Every couple of months we head up to Scotland to visit family and we always pop over to St Andrews, which is only a 15 minute drive from my parents house. I have posted lots of photos from here on my blog, its just such a pretty place no matter what the weather.
Its quite a small town but has something for everyone including a beach, Castle, beautiful restaurants & shops. It is a bustling place, what with it having a University, big golfing community and plenty of tourists. It is a very friendly place to visit. We like to just wander through the cobbled streets, stopping of for numerous coffees along the way and always make sure to walk along the beach, even if its blowing a gale.
I did notice on my last visit that Jo Malone & Bobbi Brown have opened little boutiques there, could be quite dangerous.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit I highly recommend popping over its like being on the set of a Harry Potter film.
I could walk up & down the canals in Amsterdam all day & night, they’re so pretty. The canal houses that line them are beautiful and historical. They are all different and are frozen in time, I love them. A few of them are open as museums & one of the best ones I have been in it the Museum Van Loon which has the cutest cafe in the garden where you can sit, relax & it feels like you’re in the countryside.
I’m embarrassed to say I have been to Amsterdam 3 times now & I am yet to ride a bike there, I’m terrible at riding a bike & fear that I may cause myself an injury. I always joke to my husband that we should hire a tandem. I think next time we go I will have to bite the bullet and hire one late at night when the streets are quiet and I can practise. It looks so much fun and you can cover a lot of ground which means I could see more of the city whilst feeling more like a local. Have you ever hired a bike in Amsterdam, if so let me know how you found it.
Oh & if you have time you need to stop by the Poezenboot (Cat Boat). It’s quite a site, especially if you are a cat lover & opposite the catboat there is a cafe called Greenwoods that does the nicest breakfast, they even have Vegan options. It does get very busy but I guarantee it’s worth the wait.
If you do visit the city you must go and have a walk around the streets & canals at night. The bridges are all lit with small lights & even the trees have fairy lights. It feels really romantic & magical.
To see part 1 of my Amsterdam photo diary click here
Its taken me almost 6 months to post my photos from our week in Amsterdam, this was our third time in there & we are planning on going back in March. We just love this city so much, its beautiful, cultural, friendly and so vibrant. There is always something to see or do and we never have a dull day there.
We have done most of the touristy things during previous visits so on this visit we just relaxed and explored the city making many pit stops for coffee & cake. Its such a beautiful city to walk around, It feels like you never go up the same street twice.
I would say Anne Franks House is well worth a visit, it is so moving and even worth waiting in the long queue. Canal tours are a nice way to see the city & relax. I recommend using the smaller 6 – 10 seater boats run by Eco Tours, they are very intimate, the guides are amazing & the boats are electric which are environmentally friendly too. The guides are really knowledgable and you learn a lot about the history of Amsterdam and little quirky pieces of information, we had an amazing guy called Nikolai.
We had a really rainy day on this trip & decided to take shelter in one of Amsterdam’s brown cafes. These are really old & traditional bars. It was like stepping back to the 1920’s and the place had great atmosphere. The one we visited was on the corner of Nieuwe Vijzelstraat and Flevoroute.
On the same rainy day we visited the Rijksmuseum to see some of Rembrandt’s paintings including The Nightwatch. The museum was extra busy as it was raining outside & it was in the middle of european summer holidays, but it’s well worth a visit. I would recommend getting there early. The area around the Museum is really pretty & if you manage to visit on a sunny day there is lots of green space to relax on & have a minute or a picnic. Amsterdam has so many beautiful parks that you’re quite spoilt for choice. They’re very well kept & a great way to escape the hussle and bussle of the city streets.
I took so many photos on this trip, I must have a few thousand to sort through & edit so I’ll write a part 2 to this post soon.
Let me know if you have any recommendations for places to visit in Amsterdam or things to do.
