Visit Amsterdam

Not so long ago the mister and I decided to take a weekend break in Amsterdam.  I haven't been before and it's on my list of places to visit so we impulsively booked a mini break.

Finding an hotel was proving to be tricky.  It turns out there was a massive conference going on that weekend and most of the cheaper hotels were fully booked.  Then we discovered the Bicycle Hotel just out of the city centre.  The Bicycle Hotel was also a hostel.  Some rooms had private en-suites and some had shared bathrooms.  They only had rooms with shared bathrooms available and sharing a bathroom with strangers is my idea of hell.  I actually shuddered at the thought of it but when we arrived I was actually pleasantly surprised.  We only had to share our bathroom with one other room and the place was immaculate. We didn't have to queue for the bathroom once. Yay. 

Our lovely little hotel

 

 

The Bicycle Hotel funnily enough also rented out bicycles and if you're visiting Amsterdam believe me you'll see more of the city on bike than by foot.  Most Dutch people travel by bike.  In fact there are more bikes on the road than there are cars!  It's completely different to England, there are bike lanes everywhere and they even have their own set of traffic lights!

The misters got the hang of it!

I just about managed to stay on my bike!

 

There's a lot to do in Amsterdam and if you're travelling by bike you'll find even more things, as you tend to go off the beaten track, or in our case get lost.  Here's a couple of places we stumbled across.

 

 

Electric Ladyland Museum

The Electric Ladyland museum is not your typical museum. It's the first museum of fluorescent art together with a collection of common rocks that glow naturally under UV lighting.  This is a guided tour and the guy who runs it has spent decades building sculptures, collecting rocks and art work.  If it wasn't for this guy it would just be a room full of boring stuff but his passion and knowledge about every object in the room becomes contagious and at 5 Euros worth a visit.  Oh and he's a total hippy so it's worth it just to meet him and hear his crazy stories!

Once of the many displays

 

Felix Meritis Observatory

 

 

The Observatory is a building with so much history.  Built in the 18th Century it's original use was to promote the arts and science and give certain men upstanding within the community. Eventually as other museums and theatres opened in the city the Observatory lost it use but has now re-opened to the general public.  The cost of the tours was 6.50 Euros and the view from the top is breath taking.

 

 

I love the height of the buildings and the hidden gardens

 Of course there's all the other usual places to visit when in Amsterdam.   I'd recommend Anne Franks House, Van Gogh Museum, Rijks Museum, even the Red Light District.  If I'm honest the RLD is the strangest place I've been to, especially as some of the windows are nestled between bars, restaurants and shops.  It's weird that it seems so normal!

Bloemenmarkt

The floating flower market is quite a touristy area but worth a visit because the smell is amazing and great for souvenirs.  My sisters are now the proud owners of slippers in the shape of clogs and everyone else got a bonsai tree!

What To Eat

There's something for everyone in Amsterdam.  Even if you're the fussiest of eaters you'll find something but if you want to try something different I'd recommend The Pancake Bakery On the menu you'll find a sweet and savoury option, which is normal in Holland.  I went for the bacon and pineapple pancake which was actually pretty nice and the portions are huge.  You wont need to eat for the rest of the day after finishing one of these!

Something else to try is Febo. Heated food in a machine.  Just put your money in and remove your chosen item.  Great if you're on the run and need something quick.  Not so great if you're looking for a nutritious hearty meal!

You also need to try poffertjes.  These are like mini pancakes and so sweet and yummy.  I could eat these all day!

So there you have it.  Just some of the things you can do in Amsterdam.  Have you been away recently?  Have you got a favourite city or ever been to Amsterdam?  Let me know I'd love to hear all about it.

Camera Envy

It's not long until I go on holiday and apart from fretting about what to pack I've also been worried about taking my 'big' camera.  You see, I said goodbye to my compact camera a couple of years ago, (there was a sticky incident with a melted chocolate bar and the shutter) and now the only camera I have is my DSLR and the camera on my S3.

The problem is I don't really want to take my DSLR.  It's heavy, expensive and the beach would be a no go area for me.  There's no way I'm risking sand coming anywhere near my kit. The camera on my phone is good but not amazing quality plus I don't wanna drain my battery. I'm the kinda person who literally takes hundreds of photos. Per day! And then annoys everyone by sharing them all on Facebook haha.

I've been meaning to look into the different compact cameras available but it's been at the bottom of a very long to do list.

Then as if someone read my mind I was asked to share a video on my blog.  I bet you thought I was going to say I was gifted a camera!  Pfftttttt I wish!  The video was however about the Panasonic TZ40 which I have now spent a lot of time drooling over.  Yep this is a sponsored post but please forgive me and read on.





I did a bit of research into camera and I have to say the features are jaw dropping.  I have serious camera envy.  As well as 18.1 megapixels, touchscreen, HD recording, 20x super zoom, creative functions, etc it also boasts a full range of manual modes, GPS, WiFi and NFC chip.  Sharing your photos couldn't be simpler .  You can read a full review at Techradar but if you can't be bothered all you need to know is they scored this camera 4.5 / 5.  I would say that's pretty good!

What camera are you currently using and what kind would you take on holiday?

Manchester's Calling

Ages ago I bought the boyf  two tickets to see the Kings of Leon for his birthday. Obviously I insisted one of those tickets was for me, haha.  It felt like the event was never going to arrive!  I'm not sure who was more excited, me or him!

Anyway last Monday we caught the train to Manchester.  We checked into our hotel, did a little shopping in the Northern Quarter, for those who don't know that's the vintage/indie area, a LOT of eating, responsible drinking and then a night at the Manchester Arena. The Kings of Leon were AMAZING!  I actually forgot how many awesome songs they have.  I prefer their earlier stuff before they became insanely famous.  There's something special about loving a band before EVERYBODY and their mother's heard of them.  

1. Love this window display.  2. I learnt that polenta is NOT Italian for potato and is in fact cheese!  3.  Vintage Heaven in Pop Boutique.  4.  Excited on the train.  5.  Mmmm figs and mascapone cheese.  6.  OMG Bunty!!  7.  The pizza I wish I'd ordered.  8.  Cool sign.  9.  New skirt from Pop Boutique.

Normally when I go to gigs I prefer to stand.  I always think the atmosphere is generally better and you get to dance or in my case jump around like a loony, etc.

I could only get seated tickets this time round but I can honestly say I was NOT disappointed!  Even though we were right the other end of the arena we still had a good view and everyone sitting around us was really nice and friendly, etc. Which reminds me, how 's this for a random moment?  We were actually seated next to a couple who were in the queue in front of us at Burger King, four hours earlier! What are the chances of that!?  I love it when things like that happen!

Have you been to any gigs lately?  Who's your favourite band?  Do random things happen to you?!  Tell me!  I wanna know!

P.S  I'm now on Instagram if you want to follow me

Swap A Frock Clothes Swap

We're having a swap shop party and all you lovely bloggers are invited!!

The name of the post might give away what kind of party it is but let me tell you more about it.

Last year I went to a clothes swap shop party at a friends house.  Basically you take along any unwanted clothes and swap them with your friends or sell them at rock bottom prices.  I managed to offload quite a few things that I'd never got round to putting on Ebay and came away with some really nice items as well.  Combine that with wine and snacks and it was the perfect girly night in.

This kind of event has been around for years but is finally becoming more popular.  It's actually called Swishing, although I can't bear that name. It sounds too much like swinging to me and you really don't want to get the two confused!

I've been wanting to host this kind of event for a while and seeing a few events take place recently in London and Manchester has spurred me on.

So here's how it works.........

Do you you own an item of clothing or shoes but never actually worn them?
Do you own clothes you haven't worn in years but kept hold of them for 'just in case' reasons?
Do you have a pile of clothes you keep meaning to put on Ebay but haven't got round to it yet?
Do you think your choice of style has changed and no longer wear certain items?
Think you have items that are 'too good' to throw away?
Do you own clothes that no longer fit or need altering but not sure how?  
Does your wardrobe need some new additions?
Were you nodding YES to any of these questions?  I know I did! Then come along to our swap shop and exchange your items for something you'll actually wear.

What happens:  
Check in 4 or more items in exchange for tokens then swap your tokens for clothes or shoes of your choice.


Items: 
We only want good quality clothing and shoes. If it's holey or dirty it aint coming in. Lingerie and nightwear are also a no no.


Check In:
One high street item = 1 token
One designer item = 2 tokens


What else?
Found an outfit? Got some spare time? Sit yourself down at our Embellishments & Alterations table.  A professional dressmaker will be on hand to assist you.

All Finished? Outfit sorted?

Get your nails done by The Pamper Pit. They're offering you special offers on the night. 
File & Polish  £5
Nail Art   £7
Gel Nails   £15

And Finally.....

As ever there will be an amass of glorious homemade cakes, fresh coffee, herbal tea, retro milkshakes, iced tea and coffee available from Spout.

Does this sound like your kind of thing?  Live in the North West Midlands and want to come along?  Have a question?  Leave a comment and I'll get back to you soon as possible.