Fashionistas visiting Amsterdam have plenty of opportunities to enjoy great quality fashion designers. Avant garde designers like Jan Taminiau have attached their fame and fortunes to the city. Taminiau is a favorite of not only the Dutch queen who happened to wear a dress made by him at the recent coronation but also of Lady […]

Art and antique shoppers can have a great time in Amsterdam. The Spiegelkwartier (literally; Mirror Quarter) is where you head if you’re on the hunt for a unique present or merely want to look at beautiful objects. This quarter is crammed with lovely galleries displaying top notch art works and little antique boutique shops where […]

The Museum of Bags and Purses in the centre of Amsterdam is the biggest museum of its kind in the world. It documents a 500 year history of bags in all forms, shapes and sizes and from pretty much all over the globe. To give you an idea of the extremity on display; the collection […]

English language comedy in Amsterdam? It’s being done! A few theatre companies originating from the UK have set up shop in Amsterdam and with great success. One of them is easylaughs -, a comedy improvisation group which insists on spelling their own name without a capital letter – funny! They have been active for over […]

The Dutch are a seafaring nation. Hence the dykes of course. And the Dutch also have a thing going on with fish. Herring in particular. This sushi-type fish is eaten in a way that is peculiar and warrants explaining. It’s called ‘haring happen’ and what happens is this; a Dutchman or Dutchwoman will get on […]

Amsterdam boasts a lively Pecha Kucha scene. During Pecha Kucha meetings, presentations are held in a particular style which seems to have caught on in cities everywhere around the world. Originating in Japan, Pecha Kucha means ‘chit chat’ but the presentations are all but to the point. During the meetings, between eight and 14 very short, very focused presentations about […]

If you are like me and a bit of a Grand Designs fanatic, you must see the ARCAM museum when you’re in Amsterdam. This centrally located architectural museum currently hosts an exhibition entitled ‘Learning from the Seventies’. This subject is rather topical in the current Amsterdam architectural climate, where urban renewal dominates the agenda, not […]