Visit Amsterdam

Hello, everybody!

Caroline, I am very glad that you liked my previous reviews of budget Amsterdam hotels, I hope they will be helpful for you and Barry. Jack sends his best regards to you. It’s a pity we couldn’t see you in Paris as we were planning: Jack had some urgent work and had to travel to Eindhoven for a couple of days. I was really upset and a little bit angry with him ( Just hope to see you some other day, the sooner the better.

OK. I go on with the reviews of Amsterdam hotels. The next is a 3-star Hotel de Paris Amsterdam (Jack has stayed there last year). It’s just a perfect Amsterdam lodging to explore the city on foot: approximately 5 minutes to the square “Leidseplein” (it is considered to be one of Amsterdam’s liveliest places for nightlife – theatres, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, the casino, and so on. We will definitely find what to do there! I was there once with Chantal during their stay here – fire-eaters amazed me most of all. I would never try doing that myself though!), 10 minutes to “Rembrandtplein”, 20 minutes to the Dam, 25 minutes to Red Light District (you know what it is, don’t you? )), 30 minutes to the Central Station. So you see Hotel de Paris Amsterdam is within walking distance to almost everything and all at a snails-pace stroll! And I think that the best way to explore the city like Amsterdam is on foot, I guess you would agree with me.

I will continue later, we are going for a walk with Alex now. Bye!

Now, let’s revert to the hotel description started in the previous post. Hotel Seasons Amsterdam, remember.

I have already mentioned that Hotel Seasons is a city center hotel in Amsterdam and here are just a few must-to-see places, or tourists’ favourites, located close to the reviewed hotel: the Heineken Brewery ( no.1 place for Barry! )), the Leidseplein, Waterlooplein and the Rembrandtplein with lots of restaurants, bars and cafes for any taste and budget, the Flea Market, the Museum Square (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art), and Carre (main theatre).

Caroline, now comes the place, which we should pay special attention to: Albert Cuyp market! It’s just a perfect place for shopping, paradise for shoppers, i.e. for both of us! I am just on tenterhooks waiting our shopping there with you! You will certainly love it! I have already experienced shopping there with Joanne. The product selection amazes: everything from the traditional range of vegetable, fruit, cheese and spices to clothing, bed-sheets, cheap textiles, watches, cleaning products, shoes and even cosmetics. Here you can find almost everything! It is all very cheap compared to the local shops (Joanne says that the prices here are among the cheapest in Amsterdam). I bought a handbag for EUR 8 and a little further away I saw the same for EUR 19! We will definitely have fun shopping there.

Oops! The post is not about the Hotel Seasons Amsterdam, but the shopping. Sorry ) I promise to continue about the hotel later.

Hello!

The next hotel in Amsterdam I am going to describe is Hotel Seasons Amsterdam, where some friends of mine from France (Pierre with Chantal and Leroy with Lucy) stayed for three nights. I remember they were quite satisfied with the friendliness of the hotel staff and the services provided by this 3- star hotel in the center of Amsterdam. I asked them for some details of their stay and got Chantal’s reply e-mail today.

At first, they were attracted by the hotel’s convenient location in the heart of Amsterdam. And, as the purpose of their visit was to get acquainted with the city and the local sights (and seeing me ), city center Amsterdam hotel was the best choice to settle. They didn’t have any information about this hotel (Chantal jokes that she decided to choose it because she just liked the name), they just hoped for the best. They arrived with a train to Amsterdam Central Station, consulted in the Tourist Office what is the best way to reach Hotel Seasons Amsterdam, and then had a 15-minute tram ride to the hotel. The nearest stop was the ‘Stadhouderskade’, and the hotel was just in a 2-minute walk. Thus, the hotel is within easy reach from Amsterdam Central Station by public transport – you needn’t waste your money on a taxi, believe me, there are better things to spend your money on when in Amsterdam.
I will continue later about the hotel.

Mom and Dad, I am fine here, don’t worry. I miss you too, and we are going to come and see you at the end of the month (Jack will take a couple of days off). Check your e-mail box, I have sent a message for you. See you soon!

I don’t really want to write about airport and my arrival as I was going to. My head is so much full of new experiences and the spirit of Christmas which is felt everywhere here in Amsterdam that let me leave all those moving problems behind. One thing is for sure, this Christmas sparkling with festive lights and Christmas trees all around the city, the air saturated with the scent of pine, with Jack by my side on his Christmas holidays, incredible shopping, Christmas Eve, presents… I will never forget! This was my first Christmas in Holland and it was amazing! By the way, I liked shopping here, especially around the “Nine streets” area. I bought a sky-blue woolen sweater for Jack and a scarf with funny snowmen for Alex there. The streets were full of people hunting for Christmas gifts. Even though I was terribly tired by the end of that day, I do not regret at all. I think I will continue exploring shopping opportunities here in Amsterdam after holidays, let’s hope there will be less people.
I didn’t know that most Dutch families exchange gifts on December 5, which is Sinterklaasavond (hope not to misspell the word )), but Joanne’s family gives gifts traditionally on December 25 (as we used to do in our family). So, I was so happy to find so many gifts from Santa today early in the morning (I felt like a five-year-old child!). Of course, my husband’s present was the most important for me! Can’t tell what it was, but believe me!
Merry Christmas to our beloved families, to all of our friends here and abroad, and to the whole world!

P.S.: Hey, friends! I’ve sent you some Christmas cards! Got them?