Tag: Holland Travel

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You Can’t Fail with Amsterdam’s Rijsttafel

Where: Nassaukade 366, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1054 AB
August 29, 2012 at 1:38 PM | by | Comment (1)

You’re in Amsterdam and looking for somewhere to go for dinner with a little local flavor. Would you think of Indonesian? Probably not, unless you know your Old World history, and yet Indonesian food is as authentic to Amsterdam as are those Dutch clogs found in tourist shops.

Back in the day, the Dutch East India Company traded throughout what is now known as Indonesia, and for 300 years or so the area was a Dutch colony. As people migrated back to the mother country they brought with them the Rijsttafel, easily explained as the gringo version of the Indonesian feast, Nasi Padang.

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Above a Giant Port City on a Tiny Airplane

May 24, 2012 at 6:26 PM | by | Comments (0)

Rotterdam in the Netherlands isn't usually a city over which you fly in a plane. If you arrive, you'll come into Rotterdam-The Hague International Airport, or via train into Rotterdam Centraal Station. But...BUT if you happen to fly out Hamburg, Germany and to a place like London, and the sky is clear and you've got a window seat, keep watch for the distinctive huge maritime city.

While it's very cool to see the layout of this legendary port from the above, we think it's even cooler that leaving from Hamburg (called "The Gateway to the World"), means having a chance at flying over Rotterdam at all, as it's called "The Gateway to Europe."

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any superhuge supertankers in port on the way we snapped this, but hats off to the pilot for announcing the view out the window!

[Photo: Jaunted]

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Amsterdam's So Hot Right Now: New Foursquare Badge and Floriade 2012

April 5, 2012 at 6:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

Pay attention for a second. There are two things you need today. Like, right now. And they're both about the Netherlands.

First, today marks the beginning of the Floriade, a massive festival of—you guessed it—flowers. The Holland Floriade only comes around every 10 years, so this World Horticultural Festival hasn't happened since 2002. It's not in Amsterdam actually, but near the German border in the Dutch town of Venlo. There you'll find themed mini-worlds (like the real World Expo), 100+ gardens, acrobatic shows, green architecture and technology exhibits, plus Europe's biggest indoor flower show.

There's no need to rush, so long as you hit the Floriade before it closes on October 7. The high summer will of course be the busiest time, but we'd imagine that September could be ideal. Here's the official site.

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The Pussy Boat, and Two More Amsterdam Spots for Cat Lovers

February 17, 2012 at 2:01 PM | by | Comments (0)

All this week, traveler and writer Lilit Marcus will share her favorite unique spots in Amsterdam, a city Jaunted can never get enough of.

The Dutch have a reputation for spoiling their pets. If you’re a cat lover, or simply a pictures-of-cats-on-with-funny-messages-on-them lover, Amsterdam has some spots where you can indulge your feline appreciation. Here's three kittytastic spots not to miss:

· The Cat Boat (Poezenboot ("pussy boat"))
A cruise along Amsterdam’s canals is recommended for any visitor. However, it isn’t just people who live in the houseboats dotting the waters—there’s a special one reserved just for stray cats. The boat/animal sanctuary is located on the Singel canal. Though you can’t go on the boat, you can enjoy the view of cats playing on the roof and in the windows.

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Five Favorite Shops to Hit in 'De Negen Straatjes' of Amsterdam

February 16, 2012 at 11:11 AM | by | Comments (0)

All this week, traveler and writer Lilit Marcus will share her favorite unique spots in Amsterdam, a city Jaunted can never get enough of.

The coolest, most fashionable district in Amsterdam is known as 9 Streets (De Negen Straatjes). Made up of three blocks each of three streets in the chic Jordaan neighborhood, most of the shops are small and highly specialized—some even sell a single product. The area even has its very own blog so you can start plotting out your purchases ahead of time. Here's five hot shops we personally recommend:

· Djoeke Wessing (Art Deco)
If Art Deco is your favorite design style, then you’re in luck. You can pick up furniture and housewares here, or simply treat the store as a museum and admire everything from glass lamps to vintage doorknobs. If you don’t want to deal with the cost of shipping something home, Djoeke Wessing also sells bolts of fabric that you can use to upholster your couches and chairs.

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From a Dutch Oven: Five Meals You Absolutely Must Eat in Amsterdam

February 15, 2012 at 11:20 AM | by | Comments (0)

All this week, traveler and writer Lilit Marcus will share her favorite unique spots in Amsterdam, a city Jaunted can never get enough of.

There’s much more to Dutch food than a hunk of gouda. Thanks to quality produce from nearby farms and a growing immigrant population bringing their native foods with them, Dutch cuisine is experiencing an upswing. Don’t leave without trying these five essentials:

· Breakfast: Apple pancakes
An American flapjack will never look the same to you again once you’ve had some delicious appel pannenkoeken. These small, fluffy pancakes make you think they’re not filling, and before you know it you’ve wolfed down five in a row. Make sure you also have some coffee, or you’ll wind up in a major food coma.

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Five Jewish Historical Sites to Visit in Amsterdam

February 14, 2012 at 6:12 PM | by | Comments (0)


A display at the Verzetsmuseum

All this week, traveler and writer Lilit Marcus will share her favorite unique spots in Amsterdam, a city Jaunted can never get enough of.

As a Jewish traveler, or simply one interested in checking out the local Jewish sites, there’s more to do than simply patronize kosher restaurants. Holland lost the largest percentage of its Jewish community during the Holocaust, and since then the country has worked overtime to make sure that the community’s history didn’t disappear. These sites help give a broader picture of Jewish life in Amsterdam—past and present:

· Verzetsmuseum
The Verzetsmuseum (Resistance Museum) paints a picture of what life was like for ordinary Dutch people during the German occupation. The rooms in the center depict everyday life, complete with food rationing and forced military service, while rooms on the side share stories of Dutch citizens who worked against the Nazis and in some cases paid with their lives. The museum successfully gives a broad representation of what Holland was like during the war without resorting to victimhood.

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Three Small, Uncrowded Museums Worth Visiting in Amsterdam

February 13, 2012 at 5:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

All this week, traveler and writer Lilit Marcus will share her favorite unique spots in Amsterdam, a city Jaunted can never get enough of.

If you’re planning a short trip to Amsterdam, or you want to avoid the massive lines at the Van Gogh Museum, these smaller museums are interesting and give you more micro-level perspectives on the city:

· Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder During the Reformation, Catholics in Holland were discriminated against, forbidden to practice their religion openly. As a result, the community went underground, establishing secret churches where they could practice their faith. One of the best known is preserved as this museum, whose name means Our Lord in the Attic. The house was a typical Dutch home with the top floor used as a church, so you’ll be able to enjoy the architecture as well as the house’s contents, from a restored 17th century kitchen to a hidden altar, organ, and confessional.

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No More Passing the Dutch as Holland Moves to Ban Tourists from Weed Cafes

November 14, 2011 at 3:36 PM | by | Comment (1)

It's happening! That ban on selling marijuana to tourists and allowing them in Dutch pot cafes—the one Holland's been discussing since earlier this year—will begin taking effect next year. And while "next year" seems like a far enough time away to not freak about this, may we remind you that next year is little more than a month-and-a-half away, and the ban hits January 1, 2012.

Don't go booking the first KLM direct to Amsterdam quite just yet, however. This first phase of the pot-for-tourists ban will only reach the southern parts of the country—Limburg, North-Brabant and Zeeland—where drug tourism is more of a problem (the rest of Europe just comes across the border down there for a joint or two, you see). Maastricht has been trialling the program since October, actually. Regardless, officials promise to include Amsterdam and the rest of the country in the ban come January 2013.

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Best Ironic Holiday Gift to Give? Your Face, Painted on a Royal Delft Plate from Holland

November 2, 2011 at 10:48 AM | by | Comment (1)

If you have ever flown KLM long-haul, you probably already know to get psyched for the in-flight shopping to start. This excitement is not due to tax-free bottles of liquor or J.Lo's latest perfume. Well, maybe for some it is, but the magic is really in the Royal Delft souvenirs.

If mini porcelain houses aren't your thing, Dutch Tourism (@visitholland) recently tweeted to say that visitors may design their own plates using the iconic hand-painted blue and white Delft pattern. This is your chance to get your face on a plate, people! After some thinking and wandering around the Royal Delft website for gift ideas, we came to the conclusion that this might actually work for a few people on our list this year.

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Maastricht Keeps the Sticky Icky for Itself, Bans Foreign Tourists from Weed Cafes

October 3, 2011 at 10:35 AM | by | Comment (1)

We're not going to say "I told you so," but we kind of did back in May when Holland first announced plans to possibly close "coffee shops" to tourists after crime rose. Now, from this last Saturday, the hammer has dropped and foreign tourists are not permitted in the coffee shops of Holland's southernmost city of Maastricht.

There are exceptions: Germans and Belgians are still welcome, but no Americans or Italians or English or French or...we could continue but you get the point. And if you are German or Belgian, then be prepared to show your passport and allow the coffee shop to retain your identity information for up to two days, even if you're only in the shop to smoke weed for fifteen minutes.

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Inside Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport: The Ginormous KLM Crown Lounge

Where: Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, Netherlands
August 12, 2011 at 5:27 PM | by | Comments (0)

Welcome to Amsterdam Week here on Jaunted! Each day, we're coming at ya with a Double Dutch of features: two stories on a city (and its airport) that stuns with its beauty and nearly overwhelms with everything there is to do. Got any Amsterdam tips of your own? Share with us in the comments!

Today at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, we're visiting the KLM Crown Lounge for international (non-Schengen) departures

Now we've reached the end of our week-long series on Schiphol Airport, but we're leaving you in KLM's international departures lounge for flyers with KLM or SkyTeam status. It's a perfect place to leave off, since this is where many travelers really begin their journeys and it's through these glass doors and beyond this KLM-blue desk that you really want to be.

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