(no subject)

[winterbadger]

So, ignoring my pending unemployment, the frightful weather lately, and what feels like an impending cold, I'm continuing to plan my April vacation in The Netherlands. So far, I've got a few ideas of things that I plan to see or would like to see (the Rijksmuseum and the Poezenboot :-) in Amsterdam, the Mauritshuis and Madurodam in Den Haag, Delft, the Hartenstein Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek, a couple of national parks, Harlingen and maybe one of the islands in Frsylan).

I picked up some suggestions back in January when I first mentioned this. Any others?

ETA: Oh, I also spotted the Dutch East Indiaman The Amsterdam--that ounds like it must be worth a visit. And maybe the Hortus Botanicus.

Comments

[cmlc.livejournal.com]

Wow, it sounds like you're going to be busy!

When it rained a lot one time we visited the ethnographic museum in Amsterdam. Pretty interesting, although there was a lot of stuff about how nice the Dutch colonial powers were to the natives, which certainly wasn't my Mum's memory of those times, not that she had direct experience.
The Amsterdam Historical museum is nice too and sometimes has great art exhibitions - it had several Vermeers last time we were there. And the big churches (Oude Kerk, Nieuw Kerk, Westerkerk, etc.). And I visit the homomonument outside the Westerkerk which commemorates the gay people murdered by the Nazis, partly on the grounds that it's the only one I know of anywhere in the world and that seems wrong to me.
For some reason Dutch people seem to have a fixed idea that tourists all want to see the red light district - don't bother unless you particularly want to look at prostitutes, porn and sex toys in shop windows.

But our main favourite things to do in Amsterdam are: walk around the canals and look in the big windows of the houses; eat falafel and all-you-can-eat salad at Maoz; raid supermarkets for Dutch and Indonesian goodies to take home; go for rides on trams; wander round the street markets. We're simple to please.

[winterbadger]

Excellent suggestions, thank you!

Yeah, I worked on K Street in Washington; I think I've probably seen as many hookers as I ever need to see. :-) Wandering around looking at old houses, historic churches, and easting falafel sounds more like my speed. :-)

[cmlc.livejournal.com]

Good. Well, have lots of fun. We're off there this weekend! Just for the weekend - once we've done most of the things on that list it'll be time to come home again :)

[wolfette]

will you be there for Queens' Day? (April 30th)

Don't know if it's your thing, but I really enjoyed the the Keukenhof gardens

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jette.goldie/Keukenhof?feat=directlink

[winterbadger]

[Queen's Day] I was planning on going earlier in the month than that. From what I've read, QD is a bit of a madhouse, so I figured that it might be best to avoid it.

Those gardens look very nice!

[wolfette]

yeah, QD is a madhouse all right. A good natured one though. A sea of orange shirts, t-shirts, jumpsuits, hats, floral leis and anything else they can wear that's orange. Street parties, open air music gigs and generally crowds of orange clad people, young and old, intent on having fun all day. Like Hogmanay on Princes Street, except in daylight and better weather.

[la-renardine.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a great trip. If you run out of ideas, or want a change of scene...You could meet me in Brussels for an afternoon/evening during your last weekend.