My Travel Map So Far...

So far I've visited 5 countries since starting this blog (including my native England). Money has been tight, so haven't been able to do as much travelling as I'd have liked to. I visited Belfast recently, so will post about that soon. Only spent a day there so would like to go again as it is a beautiful place. Right now I'm trying to get all my Glasgow posts up as I have neglected the blog a bit recently!

Still a whole lot of white to paint red!

My travel map, so far... (2012)

As it is approaching the end of the year, I've posted my travel map for this year. So far, I have travelled to 3 countries:
England (Liverpool, London, Windsor, Isle of Wight)
Germany (Munich, Dachau)
Netherlands (Amsterdam)

Hopefully more to come next year!!

Transport in Amsterdam

Cycling is a very popular mode of transport in Amsterdam, which is why the city is covered with cycling lanes. You should always take caution when crossing roads as cyclists can come out of nowhere!! You can hire bikes from around 8 Euros per day if you choose to cycle around. 

Trams are a popular way of getting around. You can buy 24 and 48 hour tram passes (longer if needed) for a reasonable price, however I did find the trams to be quite confusing as tram conductors would often tell you the wrong tram to take.

Artis Royal Zoo, Amsterdam

The oldest zoo in The Netherlands, it houses a planetarium, an aquarium and a geological and zoological museum. For around 19 Euros (as of July 2012), you do get quite a lot. There is one part of the zoo where you can walk inside and have monkeys let lose, swinging around you. There was also a butterfly house, with many different species fluttering around. There are numerous feeding stations with fruit, so you can always get a close up when they are feeding. 

Inside the museum/aquarium building, there is a large variety of taxidermy animals, as well as species of fish from the rainforests to the reefs. The planetarium is interesting, but the voice over is in Dutch; so unless you speak fluent Dutch, I would probably give this a miss.

The zoo did house giraffes, zebra and gorillas, but was missing other big animals, such as elephants, rhinos and tigers. Overall, I thought you got a lot for your money.

Sex Museum, Amsterdam

For anyone travelling to Amsterdam, the Sex Museum is a must!! It contains hundreds of photos, paintings and sculptures, creating a timeline of sex and pornography, from vintage to modern day. This isn’t sleazy, however. It does house many tasteful photographs, but does venture into some bizarre sexual acts. You can also hear orgasmic moans in the rooms coming from speakers. All is done in a kind of tongue-in-cheek humour.
Admission is only 4 Euros (as of March 2012) and is well worth the money. You are guaranteed some laughs, amazing novelty photo opportunities and an education in porn. What’s not to love??

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

Apparently the most visited museum in the Netherlands, the Van Gogh Museum hosts the largest  collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world. There  are two buildings: the main building (Rietveld), which  hosts permanent displays, and an oval shaped  building (Kurokawa) which you can reach from the  main building by going underground. 

In the main building, there are 4 floors. Amongst  these 4 floors are some of Van Gogh's most famous paintings, along with his lesser known art. There is also work from some of Van Gogh's contemporaries, as well as information on restoration. You can see works such as 'The Potato Eaters', 'Sunflowers' and 'Self Portrait', as well as others.
From here you can travel through an underground tunnel to reach the Kurokawa building. Here there is a display of major temporary displays. Outside is also one of Van Gogh's works recreated with pebbles.

I have to say though, for the price of 14 Euros, it is only really worth going if you are a big Van Gogh/art fan. For me, it was wasted. The majority of the paintings I didn't know, as I am not a big art fan, so I couldn't fully appreciate the experience. However, if you are an art lover, then this is a must!!

Anne Frank Huis, Amsterdam.

The first thing I’m going to say about the Anne Frank House is, make sure you go and get there early!! The line does get quite long, understandably, as it is a major tourist attraction. For any of you who don’t know, this is the house where Anne Frank and her family lived during WWII. With the family being Jewish, they lived in a secret annex that they were not allowed to leave. They were eventually found and arrested by the German Order Police and the family were killed, apart from the Father, Otto Frank. He survived and went back to Amsterdam in search of his family. After discovering they had all been killed, he found Anne’s diary and got it published. Since then, it has become a best seller worldwide.

For 9,50 Euros, you can walk around both the house and the secret annex and see for yourself the conditions in which the Franks and their friends lived in. The house has been turned into a museum, showing furniture, belongings and extracts from Anne’s diary. You really get a feel for Anne and everyone else who lived there. It is particularly saddening to read about how much Anne wanted to be a journalist and how she spoke about it with such enthusiasm, not knowing what the future held for her. The museum also holds Anne’s original diary, however it is not on display all the time for preservation reasons. 

You exit at the gift shop (of course!!) were you can buy different editions of her diary in many different languages. I would suggest buying the book off the internet as it is far cheaper. You could even read it before you go so you understand the ‘story’ and can relate to Anne when you get there. 

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The city of Amsterdam, located in North Holland, attracts around 4.6 million tourists each year. They flock from across the globe for various reasons, including the infamous red light district and the numerous ‘coffee shops’ in which you probably leave a lot happier than you entered. However, Amsterdam isn't all about the sleaze; it is home to a number of museums and attractions and, of course, it's famous canals.

I visited the capital of The Netherlands with my university, a trip which cost around £154 (inc. accommodation, coach, breakfast, an evening meal and travel insurance). I arrived at the Stayokay hostel, Zeeburg, on Friday night. We stayed for two nights (Friday and Saturday) before leaving by coach on the Sunday. I did find that this was enough time for me to see the sights I wanted, but you could always stay an extra day or two to do more. My itinerary was this:

Friday: Dansen Bij Jansen, a student night club.

Saturday: Anne Frank Huis, the Van Gogh Museum, the Sex Museum, Dansen Bij Jansen (again!!) and some other clubs.

Sunday: Artis Royal Zoo, Canal tour. 

Overall, Amsterdam is a very nice place. It is so unique in terms of its many canals and its distinct 17th century canal houses. A lot of the buildings are old with amazing architecture, and the sight of the many cyclists riding around this busy city is something that makes you watch with curiosity. Yet there is a very modern feel to Amsterdam as well, with its many shops, its large tram system and its trendy night clubs.Though expensive, Amsterdam has a lot to offer.

Everyone here speaks English, so if you can speak English or Dutch, you should be fine. The locals are very friendly and you can’t help but feel a relaxed atmosphere here, as if you can do whatever and nobody will judge. I can see why Amsterdam is so popular with partygoers and why it is an ideal place for stag/hen dos. It is also a great place for culture, with amazing sights and a lot to do.