Last week, I posted a plea to the Weather Gods to usher in the spring a.s.a.p.! That didn’t quite work, unfortunately. So, here’s some inspiration to get everyone into the mood for a colourful spring and a lovely warm summer! A walk around the tulips fields in Holland is one of my favourite things to [...]

A Dutch winter wonderland
It all started with a blizzard. High winds and snow that fell to the ground almost horizontally! Within a few hours, Amsterdam and almost the entire country was covered by a thick blanket of snow. Temperatures stayed below freezing for a week, ensuring the snow and ice stuck around for a while. It was cold [...]

Reasons to visit Amsterdam in 2013
I often kick off the new year with a post about my top destination picks for the year. This year, I’ve chosen just one destination: Amsterdam! It’s going to be a great year for Amsterdam with tonnes of events and celebrations commemorating various historic milestones as well as the birthdays of some of Amsterdam’s most [...]

Culinary Journey: Samhoud Places in Amsterdam
What: Fine-dining at & Samhoud Places Where: Oosterdokskade 5, Amsterdam Notes: I still don’t quite get the name but Amsterdam’s latest fine-dining establishment, just a stone’s throw away from the Central Station and the Mövenpick Hotel, is already making waves in the city’s gastronomic scene. Headed by Chef Moshik, it’s clear that Samhoud Places has [...]

Mövenpick Amsterdam – a delightful city hotel
The Mövenpick Hotel Amsterdam is one of the newer luxury hotels in the city. Part of the Swiss luxury hotel chain of the same name, the hotel is located next to the Cruise Terminal and is a mere ten-minute walk from the Central Station, making it an attractive place to stay for both tourists and [...]

Velvet Moments: travel photo – sailing on the Markermeer
It was a chilly day for a sailing trip on the Markermeer near the village of Marken but the amazing light and the gorgeous clouds that day made the experience simply magical! Located in the middle of the Netherlands, the Markermeer is the southern half of the Ijsselmeer, a large lake that used to be [...]

Ten things to do in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is my home and my favourite city in the world. I may be biased but I consider it a true privilege to live in this remarkable city. I vividly remember the first time I visited Amsterdam more than twenty years ago. I walked down the Damrak, the main thoroughfare from the Central Station to [...]

Velvet Moments: travel photo – sunset picnic in Amsterdam
One of my favourite things to do in Amsterdam, when the weather is good, is to pack a meal and a bottle of wine and head for the Amstel River. There’s a certain spot I love where I can sit on the edge of the river, hang my legs over the edge and watch the [...]

Velvet moments: travel photo – antique market in Delft
If you love antique markets, you’ll love the open-air Antique Market in Delft, an historic town situated between The Hague and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Held every Saturday between mid-April and mid-September along the canals of Delft, the Antique Market has hundreds of stalls selling all sorts of antiques (Delft Blue porcelain is popular), jewellery, [...]









