It was while we were in what’s become our favourite nighttime cafe for a Genever before bedtime, Cafe Chris, late on Saturday, that we heard about Cafe De Reiger. It turns out that Cafe Chris, which we found by chance on the first night is the oldest brown cafe in Amsterdam, dating from 1624. Well […]

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We packed so much into our lovely day yesterday that today just turned into a slow Sunday with no particular plans. The great thing about being in a city you know well is you don’t feel obliged to visit all the main sights. Anne Frank house is just round the corner from our hotel but […]

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It’s Mother’s Day in UK but for me celebrations began last night with an evening organised by my daughter Nicola. Weeks and weeks ago she booked a table at her favourite restaurant in Amsterdam – Balthazar’s Keuken – because it’s a very popular place she discovered a few years ago when a friend of hers […]

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We woke to a beautiful sunny day. The water on the canal outside our window was so still all the houses opposite and nearby bridge were reflected in the water. We went downstairs to a lovely array of food for breakfast: slices of cheeses and ham, yogurt, fruit and cereals, different breads and cakes and […]

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It’s definitely a return. I haven’t written about Amsterdam on the blog before but I used to spend a lot of time here; almost semi lived here. It’s great to come back with my daughter who, since we were here as a family, has returned many times for work and to see friends. She was […]

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