlic and herb flavored cheese, which was delectable and infused with flavor!  We also visited numerous cheese farms while in Amsterdam and each farm had a cosy little shop on the farm where they sold their handcrafted cheese. For many of the cheese makers, growing up involved making cheese and it had been a family tradition for many years. All cheese shops have little cheese tasting stations for you to indulge in some cheese tasting with a shot of wine. Sweet! And definitely compliments the flavor infused cheese.

 Ann Frank’s House is one of the most famous museums in Amsterdam. Our visit there proved that the house has been kept in immaculate condition and is still in the same way it was when Ann and her family fled to Amsterdam to hide from Nazi Germany. Throughout the museum her story is told about how they lived in fear of being found. It also sheds some light about her life after they were discovered which I found very interesting. While in Amsterdam exploring, each museum requires an entrance fee. As a traveller, a savvy way to get passed this is to purchase the museum card which is great value for money as it allows you access to most of Amsterdam’s museums and also allows you to skip through long ques.

Another museum which is a worthwhile visiting is the Rembrandt museum and original house which he lived in.  There are beds and various furniture pieces and items which the family used when they lived there. This particular museum also shows demonstrations of the way Rembrandt created most of his art pieces.

Be sure to visit the Nemo science centre. This is Amsterdam’s version of Johannesburg’s Sci-Bono.  It proves great fun for people of all ages. The science centre is full of various scientific games and experiments which is very interactive for adults and children. There is also an informative display of youthful facts which I found rather interesting.

Flora Holland Is one of the largest flowers markets in the world. And we were fortunate enough to spend some time there. At this specific flower market, which is quite enormous, thousands of flowers are sold during the day in the flower auctions held in numerous large conference like rooms.

Another of our places visited was a Zaanse Schans windmill village which uses the motion created from the windmill to perform everyday tasks such as grinding spices. This is a very lovely place to visit and also provides a framework as to how the Dutch use to live. We also enjoyed a canal cruise, which covered all the main sights of central Amsterdam. This was one of the highlights for me as this was a truly spectacular sight and experience. It allowed me to admire the magnificent architecture of all the buildings as well as the city itself from a new set of lenses.

The Red Light District in Amsterdam is also a must for most people who visit the city and I highly recommend it.  Amsterdam is a very free spirited place, and there are loads of coffee shops which don’t really sell coffee but are well known for their marijuana. The nightlife in Amsterdam is truly epic, and one of the top night clubs that we visited is ESCAPE, which is located in central Amsterdam. The club has an awesome vibe and is filled with youthful students from all over the world.

Amsterdam is definite must see and there are many exciting and interesting things to do. I had a blast during my time there and would definitely visit there again. The food, the people and the atmosphere are a definite must experience.

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