Welcome 2012!

Hello I hope you all had a wonderful New Years!

My resolutions for this year:

Book at least one driving lesson
See more of my friends
Complete a sewing project each month

Hasnt 2011 gone quickly!

Here are some of the best things from last year:
Moved into a flat with my boyfriend :] <3
Ben and I welcomed Terrance and Shelby into our new home, terrapins are my new favourite animal :)


Visiting Amsterdam, mine and Ben's first holiday together!

I also got promoted from sales assistant to Supervisor at work :) go me!

So as you can see it was a year of firsts which I plan to keep coming next year! I want to keep visiting new places home and abroad. April 2012 will also be mine and Ben's 4year anniversary! I cannot wait to spend another year together, happy in Cardiff with our pet terrapins :D

Breaking out the Fondue

Ben and I bought a fondue set in Amsterdam and last night we tried it out!

It was so delicious I cant even describe to you!

I took the recipe for 'Dutch fondue' from the Hamlyns Fondue Cookbook (1p on amazon) which is the exact same book as my mum has from the seventies, but she didnt want to part with it so I bought the same one.

We used bake your own bread rolls and meatballs as our chosen dipping food.
The cheese was essentially white wine, gouda cheese and edam with seasoning and a bit of cornflour.


BEN even had a heinken for double the authenticity.

I am definitely going to invite my friends over and have a fondue party soon :)

Vintage Shops

We found a few great vintage shops in Amsterdam purely by accident!

I had completely forgotten to look before we had gone away, probably because we had so much planned already.

Episode vintage:

There are 2 shops in Amsterdam both are big shops full of reworked vintage clothes, lots of skirts made from older pieces (I bought one myself)

Episode offers a huge range for both guys and girls which is a nice change, my boyfriend got a hawaiian shirt.

They also stock a lot of scarves, sports t-shirts and jumpers.
This is what I bought:


I love this skirt its on trend, its comfy and despite the bold pattern it goes with most things!

and I also bought this pretty scarf.

you will find Episode at Waterlooplien and Berenstraat

http://www.episode.eu/index.jsp?USMID=30

a look at the website informs me this chain also has a shop in Camden (maybe youve been?)

Laura Dols Vintage:

http://www.lauradols.nl/uk/_footer/contact/

Mainly for women there is a huge downstairs room full of occaisionwear, lots of taffeta and net!

Also a lot of older vintage clothing and lovely gloves and bags

find it on Wolvenstraat

Zipper:

Very retro, plenty for men and women here, lots of dresses from the 70s good fun!

Niewe Hoog Straat

http://www.zipperstore.nl/

Waterlooplien Market

A busy market by the canal. Expect to find souvenirs, smoking paraphernalia and second hand clothing.

Ben bought a fab levis denim jacket for cheaper than they were in Episode next door.
He was really happy with this because he had his levi jacket stolen from a club back home recently.

The tour guides say its open Monday - Friday 9-5.30pm and Saturday 8.30-5.30pm however we turned up at 11am and found most stalls werent open yet.



The best things about vinatge shopping in Amsterdam - the euro/pound is very similar atm so you know roughly what an item is selling for and you can work out if its worth the price or not, generally I found the vintage shops quite resonable but the more you can get from a market the better :)

The best things to do in Amsterdam

In no real order just as I remember them!

1. Canal boat ride: perfect way to see the city and learn some fun facts about Amsterdams history. Even nicer when the weather is bad as its warm and dry inside!

2.Try some local food. on our trip we tried dutch pancakes, chips and mayo, Bitterballen (mince in crispy breadcrumbs), FEBO (fast food from a vending machine).

3.Van Gogh museum - the biggest collection of the artists work, beautiful paintings as well as sketches and copies Gogh had made of other paintings by artists he admired.

4.Vintage shops and flea markets. A must vivit is the Waterlooplein market and Episode vintage which is near by. http://www.episode.eu/index.jsp?USMID=49

5. Anne Frankhuis - everyone has heard the story of Anne Frank this museum is in the building where Anne her family and some close friends hid from the Nazis during the second world war. This museum is a mix of videos, exerts from Annes diary and pictures of the family and friends that leads you round the whole building. Get there early to avoid queues and having to shuffle slowly round behind groups of school children!

6.Red Light district - you have to see it, you dont have to stay!

7.The Heineken Experience- I wasnt looking forward to this one I must admit! This was Ben's main must see, however...it was fun, interactive and with free drinks at the end it was definitely worth the money as well. Like a Cadburys world for adults ;)

8.Go off the beaten track! Find cute shops, cafes, bridges, canals and normal life just beyond the centre I suggest a visit to the Jordaan district. Enjoy getting lost looking at maps and not knowing what you will find!(picture here of a really thin house!)

9. Sex museum, this was so funny there is lots of erotic artwork and some suprisingly old artifacts!

10.Get on a tram! Easy to use and they get you pretty much everywhere. single ticket is 2.60euros and a 24hour pass is 7euros. We got 24hour passes because we used them so often (our hotel was quite far out of town)


We did lots of other great things in Amsterdam also, I will try post something about them all, these were my highlights, Ben might disagree!!

(all photos by me except van gogh bedroom,anne frank house and episode vintage, the photos with me in were taken by ben)

Wow!

Home from a great 5 days in Amsterdam.

It feels like Ive been everywhere and done everything! A post with pictures etc will follow.

Im trying to chill before I go back to work sunday, but my suitcase is niggling at me to unpack and wash clothes!

expect museum reviews, clogs, cheese, trams, canals, picturesque houses, bridges, bikes and pancakes!

Holiday!

My holiday to Amsterdam is all paid off now! It is only 3 months until I go, so exciting!



I need to write a list of all the things me and my boyfriend want to see!

Travels

Hoping to book my holiday tomorrow! Its exciting, my new years resolution to travel is actually happening!

My plan is to go to Amsterdam with Ben (it will be our first holiday together!)



I cant wait to see the floating market that sells all the beautiful flowers and the wonderful architecture. I especially want some time to get back into my photography and visitng a new country is the perfect time to do so.

I have a list as long as my arm of things we both want to do but if any of you have been and would like to suggest somewhere or something to see please do!