Amsterdam

If someone asked me to describe Amsterdam in five words starting with the same letter I would have to say…Bikes, boobs, boats, beers and Beatrix.
The travel crew numbered 13 that hailed mainly from Wellington and Levin. Our host for the trip was Hamish McCarroll, who has lived in Amsterdam for the last couple of years. On Thursday the 9th of June I flew to Schipol Airport AMS. From there I caught the train to Amsterdam Central, where under instructions from Hamish I walked to Dam Square. Dam Square is the heart of Amsterdam and is actually the site of a former Dam of the river Amstel, hence the name. On my way to Dam square, I picked up a few first impressions; the enormous number of bikes locked up on the side of roads, the trams zipping round the city and the general laid back feeling of the whole place. Managed to track down the crew and our first stop was a very cosy ‘coffee shop’, where we drunk beer out mini yardys held in wooden frames and shared a ‘legitimate’ joint with the others whilst catching up on lost time. First night Gazza and I stayed in Hamish’s "Dungeon".

Next morning we borrowed a couple of Hamish’s bikes (the old back brakes were very dodgy!) and headed back to Dam square to meet the team, the weather was atrocious, so because I didn’t bring a jacket (doh) I had to stop and buy a poncho. Had a really nice pizza square from a food side stall for Brekkie. The weather dictated that today was going to be an inside day, so we trammed to the Van Gogh Museum. Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), largely a self taught painter, who had a highly distinctive style, with expressive brush strokes and vivid colours. After Van Gogh’s death there was a great deal of interest in the artist’s work, and almost as much fascination for his dramatic life story with its unhappy romances, apparent lack of recognition, illness and suicide. We picked up a couple of postcard souvenirs then Gaz and I walked to meet up with his local friend Heleina, at a photo exhibition museum. On the way we stopped for lunch ‘Dutch fish and Chips’ and wandered past the Heineken Brewery. At the photo museum, the theme of the exhibition was a troubled African country and sunbathing Italians, quite random! Then we had a relaxing cup of coffee, and back to Dam square top pick up our bikes. Back to McCarroll’s where we waited for him to finish work and formulated our game plan for the evening. Pretty simple game plan really, Beers, Pizza, then out to the clubs. Great night, which ended in Hamish showing us around the red light district, which was an eye opener, as ladys of all shapes and sizes showed off their whares. Gaz and I crashed that night in an apartment around the corner from McCarrolls.
Fortunately the next day the weather was mint so we hired boat for the afternoon and cruised round the city’s network of canals. Such an awesome way to see the city cruising round on a boat whilst enjoying a couple of beers in the sun with mates. We saw the city drift by, with its many bridges, churches and leaning buildings. Saturday night we had a BBQ at Hamish’s place then out into town, another dark to dawn bender, with some members of the party experiencing the red-light district to the fullest. Sunday the effects of two nights had taken its toll on everybody and everything was painful and slow. The weather deteriorated again, but I still managed to venture out to do a bit of shopping. Whilst some people had earlier flights mine wasn’t until later so Hamish and I went to the recently refurbished Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace of Amsterdam is situated on Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam. It was originally built as the city hall for the magistrates of Amsterdam. In the 17th century it was the largest secular building of Europe. The Royal Palace is famous for it’s rich and imposing decorations. Renowned sculptors were brought to Amsterdam and famous painters such as Rembrandt and Ferdinand Bol contributed to the interior. The central theme, featuring in much of the decoration, was the power of Amsterdam in particular and the Dutch Republic in general. Hamish and I were blown away by the ornate marble work and the sheer opulence of the rooms.
Here’s a little speil on Amsterdam straight out of wikipedia…Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age, a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. The city is the financial and cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the world's top 500 companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world is located in the city centre. Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, its red-light district and its many cannabis coffee shops, draw 4.2 million tourists annually.
Caught my flight back into Heathrow, no dramas. Great weekend, I could easily live in Amsterdam.

Italy with the family

As always holidays exiting London involve a mad dash from work to either Luton, Stanstead or Gatwick. I think the true reason why these airports are located so far away is they build your stress levels to meltdown, so when you do make it to your destination that relaxation feels extra good. This trip was no exception, flying out of Gatwick, having to negotiate trains, tube delays, even impending tube strikes! But I made it with seconds to spare onto the Gatwick express, where surprisingly I found cousin Jen on the same train. Easy jetted into Rome and had pre-booked accommodation near the airport at La Masion Jolie. Had a few funny instances on the first night: It took us a good 10 minutes to work out that many of the doors in Italy for some crazy reason have a 4 stage locking system, our wake up call for the following morning was somehow lost in translation and they rang us at 4 am! And, our taxi shuttle to airport was late so we had to get the hotel owner (a nice lady) to run us to the airport to meet Mum, Dad, Hel and Stu. Good to have a family reunion. Picked up rentals and after taking photos of the cars we hit the A1, Italys version of SH1 but much better, we did have to pay a toll though. Whilst the road was straight and rather boring the countryside was spectacularly hilly with lots of rocky outcrops. We stopped for a ‘boot lunch’ in Cassino, where we enjoyed ham, cheese and tomato rolls and a few bubbles. We whizzed past Naples and Pompeii and skipped through Salerno on the way to the Amalfi Coast.
Was blown away by the Amalfi coast! Tight roads run along almost sheer cliffs with small towns dotted along the way. Preferred mode of transport on the Amalfi is Sita Bus, with there easily recognizable horn and their insanely tight driving maneuvers (sometimes there is honestly millimeters to spare!). We stayed in very nice hotel called the Margherita, perched on the side of the hill with 180 degree views up and down the coast from a place called Praiano. Complete with a great deck and pool, it was luxury! Cheers Mum and Dad! Using the hotel as a base we did day trips to a number of places. 1) Ravello, right up in the hills in offered the most spectacular views you could ask for. We wandered through the Gardens at Villa de Chimone where the promenade with the heads (which dad liked to kiss) offered yet more views. 2) Positano and the Island of Capri. We bussed to Positano and took a boat to Capri. There we set off to the main part of town, up the hill, but the place was thronging with tourists so Stu, Hel, Jen and I took a boat trip around the island ducking into caves and little coves and swimming off the boat. The highlight of this expedition was the blue grotto - A cave only accessible between the swells on small boats. Inside the cave the water was a luminescent shade of blue! Back to the marina we enjoyed gelatos and another swim on the main beach. Drinks on the hotel deck when we got back and we saw a once in a lifetime sight, a spectacular green meteor plummeting and breaking up as it flew low across the sky. I had a bad case of sun stroke at the end of the day and I went to sleep shivering with a million layers on, on what was a very balmy night. 3) Next day I was very groggy, we went and saw the church of saint lucca after seeing the AB’s lose to France! Then we returned to the hotel packed our day packs and set off for the day. First stop was the 800 year old watch tower on the cliff tops, the coast is dotted with them every 3-5km. They were used as a communication tool in the event of Pirate attacks. This tower was now used as a studio for an artist who modeled naked ladies out of clay. Then we carried on down to the beach (Marina de Praia), beaches on the Amalfi coast are very small and rocky, but are still very popular, you see all shapes and sizes! Caught up with the rest crew and went for a few swims in the azure water. After our supermarket made ham cheese and tomato rolls, Mum, Dad and I attempted a costal hike, not entirely sure on the directions. Very steep and very hot, at one point we strayed off the track and onto a farm, Mum ended up herding some goats off our track, was very funny! Back on track and we got some great coastal views before descending down to another beach at Furore. Time for a quick shandy in the shade of the cliffs and another swim. That night we took a Sita bus to Amalfi, where we were lucky enough to experience some kind of festival with cannons, parades, flotillas and fireworks. We ate a traditional Italian spread of Bruschetta, Ham and Ricotta and Pizza on the footpath and took in the family atmosphere of Amalfi.
Next day was a travel day. Took a shuttle to Sorento to pick up rental cars, talked to friendly driver in my very very rough Italian! I somehow misplaced Mums phrase book at the rental place. Highlights of the trip were the weird man at the highway stop who sprayed lynx continuously on himself and Dad not being able to put the car into reverse. Drove round in circles in Siena trying to find a supermercado, no signs, but we found it in the end. Once sorted with food supplies we set Nav Man to Colle Val de Elsa. The Villa was right up in the hills above the vineyards, but it was worth the trip when we arrived. Very homely and Jacky gave us the low down on the cottage. Time for a few beers and cards as we caught a beautiful Tuscan sunset. Enjoyed Ravioli for tea.
With the villa as a base and rental cars raring to go we had just under a week to explore Tuscany. First day I ventured out on early morning run trying not to get lost in the process, then we headed to Monteriggoni, a castle community on a hill with 14 turrets. Back to Colle, but energy was starting to sap, so we headed back home for a siesta which turned into happy hour, with some 5 crowns action. Then we headed to a local restaurant in scorgiano, where I enjoyed nice penne pasta with meat. Dad let me drive to the restaurant, my first attempt in a LH drive, seemed to manage ok, Dad kept telling me to keep right! Fruit(s) of the season was watermelon pieces, which is what funnily enough I had been eating all day! Day 2 Tuscany we went to San Gimignano, Nav Man had a classic blond moment in Colle which left Dad in hysterics. It was nice wandering through the town, early before the tourists arrived; we popped into leather, guns, ceramic and souvenir shops. I tried on a really nice leather jacket, gonna have to get me one of those one day! Climbed the Torre Grosse with Stu and took in the roof tops of San Jimi and the greater countryside. On the way down we saw some awesome paintings of Madonna and child and other frescos. I also check a contemporary art gallery and a bird museum. Saw a lady playing the Harp as we wandered around the town. As the tourists arrived we took off to the next town of Volterra. Had a photo in the ‘O’ on the way. In these towns it always a bit of a drama finding a car park! Walked up into the town, starting to get hungry we pulled into a café for Pizza. Tried to pick up and wave an Italian flag for a photo, but got told off in Italian by an angry store owner. Saw the remains of an old Roman Amphitheatre, started to fade and Stu had a sore knee so we headed home, for the usual routine of happy hour and cards. Had an entertaining meal that night in Pievescola, it was a catholic owned club, and we had a great time trying to order to the lady owner (we did have help) in Italian. Day 3 Tuscany, we tripped north past Pisa to Lucca, what looked like the most direct route to Lucca turned out to be very slow as we inched through small towns. After 2.5 hours we made it! Hired bikes from the car park, we then circumvented the old city along the city walls, great fun, made a great change from walking! Took lots of photos! Had an hour left with the bikes so we split up and ventured out in smaller groups, I went to a café and had a Ham and Cheese roll and a beer, heaven! Very cool town, great cruising round on the bikes. Back by 1pm, Stu got stung with 26 euro parking ticket after a bit of a mix-up with tickets, gutted! Drove to Greve in Chianti, Wine Country! Had to watch out for fixed speed cameras on the way. Just for a change, Pizzas for lunch. We had our first spots of rain in Greve. Checked out a meat shop with some 1st class cuts on offer and a wine seller where we dabbled in some wine testing, some very smooth reds were on the menu. Grabbed food supplies from the Coop on the way home. Long day on the road, Dad was exhausted, BBQ for tea, wild boar steaks were really good. Played 500 until the wee hours and ate chocolate. Day 4 Tuscany, Slept in! Drove to Siena via the Autostrada, parked in a rather tight spot in the car park building. Headed to the Duomo picking up Pastrys on the way. Duomo, the most full on church I have seen so far: Striped Columns, Heads peering down, amazing paintings, floor panels – Massacre of the innocents, Piccolimini Library – Manuscripts, Romanesque, Giovanni Pisanni, Donetello and Bernini. Around the corner was the Museo metropolitana Façade, at the entrance there were two very talented Piano Accordion players. We climbed a narrow winding staircase to the top of the façade and had great views from the top. Next we went to the Duomos crypt. With food on our mind we went to Piazza del Campo, famous for its bare back palio horse race and symbology. The Torre Del Mangia was also a great sight. Strolled around Siena in the afternoon with Gelatos in hand. Tried to find the mystery San Francesco Piazza, Stu said he knew the way! Stumbled across a wedding and saw a very large church. Heat was intense! Back at the villa, chicken and roast potatoes for tea with salads. Finished off our game of 5-man 500, Stu the eventual winner! Day 5 Tuscany, needed to work off all the food and drink, so went for a run round the block. Today we had five towns lined up: 1) Montalchino – Fort, Mum and Stu up the wall for views, Brunello wine + Grappa, markets. 2) Pienza – Walked through park, perused shops, ham and cheese sandwich on steps for lunch. 3) Montipuliciano – Headed to main piazza, browsed shops, photos, took a video journal, Dad lost then found sun glasses, phew. Needing to find a place to cool off we drove to 4) Lake Traesemina – Very murky water, dead fish, water was not refreshing at all, saw a snake in water and we could only swim right at the end of the beach. Not the most pleasant experience. Shandy’s in the shade. Last stop 5) Cortona – Town on a hill, very arty, snacks in the main Piazza, swallows circling and tweeting, kids kicking balls and old men on benches, Italian life to a tee. Saw an amazing Ferrari on the drive home, it went past us like were going in slow motion, awesome! Pizza in the Park with the S-Ropers for tea, had to lay down our own table mat, voice over the intercom to collect Pizza’s “ROOPPER”, Lively atmosphere in a park setting. Home for a cup of tea and bed.
Last day in Tuscany, Very low key, Spent the day in Colle Val Di Elsa with Mum and Dad. Downloaded photos, had a really nice lunch, took the lift up to the old town and got Gelatos. Started raining, thunder and lightening. Back to the villa for an early start to happy hour. Parents went with Jacky, while Jen and I played Quiddler. Emily cooked us a traditional Italian 4 course meal at the villa, great meal. Good way to finish the trip. Had to leave early the next day to give us enough time to reach airport. No dramas!
Overall 9 out of 10 for the trip, Italian people were very friendly, scenery was spectacular, and it was great to hang out with the Whanau. Fa Benne! Ah Presto