Rainy Day Reads

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, but the parliament and government is actually situated in the third largest city, The Haag. The city of Amsterdam is amongst other things known for The Van Gogh Museum, The Rijksmuseum, Anna Frank’s House, canals, flowers and bicycles.   This post will deal with the canals and tulips, and a general introduction to the city.  History Amsterdam can trace its history back to the 13th century, when it was a small fishing community along the banks of the river Amstel. It slowly grew and in 1275 it was awarded privileges to trade. The traders worked in the Baltic Sea, trading with the cities of the Hanseatic League. The city prospered and in the late 16th century it grew rapidly, almost doubling its population. This was the beginning of the Golden Age of Amsterdam. In the late 18th and early 19th century there was a decline, but in 1815 The Netherlands was established as an independent state and the second golden age of A...

This bridge was built in 1357 AD by Charles the 4th. It spans the Vltava River and from the eastern end of the bridge you can see the the royal castle on the opposite bank. Perhaps the most famous feature of this bridge are the many sculptures of saints that line the bridge, 30 in total. Most of these were put in place in the 18th and 19th centuries, but have been replaced by copies by now. The originals are placed in churches or museums.   The bridge was built to replace an older bridge, called the Judith Bridge, built in the 12th century. The Judith bridge was damaged in a flood in 1342 and The Charles Bridge replaced it. Until about 1870 this new bridge was simply known as the “stone bridge” or the “Prague bridge”.  The bridge is 621 m long and almost 10 m wide. The entrances to the bridge are protected by towers, one on the side of the old town and two on the side of the so-called “lesser Quarter”. The one by the old town is considered one of the most ...

When December rolls around any town with self-respect whips up a Christmas Market. There is something cozy about the stalls selling snacks, hot drinks and Christmassy decorations, and it is even cozier if you go away from home to enjoy it.   This year I went to Berlin to experience the Christmas Market there and do a little Christmas shopping. Berlin is a big city and it has a lot of Christmas Markets. I was only there for one night, so I stayed pretty close to my hotel. Luckily I had chosen to stay near Alexanderplatz, which is a lovely area, with many shops and its own Christmas market.  The market has numerous stalls that sell everything from glazed apples, hot dogs, mulled wine and fried mushrooms to Christmas stars, woolen socks and glass baubles. Prizes are a bit expensive, but may of the items are worth it. I was there from Saturday to Sunday and during Saturday afternoon and evening it got VERY busy. Being so busy I would not consider it child-frie...

We all know that Christmas isn’t about the money. It’s not the gifts or the food or the fancy clothes or the parties that matter. It’s family and love and joy…even so Christmas tends to be expensive. Because you DO want to buy the perfect gift for your loved ones, and you DO want to eat good food, and you DO want to look nice for all the parties.   If money is tight there are a few ways to save money though, that won’t make too big of a dent in the holiday spirit.  Decorations: The first tip is RECYCLE! Use your decorations from last year. Don’t let the fancy magazines and store windows tempt you into thinking that you need to scrap all of last year’s red and gold decor for this year’s silver and purple. You are doing Christmas for you, and I always think the coziest decorations are the ones that are handed down in the family, and the slightly wonky homemade stuff, that also serve as keepsakes from Christmases past. I think this kind of decor adds the cozy family ...

The holiday season seems like one long line of Christmas parties with food and drink in abundance. At the end of the month all those parties can leave you tired out if you don’t prepare.   Outfit Be sure to pick something comfortable! Of course you want to look nice, but I try to go for a mix between comfort and style. In Denmark Christmas parties are all about the food! And the drink, to some degree, but mostly the food. So be sure to pick something that isn’t too tight around the waist.  As for shoes, keep them comfortable too. There is sure to be a lot of dancing going on, and you need that exercise to start burning off all the food you’ve just gobbled down. For the same reason I like to put up my hair. All that dancing is sure to create some heat in the room and an up-do will give you a little air. Just make sure it’s a sturdy hairdo that will withstand vigorous dancing.  The same goes for make-up. If you know you will be dancing make sure your make-u...

As I mentioned last time, I am going on a trip soon (woohoo!) and I thought I would share my best travel tips with you. They are mostly common sense, but I think we all know that sometimes, when packing, common sense takes a break. So I hope these tips are helpful, even if they just serve as  a reminder of that very good idea you had to bring something, but then you forgot to put it on your packing list. The tips: Scan all your travel documents and send them to your email. That way you can always access them and get policy numbers etc. off them. Bring a copy with you too, in another bag than where you keep the originals, as the internet is not always available....Shock! Use one of those pouch/wallets that go under your clothes to keep your ATM card and any big wads of cash in. And go somewhere private when you need to get something out of it! It's a hazzle to lose your money and/or your card! And yes, it is SO touristy and lame, but the security is better than your purse or b...