Things to see and do in Amsterdam

The Hague (Den Haag)
Willem II moved the royal residence to The Hague in 1248, and with him came parliament buildings, museums, and sprawling parks. The Dutch queen and princes still call The Hague home, with their palaces tucked in among stores and restaurants and pubs. During the North Sea Jazz Festival (www.northseajazz.nl), the city draws in world-class musicians and 50,000 swinging fans. For the rest of the year, The Hague, officially named ‘s Gravenhage, is a buzzing center of government where museum-gazing and embassy-sleuthing will likely be the sophisticated pleasures that define a stay in the central city.

Parkpop
(523 90 64; www.parkpop.nl/english). Hosts what the Netherlands hails as the largest free public pop concert in the world. Held on 3 big stages in the Zuiderpark during late June every year.

Greenhouse Coffeeshop
Koediefstraat 14 and Elandstraat 18 (362 07 50 or 362 39 68; www.coffeeshop-greenhouse.nl). Where you can drop in for some good deals on weed and hash. ƒ25/€11,36 gets you up to 3.3g of the “Greenhouse Special” marijuana. Pool ƒ2/€0,91. Open 10am-midnight.

Omniversium
President Kennedylaan 5 ( 0900 66 48 37; www.omniversium.nl). Right by the Gemeentemuseum, screens massive-screen Omnimax films in a futuristic setting ƒ18/€8,18; kids ƒ13/€5,91; seniors ƒ16/€7,27.

Published in: on February 28, 2009 at 1:59 am  Comments Off  
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The best of Bohemia

Marienbad is well worth a visit if you’re in Bohemia. It’s really “old fashioned” with fancy 19th century buildings, lots of really good gifts and cheap places to eat. The Chopin festival in August is a highlight not to be missed but come prepared with formal clothes to wear to any concerts.

Published in: on February 25, 2009 at 2:01 am  Comments Off  
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Vitthala Temple, Hampi

Vitthala Temple, Hampi

Published in: on February 24, 2009 at 2:02 am  Comments Off  
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Luchador Masks

Luchador Masks

Published in: on February 23, 2009 at 2:01 am  Comments Off  
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Shadowplay

Shadowplay

Published in: on February 19, 2009 at 2:01 am  Comments Off  
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A little tip about crumpled, wet clothes

Although clothes are the least thing you worry about when you’re travelling, here’s a tip that makes life easier . . .

Having been the victim of theft when I left some washing out to dry in Italy, I now do the Japanese trick of putting my wet clothes between two towels then stepping slowly and heavily over it . The towels soak up the wetness and you’re left with dry clothes that almost look ironed.

Another little tip – I had a job interview in England and having lived out of a backpack for months I was used to living with creases and crumples. To give my clothes that ‘job-interview’ look, I hung them in the bathroom on a hanger while I had my shower. The steam took all the creases out. I then put the damp clothes in the bedroom where they dried in a few minutes and looked dry cleaned.

Published in: on February 16, 2009 at 2:02 am  Comments Off  
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Babylon Will Fall But We Will Have a Ball

Amsterdam is lacking the millennium fever that’s taken over some places, so most of its millennial parties are still in the planning stages (rest assured – Amsterdam is always a frolicsome and firecracker-filled place on New Year’s Eve). One exception is the artist-squatted village of Ruigoord, which has already started building a ‘Tower of Babylon’. On its completion on the December 31, this will be the ‘centre of the Grand Ritual … to welcome the new psi-lennium’. Intrigued? – then check out their webpage.

Published in: on February 14, 2009 at 2:02 am  Comments Off  
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Fever at the Kitchen

The latest new club night for Dublin is Fever, playing every Friday at The Kitchen. This is a night for clubbers who take their dancing moderately seriously but with pinch of irony. The style is dressed-up with the emphasis on comfort, and the music takes the form of deep tech-house and progressive house grooves. Since the U2-owned venue stopped being the place to celebrity spot, it has taken itself a little more seriously as a club venue and offers a good night out for dance fans -with no ABBA to be found anywhere in da house…

Published in: on February 12, 2009 at 2:01 am  Comments Off  
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The Spirit of Montmartre: Cabarets, Humour and the Avant Garde, 1875-1905

The last decades of the 19th-century were a time when Paris’ Montmartre district was the centre of Bohemian life. Artists, writers, composers and actors drank, discussed, drank some more and not only managed to pump out their own work but also to collaborate on many other creations – from magazines and posters to theatrical productions. The Van Gogh Museum has put together an exhibition to reflect these heady times with works that are enhanced by the helping hands of the likes of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Georges de Feure, Eugene Bataille and Emile Cohl.

Published in: on February 8, 2009 at 2:01 am  Comments Off  
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El Café Que Pone Muebles Navarro

This is a quiet, very spacious, converted furniture store serving drinks and imaginative sandwiches just off the Rambla. Air-conditioned, done up in cool pastel colours and with comfy sofas and armchairs laid out for customers, the café is an ideal place for a quiet chat and a nibble on a New York lox. Prices are fairly reasonable given the bar’s opening hours. Poetry readings and art exhibitions are scheduled on a regular basis.

Published in: on February 6, 2009 at 2:00 am  Comments Off  
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