Anyone been to Amsterdam, best place to stay?

[Nunavut Patrick]

Last time over I was going to Den Haag and someone had jumped on the tracks so the train stoped at Leiden; I went for a stroll and a pint and found a cafe overlooking a big windmill. Was a very nice two pints then walked back and the trains were running again; went to Kijkduin where I lived for five years and walked on the beach to Scheveningen and then had a fresh sea bass for dinner.

 

Holland is ace. Gouda is grand. 

 

Will have to go to the T'IJ brouwij, I've tried their beer in pubs and its good. Also I've taken to drinking Heineken in the small glass when I'm there like the locals.

 

Also forgot to mention genever. My Dad used to drink jonge genever, I have been meaning to go to a genever bar but you can pribably get quite hammered. 

 

Which reminds me of a Gollem bar story- the one just off Spuistraat is ace, at least 200 beers and the barkeep will go into the cellar to fetch them. But they can be quite strong. I'm there after soemding the day wandering around (Rijksmuseum is good the Nighwatch  painting is amazing) and  talking with a Dutch student when these three American women come in and they're fucking loud and annoying- they're from Chicago and one is a flight attendant for United and she brought them there on passes, one is her daughter. Anyway she is just nattering on and on about things they are going to see and do and how she is an expert on all things Amsterdam and I notice her daughter has a Chicago Black Hawks shirt so on so I say Hawks fan, eh? Oh yeah we got season tickets (turns out husband is a pilot) blah blah and just endless talking and that awful snorty cackling middle aged American woman laugh. Told her you can thank Winnipeg, Canada for your success as their best player is from there. 

 

Anyway she and her entourage finally left and I said to the barman you know why so many Canadians love to go to Cuba in the winter? Because there are no fucking Americans! He found that quite amusing  and called me Mr Canada the rest of the night.

 

By this time I'd only had maybe 4-5 beers and a few lagers on draught but was getting late so I stood up and almost fell over; didn't realize that the ales were strong ales. I was fucking pissed. Managed to compose myself and negotiate the narrow stairs and small biog , a challenge sober much less smashed. Had one more lager as I'd recovered some  balance  and meandered back to hotel.

 

Next moring I realized I'd left about 60€ of cheese on the coat hook under the bar. 

 

 

 

[cloggypop]

Leiden is where I live NP. I reckon the cafe you were in was De Bruine Boon. 

[Nunavut Patrick]

Yeah it was on that street. A bit further down though. 

Nice town Leiden. 

Wonder if they need bus drivers?

[chrisbonnie]

I'm still itching to get back to visit the Netherlands since my list trip. 

 

It's just an excellently run place. 

 

The missus hasn't been but im hoping to get a weekend away, just the two of us in the summer. Fuck knows who'll take the kids....... Lol

[Nunavut Patrick]

Oh and you clearly stole this from our indigenous peoples of the West Coast. 

 

 

[cloggypop]

4 minutes ago, Nunavut Patrick said:

Yeah it was on that street. A bit further down though. 

Nice town Leiden. 

Wonder if they need bus drivers?

I actually saw they were taking on drivers for the bus from Leiden to the Keukenhof just last week. 

[Nunavut Patrick]

3 minutes ago, cloggypop said:

I actually saw they were taking on drivers for the bus from Leiden to the Keukenhof just last week. 

I imagine the passengers are more civil than the methed out loons I ferry around. 

 

I figure with automation coming not many people are going to look at it as a long career. Just need to learn Dutch again

[Captain Howdy]

YouTube fail, how do you post youtube stuff?

[Remmie]

On 09/03/2019 at 22:35, Captain Howdy said:

YouTube fail, how do you post youtube stuff?

Just post the link and wait a few seconds for it to automatically embed

[Captain Howdy]

 

[cloggypop]

Scott Walker version for me

 

 

[leslie]

On 17/01/2019 at 19:51, VladimirIlyich said:

Go to one of those places with a red light in the window. Very hospitable but can be expensive too,and you'll probably get chucked out within an hour! (5 minutes is probably average.)

they are usually located on canalstrasse

[A Red]

We stayed on a Barge moored near the Science Museum 2 weeks ago. It normally sails up and down to Bruges in the summer but is a floating guest house the rest of the time - sleeps 20 in total. We booked the whole boat for the group and had a great time. Might be worth checking booking.com this time of year

[Remmie]

7 minutes ago, A Red said:

We stayed on a Barge moored near the Science Museum 2 weeks ago. It normally sails up and down to Bruges in the summer but is a floating guest house the rest of the time - sleeps 20 in total. We booked the whole boat for the group and had a great time. Might be worth checking booking.com this time of year

I stayed on a boat like this, with cabins that have bunks. Nice alternative accommodation 

[A Red]

1 minute ago, Remmie said:

I stayed on a boat like this, with cabins that have bunks. Nice alternative accommodation 

The one we stayed on had normal ensuite twin rooms, not massive cabins but roomy enough.

[Scott_M]

You can rent those little bothes in the red light district that the women work from. Good location & earn yourself a few quid at the same time.

[A Red]

I went round the red light district with some windolene and a chammy.

[Pidge]

Day trip to Eindhoven. Going the unmentionable later. What a beautiful city. Stunning.

[Leyton388]

I stayed in the Greenhouse effect and it was pretty good. 

[Sugar Ape]

On 09/03/2019 at 15:14, cloggypop said:

Remind me nearer the date you are going and I'll see what bands are playing. Usually something decent on. 

Off there on Saturday. Think my mate has booked us in a hotel miles away though, Hotel King’s Court, in Amsterdam new west apparently so looks like we’ll have to be getting the tram everywhere. 
 

Best places to go in the centre that won’t charge like €10 a pint?

[moof]

On 22/09/2019 at 13:46, Pidge said:

Day trip to Eindhoven. Going the unmentionable later. What a beautiful city. Stunning.

Eindhoven is lovely. Much prefer it to Amsterdam

[cloggypop]

52 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

Off there on Saturday. Think my mate has booked us in a hotel miles away though, Hotel King’s Court, in Amsterdam new west apparently so looks like we’ll have to be getting the tram everywhere. 
 

Best places to go in the centre that won’t charge like €10 a pint?

If you are getting the tram everywhere get one of these at Schiphol 

 

https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/onbeperkt-reizen/p/amsterdam-travel-ticket

 

The fare from Schiphol to Centraal is 4, 50 so you can take 9 euro off the price of it straight away. 

 

If you don't want to pay extortionate prices for shit beer avoid all the tourist places such as the Grasshopper, most red light area bars, Irish pubs, Bulldogs, most bars on squares such as Leidseplein. 

 

There are cheap bars around the red light such as Hill St Blues (on Warmoesstraat)  and Suzies Salloon (just outside on the canal). Both have happy hours but they are cheap enough anyway. 

 

If you want some top class beers go to Cafe Gollum. Amazing selection and no knobheads. 

 

If you want to drink really good beer straight from the brewery go to Brewerij t'IJ. Lovely beer and the brewery has a windmill next door. 

 

If you want good cheapish beer with a punk rock ambience go The Minds. 

[aRdja]

De School is a really cool night club if you could get your hands on some pingers.

[cloggypop]

Top tip:

 

If you want any, don't go around asking for "pingers". 

[aRdja]

3 minutes ago, cloggypop said:

Top tip:

 

If you want any, don't go around asking for "pingers". 

Haha.