Tag

Netherlands

Travel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Amsterdam Centraal, Where to Go, What to See, Sightseeing, Dutch, Holland, Netherlands, Rijksmuseum, National Maritime Museum, Canal Cruise, Amsterdam Canal Cruise, Cruise, Going Around Amsterdam, Amsterdam Tours
in Amsterdam, Europe, Travel

Travel: Canal Cruise in Amsterdam

September 20, 2015

There are quite a lot of canal cruise companies operating in Amsterdam and I’ve been getting a couple of questions as to which one is the best. It’s pretty hard to determine which company is actually the best as I haven’t tried them all – only a few. 😀

So I thought I’d do just a real quick post on the last one we tried when we were in Amsterdam last August which left both my husband and I happy with the experience.

Almost Diplomatic - carolific - Diplomat’s Wife - Travel - Amsterdam - Canal Cruise

After our visit to the Rijksmuseum, we proceeded towards the Heineken Experience building where the small docks for the Amsterdam Canal Cruise‘s boats can be found. Need directions going there? Click here for a map.

We had to pay €16 each for a 75 minute tour. This is a pretty sweet deal since you’ll be seeing more of the city as some of the tours operated by other companies only last for 60 minutes and will charge you the same amount.

Almost Diplomatic - carolific - Diplomat’s Wife - Travel - Amsterdam - Canal Cruise

The best time to board a boat would be around 4:00 to 5:00 as even in the summer, it wasn’t so crowded.

You will be given disposable earphones which you can plug into audio sources near your table. You can choose among 20 languages (as seen above) for the narration/audio guide which will play you go through several places of interest.

Continue reading

Almost Diplomatic - carolific - Diplomat’s Wife - Travel - Amsterdam - Ship Museum - Maritime Museum - Het Schreepvart Museum
in Europe, The Netherlands

Travel: The National Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum) + Riksmuseum

September 16, 2015

It is no secret that I probably married one of the biggest nerds on the planet. Don’t get me wrong, people. I am very happy about that, to be honest! 😉 In fact, I’m absolutely lucky to find someone who would want to visit as many museums as I’d want to in this lifetime and not yawn at me to death.

It’s no secret that we both love travelling and are quite nerdy about it. And while some people may say museums are overrated, us two will be the first to disagree with an eye roll. And as a veteran museum-goer (I declare it a thing now), I’d have to say that the National Maritime Museum and the Rijksmuseum – both in Amsterdam – are definitely worth your time and money.

I’m gonna jump right into it as I have very limited time to write this entry! So many things to do today! 😀

Het Scheepvaartmuseum (The National Maritime Museum)

Address: Kattenburgerplein 11018 KK Amsterdam

Open daily from 9am to 5pm

Getting there: Take the 22 bus (Indische buurt) or the 48 bus (Borneo Eiland) which departs from the front of Victoria Hotel (near the Amsterdam Centraal train station).

The Dutch are known for their rich maritime history and their important sea voyages that lead to discoveries and highly coveted spices. Of course, they had to have a special museum that documents these things. Do Hugo Grotius and his book Mare Liberum ring a bell? 😉

Continue reading

in The Netherlands

Travel: Volendam and Marken, The Netherlands (Where to Buy Souvenirs!)

September 5, 2015

Just a stone’s throw away from Amsterdam are two fishing villages which have kept Dutch tradition and architecture alive. If you’re not into touristy places, then at first glance, Marken and Volendam might not be for you. However, there are still lots to see here once you veer away from the usual route.

Marken

There’s a saying that goes something like – If God created the world, then the Dutch created the Netherlands. Which is pretty much true since the Dutch have a long history of reclaiming land. Thus, most parts of the country is actually man-made. Ever wondered why Amsterdam looks so symmetrical when you’re looking down at it from your plane’s window?

Almost Diplomatic - carolific - Diplomat’s Wife - Travel - Amsterdam - Marken - Volendam

Islands, canals, dikes – for a country that’s actually below sea level, their relationship with water has evolved greatly in the past few centuries. To say that water is their friend is even an understatement – They are its masters as they can practically control it nowadays.

Almost Diplomatic - carolific - Diplomat’s Wife - Travel - Amsterdam - Marken - Volendam

They did come a long way from being flooded all the freakin’ time and being considered as a marsh land. Marken, meanwhile, is a village that was separated from the mainland due to a storm in the 13th century. From then on, the people living on the newly made island, set their sights on fishing as their main source of livelihood

Continue reading

Travel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Zaanse Schans, Amsterdam Centraal, Where to Go, How to Go to Zaanse Schans, What to See, Sightseeing, Old Dutch Town, Volendam, Marken, The Hague, Windmills, Dutch, Holland, Netherlands, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh,
in Europe, Video

Travel + Video: Netherlands 2015

September 4, 2015

So as you guys might know by now, my new hobby has been making Youtube videos. I do enjoy making travel and beauty videos the most, to be honest. So before I post more travel entries on the places we’ve been to, I figured I’ll put together all the videos we took during our trip per country.

Here’s the video on The Netherlands which will serve as a sneak peek on what you’ll be seeing in this blog in the coming days.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did filming then editing it! And if you plan to go to the Netherlands in the summer, I hope this video somehow painted a picture of what you can expect there.

Do let me know what you think in the comments below! Questions, comments, and constructive criticism – always welcome. Will be making one for Paris, London, Scandinavia, and maybe Geneva too so do watch out for that and my next travel posts!

Much love!

xx,

Carol

in Diplomatic Incidents, Personal Musings

When Nations Mourn and How the Media Either Helps or Gets in the Way

August 29, 2014

First written on July 31, 2014 but I decided to just actually finish it today. Also publishing this weeks after the incident to avoid being insensitive:

I’ve been putting off writing about things that caught my eye on the news the past couple of weeks so as to avoid tackling anything depressive.

But after weeks of not seeing anything other than Israel’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, seeing images of people being hurt on both sides, after the several plane crashes within the same week, and catching a report on the TV showing a parade of hearses in the Netherlands carrying the bodies of those that died at the MH17 crash, I found myself scribbling my thoughts on random pieces of paper – the back pages of my planner, grocery lists, and even some receipts.

Continue reading

Get personal and follow me on

Instagram

Close