take a drive in the countryside .. see small villages and fields of flowers and end up at the kroller muller museum in otterlo.  

Posted Aug 15, 2011

Love that museum! Such an incredible collection of master works in three to five small rooms. Plus the beautiful surrounding gardens and fields are stunning.

Posted Aug 15, 2011

Get around like a local and rent a bike!  Avoid looking like a tourist by getting a regular bike, not one of the bright yellow or red ones. We rented from "Frederic Rent a Bike" at Brouwersgracht 78 in Amsterdam. They are a 5 minute walk from the central station. Bikes are 10 euros per day.  We were able to get around Amsterdam so much more quickly than by foot.

If you're up for it, bike into the countryside by biking to the Amstel river and situating yourself so the river is on your left.  Start biking OUT of Amsterdam.  Just keep the river on your left and you can't get lost.  When you're ready to head back, keep the river and your right and you'll soon be back in the city.  One of our best days was when we did this and visited several beautiful little towns.

Posted Aug 17, 2011

 I agree with Sue - take a bike and explore Amsterdam and surroundings. Forget about windmills, tulips and shopping and smell the local culture!

Posted Aug 19, 2011

The addictive and alluring caramel-cookie goodness called a stroopwaffel. The hot caramel is slathered between 2 thin, warm waffle-like cookies (one cookie cut in half) and placed in a paper holder for your walking and eating pleasure. Anytime I go to Amsterdam, I always head to the fantastical flea market in de Pijp, called Albert Cuypmarket and look for the fresh stroopwaffel stand.

Posted Sep 07, 2011

We don't visit my wife's family in Amstelveen as often as I'd like but when we do we include a bike and barge trip to enrich our visit.  My wife who lived in the Netherlands until nearly 20 comes away from the trip saying at least half the things she saw were new to her.  A day:

Morning- Rise from a clean stateroom on a converted barge for an extravagant Dutch breakfast of breads, deli cheeses, deli meats, yogurt, muesli, coffee, milk, juice, and fruits.  From the same you make a sandwich for the road.  What you'll see and do on that day's ride is discussed.

Ride - With your guide (see below) you bike (a nice 24 speed hybrid) to 40 to 60 km (25 to 40 mi) through the countryside going from village to village stopping for a coffee and roll or a cold Dutch beer or an ice cream.  At the end of the day, 3 to 5 pm, you arrive in a new port town to your floating barge for wine and beer and rest.

Evening - you are free to visit the town your bedroom is docked in until a complete hot dinner is served on board.  After dinner you discuss tomorrow's ride and head out to town to enjoy the rest of the evening out.

Guides - Knowledgeable, friendly and very safety conscious.  They not only make sure you get to your destinations but they explain things along the way.  The even get you into places like a street organ museum not normally visited by locals not to mention not by tourists.  In large city centers they introduce you to a local docent who shows you the church the Pilgrims used before they came to the new world (the elders did not like it that the kids were speaking Dutch and not English) and how being very rich allowed one to be buried in front of the church alter the aroma of their decomposition is said to have lead to the expression "the stinking rich".  How many visitors have visited a currently lived in Dutch house boat?  If you had my guide you did just that.

Age - An 8 year old traveling with their parents and 70+ grandparents is common.  I'm 64 and will be doing this next year for our 40th.

Riding without the group and guide is accommodated with maps and directions to the evening barge site.

For more insight visit: http://bikebarge.com/

Posted Sep 14, 2011