Travel Destination: Amsterdam

I'm back from a lovely four day weekend in Amsterdam and it has taken me twice as long to download all our photographs!

Amsterdam is an amazing city, even though I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I should have, as I was feeling quite poorly with a bad case of laryngitis and a very sore throat. The cold weather didn't help, but luckily the sun was out and the rain arrived on our last day.

It's not much fun being a tourist in a city which requires a lot of walking (or cycling) in the rain!

'I amsterdam' letters at the Museumplein, in front of the Rijksmuseum

Originally 'I amsterdam' began as a marketing campaign of the area, but soon became the collective catch-phrase of it's citizens.

Amsterdam is not only famous for it UNESCO World Heritage Listed 17th-century canal ring, an icon of urban planning and architecture ...

... it's also famous for its tulips, windmills, cheeses and clogs, not to mention its red light district and legal drugs

Blue and white delftware was only available to the rich until the late 16th-century, but in the early 1600s the Dutch became acquainted with porcelain from China (which became very popular) and they imitated it to become Delftware.

I ♥ the dutch street -style

Bicycles are the best way to see the city. Amsterdam doesn't have car park stations, but multi-storey bike park stations, or they are chained up wherever you can find a spot!

art or a disused bicycle?

Amsterdam is also known for its numerous houseboats ...

amazing light shop see here for website

... and it's amazing museums, showcasing the famous Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vincent Van Gogh to name but a few.

 the beautiful Rijksmuseum

The area is also famous for its characteristic canal-side estates and numerous monuments

... and its inspirational street art (graffiti)

Hotel Pulitzer

We stayed at the Hotel Pulitzer, twenty-five restored 17th and 18th century canal houses that have been harmoniously integrated to create a truly unique hotel. The location was perfect, all within easy walking distance to the major sites. I always try to choose a hotel that is within easy reach of the major places I want to visit, when I am only staying for a short time in a European city.

Our rooms were a little on the small side, but the Easter weekend is always a very busy one in any of the major European cities and we were unable to upgrade to a larger space ... however they were beautifully furnished in a modern style for it's traditional buildings.

I hope you enjoyed this little trip with me to the 'Venice of the North"

xx

{all images belong to Iced VoVos}