Amsterdam/ Maastricht Adventures (26th July-1st of August)

 This was the second time we had visited Amsterdam. I went when I was seventeen and Jayne went when she was eight. What a different experience for us both this time around!! We flew to Schipol Airport which takes about an hour from Luton and then took the train to Amsterdam central. We spent 3nights in Amsterdam which is in northern Holland and then 3 nights in Maastricht which is in the southern part of the Netherlands.

We really enjoyed Amsterdam, the people were very helpful and friendly. We visited the Anne Frank museum which we found disappointing as it was hard to visualize how the eight people lived in incarceration due to the lack of furniture, apart from a model in the basement. We went on a canal boat tour which was full of information and very interesting and visited the Torture Museum, and a flea market which we really enjoyed. Went around the red light district and sampled the delights of a coffee shop. We went to a sports bar to watch the England Ladies Euro Final against Germany which was very satisfying and ended up at a pub called The Watering Hole for some live music. On the last day, we went to the Rijksmuseum which was amazing.

                             

We then traveled by train ( which was a double-decker) and bus to Maastricht. This was a very different experience from Amsterdam and we went there primarily to watch Andre Rieu and his Johann Strass Orchestra in concert which was very uplifting and full of joy. We also visited the Zonnerburg Caves which was a fascinating tour of man-made caves dating back to the 16th century. We also went on a boat trip along the river Maas and did a lot of shopping.

I loved Amsterdam, it seems to me that they did everything right although you must get your head around the fact the order of travelling in Amsterdam is Bike, Car then humans and how there aren't serious accidents every day amazed both me and Jayne. We went to the red light district which I thought was more like a meat market. The coffee shops were great, I sampled the space cakes and we met a couple, Arthur and Jane, who were about our age and were smoking some weed until Jane had a whitey and had to be chaperoned home by Arthur. The food is ok, but sometimes you don't get what you expect. For me, the 2 highlights of Holland were the Rijksmuseum and the Andre Rieu concerts but overall I would definitely recommend a visit.  

I found Amsterdam vibrant and colourful, and frenetic. Really loved it. A very different experience from when I was a child! So much to see and do with lots of interesting nationalities to talk to. The sheer number of bicycles whizzing everywhere with people of all ages including babies and dogs in work clothes or every day going about their business was fascinating. We both witnessed several sheer misses, let alone the few lorries and cars. The canal boat tour guide told us that 80,000 bikes end up in the canal every year and 17,000 Teslas as there was a glitch with the onboard programming and the car did not recognize a canal! . I applaud the Dutch mindset in keeping well and fit for as long as possible.  There was a fair amount of walking along the cobbled streets and lots to see and do. Night life-wise, even on a Sunday the pubs and clubs and coffee houses were alive and full of people of all ages.

In contrast, our trip to Maastricht was slower-paced but interesting nonetheless. I was very impressed by the double-decker trains and how clean and punctual they were.  Maastricht was similarly crowded but with people rather than bicycles, waiting for the 3 Andre Rien concerts. In the meantime, we cruised the vast array of shops for all tastes and many bars and restaurants spilling out onto the streets.  I imagine that Maastricht is not nearly so busy the rest of the year. I did enjoy the trip through the man-made caves, originally designed to hold Maastricht`s inhabitants should Germany have won the Second world war. Well worth a visit and even more exciting coupled with a ride up the river in a boat. I particularly enjoyed the Andre Rieu concert- two hours of beautiful voices accompanied by the famous  Johann Strauss  Orchestra and also a 120  male voice choir and local brass band. All nationalities and ages singing and swaying amidst laser and light show and fireworks and even fake snow and ticker tape. I defy anyone at that concert to say that they did not enjoy that evening! It was electrifying and showed the human spirit united in music-Andre Rieu's mission statement you could say.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed both places for different reasons, perhaps for me, Amsterdam had more to offer year-round. We did find The Netherlands rather expensive and we are not great fans of continental breakfast. Having said that, the cakes and pastries were phenomenal. Both our hotels had stairs that require you to have an oxygen tank strapped to your back, particularly in Amsterdam perhaps because the Netherlands is one of the most populated countries per square mile in the world! Be warned.