I'm coming to Amsterdam

[Irishmommy]

And would love some info!!

My dds and I are coming to Amsterdam on June 25, leaving June 28. I need to know where to stay (safe, cheap), that is handy. I'm flying into and out of Eindhoven, and have no idea about trains, etc. to and from.

And all we have on the to do list right now for sure is Anne Frank's house (dd1 is big into the Holocaust). So any other info/help would be much appreciated.

:)

[sarahmck]

I don't have a particular hotel recommendation for you, but I can tell you that hotel occupancy in Amsterdam in permanently in excess of 95%, so you need to book something soon! If you find places that seem good to you and you want an opinion about how good the location is, just let me know and I'd be happy to weigh in.

The Dutch MDC members get together with reasonable frequency, so if you'd be interested, we could perhaps arrange the date of our next get-together with you in mind. Just let us know.

[Irishmommy]

A get together sounds awesome! I booked a hotel, but I'm not announcing which one online!! I can't wait!!

[sarahmck]

If you booked the one you posted about earlier, then that's a great location for both walking to central things and all forms of public transit. It might be loud, though. I think it will be a good choice.

Hopefully we can get a few folks together one of the days that you'll be in town. How old are your kids?

[Irishmommy]

I'll pm you where I booked, but not that one after I read the reviews. My kids will be almost 7 and 12, both girls.

[thismama]

Smoke some ganja for me, Irish! And I've heard the canals are amazing. Hope you have a great time! :love I would so love to go to Amsterdam.

[simonee]

Smoke some ganja for me, Irish! And I've heard the canals are amazing. Hope you have a great time! :love I would so love to go to Amsterdam.

maybe I get to smoke it WITH her! :p



When you get to the station at Eindhoven (bus 401 from the airport or a cab will take you there), all you do is go to a ticket sale booth and ask for two one-way tickets to Amsterdam and ask the person what to do. They'll print out a perfect little piece of paper that tells you exactly at what platform the train leaves and at what time. And if you miss it, it's okay because there'll be anothre one in a half-hour. You go to Utrecht, and there you get on a diff train to Amssterdam. It's 17 euros each (about 22 $), children under 12 travel on a 'railrunner" which costs 2 euros.

There is also an express bus from the airport to Amsterdam. It costs about the same as a train ticket.
Like the train, it would probably take an hour and a half.

Nobody takes first class. Second class is very high quality. It may be imposssible to get any snacks or drinks on board the train, so make sure you have something.

at the station, there are cabs, it won't take long and they're metered

It will be so cool to get a gathering going! I haven't met the other Holland mamas as i live out of the loop and work ft, but I'd definitely get a day off to finally meet irish!

[Irishmommy]

And it's closer than Paris!!!

I'm so excited!!

[wobbema]

shall we try and meet up Tuesday June 26?
depending on the weather, we could meet up in the Vondelpark, amsterdamse bos, go to the beach, zoo or an indoor playground?

[Irishmommy]

We are going to Anne Frank's house first thing that morning - it's the only thing that dd1 wants to do for sure. What is the Vondelpark?

[wobbema]

Vondelpark is the largest and most beautiful park.
its located in the center.

Anne Frank house.... prepare for a long time waiting to get in....

we could also meet up on wednesday?

Who wants to join?
Which day you prefer? Tues 26 or Wed 27?

[Irishmommy]

I have no preference on days. I just bought tickets for Anne Frank online, for entry between 9:30 - 10:30 on the Tuesday, so that should help in planning (and avoiding lineups).

After that, we are at your mercy!!

The only thing is, dd has to be gluten free, and we will obviously not have access to prepping our own food, so meals will need to be planned a bit.

[simonee]

I'd love to join, either day would be fine but I won't be there till around noon!

[Irishmommy]

Yay!

[wobbema]

I

The only thing is, dd has to be gluten free, and we will obviously not have access to prepping our own food, so meals will need to be planned a bit.

you can use my kitchen if you'd like.
i live 5 or 10 min walking from anne franks house.
there is a huge organic shop 10 min walking from house or anne frank

[LilWin]

I'm in, sounds like fun! We can't make it on the 27th, though.

[thismama]

I'm getting really jealous reading this thread! Irish, I'm only an hour's drive from you. I'll come over and you stow me and my dd away in your luggage, m'kay?

[Irishmommy]

Sure thismama, no problem!!!!

[Irishmommy]

you can use my kitchen if you'd like.
i live 5 or 10 min walking from anne franks house.
there is a huge organic shop 10 min walking from house or anne frank

That sounds awesome, thank you!!

[sarahmck]

DD and I are in. Either day works.

[edlyn]

Sounds great. Can't commit to anything as yet, but will try to join in for whatever you may decide....(p.m. is definitely more likely for us).

Edlyn, mama to Felix (4y) and Julia (7m)

[wobbema]

Ok so let's plan this on Tue 26? Christine (LilWin) can't make it on wed, and everyone else's saying both days are OK.
Tue after anne frank's ...
not before midday.

there's an exposition of steve bloom, spririt of the wild, on the westermarkt which is near anne frank house.
it's 100 huge pictures of the wild... beautifull... so we could possibly meet up there, although of course we don;t know what time they will be ready at the A.F. house...
maybe set around 12?

we could go to my house for lunch, or walk through the jordan area (like real tourists!) to the natuurwinkel on elandsgracht, buy some organic and glutenfree food and bread, and go to my house or the vondelpark to have a picnic?

We could also (starting from westermarkt / A.F. house again), walk the other way, through Jordan/west to haarlemmerdijk, shop there (theres a natuurwinkel as well) and go to the westerpark to picnic.
the westerpark is less beautiful, but more "real" than vondelpark. IMO, vondelpark is really touristy and westerpark is more 'normal' , and there's a childrens farm there and a watergarden, and kids can play in the water as well...

if we choose the last option,we can walk prinsengracht-noordermarkt - brouwersgracht (most beautifull canal of amsterdam), and from there to haarlemmerdijk and back to the park.

also, we could bring our own food from home.

if you need a kitchen, again, you can use my house. but i've got a small and simple house, no garden or balconny, so its not much fun for the kids i'm afraid.

[krizzanne]

I am so glad I checked the board, I have barely been doing anything online, and it's partly because the days stay light so late, that I am not getting my kids to bed on time! (when I usually use the computer).

ANYWAY,

I can come!!! (Sarah, don't roll your eyes:o )
That exhibit sounds like a neat place to meet, Angela, and you forgot to include a coffee shop in your options -ha ha ha.
Simonee, will we get to meet you?

[Irishmommy]

Angela, all the options sound fine to me. But you say touristy like it's a bad thing :lol Don't forget, some of us ARE tourists :lol

[wobbema]

Angela, all the options sound fine to me. But you say touristy like it's a bad thing :lol Don't forget, some of us ARE tourists :lol

we'll teach you how to behave like a native heehee!!!:hippie

[simonee]

As a tourist with bigger kids, you really HAVE to pedalbike in the canals!

Anything sounds good. I like the exhib idea. I used to live in A'dam for about 8 years and miss those little "round the corner artsy things' a lot!

Yes, krizzanne I wil definitely come! I've 'known' Irish for like 6 years and we once missed each other in Paris, this is sooooo the chance! Usually I just need enough notice so I can request a day off from work.

DD7 is in school that day. I have a DS3, is that an age that fits well in the group? Or shall I just do the single girl thing? ;)

[Irishmommy]

Dd won't be coming? She's the same age as my dd2 (well, dd2 will be 7 the week after Amsterdam). But come with as many or as few kids as you want!

[edlyn]

Hi simonee,

I'll be coming with my 4-year old son (and of course my then 8-month old daughter). If it helps to know....

[krizzanne]

very cool Simonee.
I am bringing my dd4yo and ds2yo

[simonee]

Dd won't be coming? She's the same age as my dd2 (well, dd2 will be 7 the week after Amsterdam). But come with as many or as few kids as you want!

Oh that would be so much fun for dd! There is a law that she HAS to be in school, but I'll go to the teacher and explain the specialness of it all. She's gotten a day off for 'special foreign background' stuff before....

DS will LOVE it!

[Irishmommy]

Well while I'd love to meet her, as would dd, don't go breaking any laws and getting arrested!!!

[simonee]

No, she'd probably be granted a day off :lol:
I took a day off, and she just has to get her approval, so we're set to go! Audrey looks really forward to meet some English-speaking kids!

The bad news is that I'm pretty sick at the moment. (DON"T READ REST OF PARAGRAPH IF EASILY GROSSED OUT!!!) I got some bacterial infection, probably because of a bad root canal several years ago, that seeks its way out through my skin, i.e. I've been struggling with what first looked like pimples and are now golfball-sized zitzillas that are very painful. I went on pretty heavy antibiotics yesterday (meaning ds is forced to wean pretty much for the duration of the treatment). If I'm still feeling as crappy on Tuesday as I do now and if the zitzillas still choose my butt as preferred destination, I don't think I can bear to spend 4 hours in a train. But I assume things will be much better by then.

I can exchange phone #s with anyone who pm's so we can decide at the latest moment if possible. I've looked forward to meeting IRish for years and the rest of you since the forum exists, so I really want to try everything to get it going!!! (and no, i'm not contagious ;) )

[Irishmommy]

That sounds painful. I hope it's better by then - you have almost a week!

I'm offline from Thursday evening my time, and won't be back until July. I'll pm my phone number to you (Simonee) and Angela, both hotel and cell so we can figure out when and where to meet.

[LilWin]

I just saw the weather report and it looks like the weather will be awful. :( Maybe we need to think of something inside somewhere?

[simonee]

Hi all, Irish and I will meet at the brown cafe (she's a tourist, right? ;) ) De Twee Zwaantjes right across from the Anne Frank house a bit after noon. Good weather, outside on the patio, crappy weather, inside. It's convenient for her as it's right across from the AF house, and I come by train with dd but I first have a doctor's appt that morning so I couldn't be quite sure which train I'll make. We will either walk there or take a tram from the station. Everybody is of course welcome to join in there!

If you pm me, I'll send you a picture to recognize me and my cell number. I'm taking dd (7), who is really looking forward for a girls' day out and to speaking English all day, but not ds (3) as the long trip (it's over 2 hrs each way for me) will likely just make it less fun for both dd and me if he's included, and he has plenty of friends to play with when he stays home :)

It may indeed be smart to think of an inside place. As I've only lived in Amsterdam when I was single, I don't really know much about places to go with kids. Any suggestions are good!

[wobbema]

Hi,

hmmm the weather reports does indeed sound nasty...

as for indoor activities interesting for kids all ages... hmmm i seriously wouldnt know.
i only know tunfun.
http://www.tunfun.nl/
this is for kids from 1 to 12.
Sarah once said something about an indoor playground near woonmall, but I can´t find that.

About TunFun:
it is in the centre (NEAR WATERLOO PLEIN)
open from 10 till 6 pm
it costs 7,50 for kids 1 to 12, babies and adults are free.
different indoor playground for kids 1 to 4, 4 to 8, 8 to 12
an area where parents can sit, eat or drink (cannot bring own stuff), but like Sarah mentioned once, the younger kids might need supervision so the ´we all chatting with each other´ might become a bit difficult at times...?

Also the zoo has a lot of indoor spaces, but the entrance fee is a lot higher (around 17,50)

another thing, i said we could all use my home and or kitchen, we still could but we are still renovating and the living room is EMPTY!!
we planned to be done YESTERDAY... (we did the floor in the living room 11 days ago and went on a holiday, came back yesterday), but as the floor looks ugly.... we will have to do it again.
So, my house is not very handy at the moment...
But I don´t think anyone was really depending on this, right?

Who are all coming? at 12 at twee zwaantjes or later?

hope seeing all of you tomorrow!

[simonee]

Tunfun sounds like a lot of fun to me. We have taken our small children to these places a lot, and it works fine once you decide to just sit on the soft mats around the little ones. From age 3 onward they tend to get quite independent at times.

Then again, I have a 7yo so it's easy for me lol.

Your house would be alright with me if we could think of something like "fun picnic on the ugly floor and then we can paint it too!" or soemthing?

(and I know the 2 zwaantjes isn't perfect. At least we'll be willing to get outtathere soon lol)

[sarahmck]

Hi everyone,

Mina is planning to join in, too, but is having some sort of trouble viewing the NL forum. She has also volunteered her house as a rain location. For those who don't know her location from LLL meetings, she lives on the corner of the Apollolaan and the Raphaëlstraat.

It's a bit far from the center, though.

Thoughts?

Sarah

[edlyn]

Tun fun sounds good to me.
Mina's offer is great (meaning: works well for me :-) but I'm not sure if that's fun for older chidren.
Same with Angela (wobbema) -- I rather view the emply living room as a plus, we just bring picnic blankets, as long as there are no screws or splinters or other things that can harm my little crawler....
I am not keen on the zoo -- hard to have a conversation.

Edlyn

[LilWin]

Going to someone's house has my vote. How nice Mina's offered her place (and Angela too)!
TunFun might be a lot of fun for kids, but it's hectic and it would mean I'm just busy chasing Lily around, no chance of me talking to anyone. :o But if most votes go to that, I'm fine too.

[sarahmck]

TunFun might be a lot of fun for kids, but it's hectic and it would mean I'm just busy chasing Lily around, no chance of me talking to anyone. :o But if most votes go to that, I'm fine too.

Ditto that. I don't know at what age they become independent players; all I know is that it's currently not even vaguely in sight!

P.S. Christine, I'll bring my bakfiets and you're welcome to go for a spin.

[wobbema]

I'm voting for Mina's house.
I know she has more space than I do at home (even with the empty living room here!) and so it's more fun for the kids. But I do agree with Edlyn that TunFun is nicer for the older kids (we have at least 2 kids age 4, 2 age 7 and one age 12.

Christine, Krissie, Mina and Sarah have 2yo's so they really need to supervise their kids, for them Mina's place will be nicer. For me as well bc Wobbe likes to crawl around ...

We could have a shared lunch at Mina;s place if that is what we will choose for?
we could meet up at her place around 12.30 / 13.00 and have lunch, chat, and play.
If the weather is nice, we could go for a walk.

BTW, Krissie, are you still coming??? And Katie? Amy? Gabry? Others?

I really don't like the idea of taking wobbe to the twee zwaantjes, i don't mind standing out but i don't take him inside smoky places. also, for me it would be more convenient to meet you when wobbe wakes up. today he has taken only 1 nap and i think this is his new thing. he usually naps late in the morning for 2 hours now.
so wheter we will go to Mina's house or Tunfun, could we all go there ourselves?

for Irish and Simonee: from westerkerk you have to take bus 170 or 172 to uithoorn or aalsmeer and get out 20 minutes later at stop valeriusplein/c krusemanstraat.
it;s a 6 min walk from there but I'm sure some of us could pick you up.
I´ve emailed my phone no to Simonee.

Is this plan OK? then I could send some of us a PB with her adres...

my email is ansjedansje@yahoo.com

[LilWin]

Sounds good to me!

[simonee]

Hi
Mina's sounds great to me. I agree that the zwaantjes is a short-term location, and I am also afraid that tunfun cannot be quite compared to the mellow provincial playgrounds we have out here in Twente :) We'd be there somewhere around 1.30 I guess -- shall we all bring something for lunch? I'm up for anything, and I imagine irish is too. [ETA: Irish's one daughter is allergic to gluten. If some people bring most of lunch (we'd go Dutch on the costs I imagine ;) ) it would be nice if that could be kept in mind. ]

Angela, I havent' had your e-mail, I think mdc has the wrong address. I'll still read tomorrow morning before 9, my addy is simonepaul at wanadoo dot nl

I'll bring my cell, my number is nul zes vier negen nul vier zeven negen één drie. YOu can call me at any time or send me an sms, and I'll get back to you.




this will be sooo much fun!!!!!!!!!! I haven't had an mdc gathering since I left San diego in 2003!!!! and they always were the best!!!!

[krizzanne]

I am coming! I have to read through and figure out the when and where, but where ever it is, I will come.

I am going to drive, and I can either park and walk, or park and bring my bike. I think Sarah said parking around her place is 12 euros a day...could I park and walk with you, Sarah? or does any one have a suggestion for me?

See you tomorrow!

[sarahmck]

Krissie, yes of course you can park here and walk with me. But you also have the option of simply parking at Mina's. The parking there is probably reasonably easy and probably the same price. But you're more than welcome to park here and walk with me, in that I know that you can park here and I'm certain of the price. I'll e-mail you both my and Mina's addresses.

[krizzanne]

Thank you, Sarah! Will I need to bring a bike or is everything in walking distance?

Hey everyone, is de Twee Zwaantjes on prinsgracht? I just looked at the website and they don't open until 1900 on Tuesdays. That place looks like it has a lot of character!

and is the final destination at Mina's house?

[simonee]

Angela, got your e-mail. My spamfilter probably thought you wanted to enhance my penis, so it moved it to the junk folder.

that's a bummer about the zwaantjes. I have to leave in a few minutes. I have Angela's # and will go to the zwaantjes unless I geta call not to. See ya later!

[wobbema]

OK!!! MIna's house it will be, then!
Krissie, you can go to Mina's house directly. i think that's easiest for you. Have you got her adress?
I will PM it to you (and her and my number)

I will phone Simonee later about how to go to Mina's house.

see you all later!!!! YippieyayeeYippieyayo!!!

[krizzanne]

hi! what time is everyone meeting? and are the people meeting at de twee zwantjes just to meet and walk to Mina's? This sounds funny, but I want to meet and walk to, I hate missing out on going to all the places, and I like walking, too.

If there just is no point in going to Zwantjes for me, I will park at Sarah's and walk with her, it's good for the kids, too to get out and stretch their legs after a car ride!

I am leaving in about 15 minutes.

[wobbema]

mina's house is no walking distance really from 2 zwaantjes
so u better park near mina's...

[krizzanne]

:lol thanks, see you all!

Hey, what time?!

[simonee]

hey mamas I had a LOT of fun meeting you all! I'm at an almost total loss of who was who, just that everybody had a small kid or two and everybody was totally cool! Thanks so much, and I'll definitely try to come over more often, DS wouldlove it, too. Even DD had a great time, despite being of a different age.

and Irish loved it, of course. Shall I let her tell you about what happened afterward,at the coffee shop?;) (see if she's finally going to edit a post of mine)

[Irishmommy]

No editing Simonee!! I'm not even supposed to be online!!!

Everyone, thanks so much for a great day. It was awesome meeting everyone, and now being able to put faces to the names here (and knowing where you are talking about now helps too!!). I'm just sorry I didn't get to talk to everyone as much as I would have liked.

The kids enjoyed themselves too - even dd1, who said she would be bored, loved the kids (not that she would admit that though lol), and she really appreciated having food there that she could eat, as did I.

Could someone pass on my thanks to Mina for hosting, as I know she's having trouble getting on here.

[PumpkinSeeds]

I'm sorry we didn't make it. It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun.