Hallo!
I just came back from the most exciting solo trip to Holland (Netherlands) and Paris. I must say....I LOVE HOLLAND!! It is such a beautiful country, rich with nature, culture & heritage. Dutch people - very friendly, which is awesome! :)
The inspiration for this trip was to see Keukenhof again! I visited Keukenhof for the 1st time last year (2013) but was left with a bit of let-down because I didn't get to see all the lovely tulips outside and they were not in full bloom yet at the time I went (winter ended late for last year, so not many tulips were blooming outside). So, this year..I went again..and had better luck, Alhamdulillah :)
For those who don't know, Keukenhof is a spring garden (which opens only during spring time, from March til May - exact dates may vary from one year to another). This magnificent spring garden is in Lisse, about 30-40 mins outside of Amsterdam. Keukenhof is famous for the wonderful tulips, every year millions of people will come to see the hundreds (or probably thousands?) variety of tulips planted there. If you ever plan to come to Holland in spring, you MUST NOT miss to visit Keukenhof..okay?
You might ask, "How do I get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam?" Ahh...this is a good question. Since Keukenhof is not accessible by local train/public transport...you have 2 options:
Tickets can be purchased from:
Here is a lovely view of Keukenhof, definitely felt like I was in flower heaven!
Okay, now back to the rest of the trip. On the day I arrived to Amsterdam (April 26th), there was celebration for King's Day, the Dutch call it Koningsdag. The streets of Amsterdam was filled with people wearing orange everything! shirts, headband, hats, etc. On this special day, the Dutch get to setup flea markets and they party all out!
If you're a fan of art, you will love Amsterdam. There's many museums here. I personally love the Van Gogh Museum, the queue to go in is long (even with fast lane tics) but it was so worth it. Visited the Rijksmuseum too, but it was not as great as Van Gogh's. Ticket to each of these museums is 15euro, which was bought from Tours & Tickets office at Damrak.
Getting around Amsterdam city is quite easy, you can either go by foot or take the tram. I choose to go everywhere within the city on foot, this way I could see and experience the city more.
I guess you may have few questions (like the ones below) in mind...had a friend who asked me the same...so, I hope the below info helps if you want to make a journey to Amsterdam/Holland:
I just came back from the most exciting solo trip to Holland (Netherlands) and Paris. I must say....I LOVE HOLLAND!! It is such a beautiful country, rich with nature, culture & heritage. Dutch people - very friendly, which is awesome! :)
The inspiration for this trip was to see Keukenhof again! I visited Keukenhof for the 1st time last year (2013) but was left with a bit of let-down because I didn't get to see all the lovely tulips outside and they were not in full bloom yet at the time I went (winter ended late for last year, so not many tulips were blooming outside). So, this year..I went again..and had better luck, Alhamdulillah :)
For those who don't know, Keukenhof is a spring garden (which opens only during spring time, from March til May - exact dates may vary from one year to another). This magnificent spring garden is in Lisse, about 30-40 mins outside of Amsterdam. Keukenhof is famous for the wonderful tulips, every year millions of people will come to see the hundreds (or probably thousands?) variety of tulips planted there. If you ever plan to come to Holland in spring, you MUST NOT miss to visit Keukenhof..okay?
You might ask, "How do I get to Keukenhof from Amsterdam?" Ahh...this is a good question. Since Keukenhof is not accessible by local train/public transport...you have 2 options:
- Drive yourself there.
- Go by Keukenhof bus (which departs from several locations in Amsterdam city centre).
Tickets can be purchased from:
- direct from Keukenhof website: http://www.keukenhof.nl/en/ or
- local tour agent like "Tours & Tickets" - http://www.tours-tickets.com/
Here is a lovely view of Keukenhof, definitely felt like I was in flower heaven!
 |
| A bed of pink tulips @ Keukenhof - heavenly! |
Okay, now back to the rest of the trip. On the day I arrived to Amsterdam (April 26th), there was celebration for King's Day, the Dutch call it Koningsdag. The streets of Amsterdam was filled with people wearing orange everything! shirts, headband, hats, etc. On this special day, the Dutch get to setup flea markets and they party all out!
If you're a fan of art, you will love Amsterdam. There's many museums here. I personally love the Van Gogh Museum, the queue to go in is long (even with fast lane tics) but it was so worth it. Visited the Rijksmuseum too, but it was not as great as Van Gogh's. Ticket to each of these museums is 15euro, which was bought from Tours & Tickets office at Damrak.
 |
| With the famous "Sunflowers" @ Van Gogh Museum |
Getting around Amsterdam city is quite easy, you can either go by foot or take the tram. I choose to go everywhere within the city on foot, this way I could see and experience the city more.
I guess you may have few questions (like the ones below) in mind...had a friend who asked me the same...so, I hope the below info helps if you want to make a journey to Amsterdam/Holland:
- Is it easy to navigate around Amsterdam? - Definitely yes! with the help of Google map of course...hehe. I go everywhere with help of Google map.
- Is it easy to find halal food there? - Yes, there's quite a number of shops that sell halal food. You can google for the list of restaurants and find it using Google map. There's also one vegetarian shop, which sells the most delicious falafel. You should try it! The shop is called "Maoz Vegetarian" and it's located at Damrak 40. Next to it is a shop which sells french fries, very famous..lots of people queuing to buy. Oh ya, I must warn you that some of these halal shops...the food price is a bit on the high side, so..you would probably want to bring some Maggi mee or instant noodles from home in case budget burst! hehe :P
The yummilicious falafel @ Maoz Vegetarian - Should I buy a local simcard? - If you're gonna stay for more than 2-3 days, I think it would be better to buy a local simcard which provides data/internet services. You're gonna need this if you plan to use Google map to get around. It is much cheaper than using data roaming. I bought a "Lebara mobile" simcard at the Amsterdam Schiphol airport (there is a booth there selling the simcards for tourists), the simcard costed me 20euro..with 1GB data.
- Where do I buy tickets to enter the tourist attraction places? - You can either buy it at the ticket counters of those tourist attraction places (which may not be the best option if you hate long queues) or buy from local agents like Tours & Tickets, or from your hotel (some hotels do sell the tickets) or you can opt for a "Holland Pass" or "I Amsterdam" card, which would be of more value if you plan to visit few major tourist attractions. For "Holland Pass" & "I Amsterdam" card, you can just google it and go directly to their websites to learn more about it & purchase.
- Where is the best place to stay? - Find a hotel, which is near to public transport such as train stations. This way, your life would be much easier in getting around and you can save cost for transport to & from airport. I chose a hotel (WestCord City Centre Amsterdam), which was about 600 metres from the Amsterdam Centraal train station. From the airport I took the train to get to hotel, it only cost me 4.50euro.
- How are the people there, do they speak/understand English well? - Oh yes! Most of the Dutch people can speak English well and they're friendly too! I got many good suggestions on going around Amsterdam from the locals (especially from the friendly front desk staff at the hotel) & they helped me find my way around.
- How is the weather in Amsterdam? - Well, the weather was a bit tricky when I was there. Visited during spring but it was raining quite frequently (almost daily). So, my advise to you is...please check the weather forecast of your time of visit. You may find a small umbrella to come in handy for an unexpected "shower" during your trip...hehe. A water-resistant jacket with a hoodie would be useful too (especially for guys, if you don't want to carry umbrellas).
- Where or what other places should I visit in Holland? - If you can, do take the excursion trips to Zaanse Schaans (to see the windmills) and the country-side...and if you have kids, take them to Madurodam...there's a great miniature garden there.
 |
| Trip to Amsterdam feels incomplete if you don't take a stroll along the canals |
After spending 6 awesome days in Holland, I then took the train from Amsterdam (Amsterdam Centraal) to Paris (Gare Du Nord). Journey takes about 3.5 hours on Thalys hi-speed train.
I spent only 2 days (more like 1.5 days) in Paris. Spent it to just go around the Musee Du Louvre & Palais Royal area..and did a lil' bit of shopping at Galleries LaFayette. I already went to Eiffel Tower last year, so..skipped it on this short trip to Paris..hehe.
Halal food is also quite easy to find/get in Paris. You can just google it & use Google map to find the shop (same way I did when I was in Amsterdam). I also find that using public transport in Paris (Metro) is quite easy. Just bought single journey tickets to go to places, since I didn't want to go to so many places. If you plan to go to several places in a day, then probably worth to buy the daily ticket (costs about 10 euro). Single journey ticket costs 1.70euro.
If you know French, please speak French while you're in Paris. I had a bit of poor experience in Paris at some shops...I was told by friends (after the fact) that French people don't like English-speaking people...sigh!
If you ask me which country I like better, I would definitely say Holland! haha..simply because the Dutch are friendlier, more relaxed (even by the way they dress) and they have such a beautiful country :)
Btw, I loved Cafe Le Nemours...which is just outside Palais Royal..had a cuppa coffee and did a bit of people-watching...feeling Angelina Jolie as my friend would say it...haha..it was cool ;)
After having such a great time in Holland...and a short stop in Paris, it was finally time to go home. Left Paris on Saturday, May 3rd...on Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380..oh yeah, got to fly on the ginormous airplane!! Wished that I could get a nice seat on the upper deck though...that would've been excellent...like vanilla ice-cream on top of a brownie...hehe
OK, that's all for now. Until the next trip....! :)
p/s: While solo journeys are thrilling, I dream that one day I will meet someone who will accompany me on my journeys and make it even more wonderful...like the quote from #MHjourneys.."We're all travellers looking to make that great trip with someone" *wink*
 |
| Outdoor @ Musee Du Louvre |
Halal food is also quite easy to find/get in Paris. You can just google it & use Google map to find the shop (same way I did when I was in Amsterdam). I also find that using public transport in Paris (Metro) is quite easy. Just bought single journey tickets to go to places, since I didn't want to go to so many places. If you plan to go to several places in a day, then probably worth to buy the daily ticket (costs about 10 euro). Single journey ticket costs 1.70euro.
If you know French, please speak French while you're in Paris. I had a bit of poor experience in Paris at some shops...I was told by friends (after the fact) that French people don't like English-speaking people...sigh!
If you ask me which country I like better, I would definitely say Holland! haha..simply because the Dutch are friendlier, more relaxed (even by the way they dress) and they have such a beautiful country :)
Btw, I loved Cafe Le Nemours...which is just outside Palais Royal..had a cuppa coffee and did a bit of people-watching...feeling Angelina Jolie as my friend would say it...haha..it was cool ;)
 |
| Having a cuppa coffee @ Cafe Le Nemours |
After having such a great time in Holland...and a short stop in Paris, it was finally time to go home. Left Paris on Saturday, May 3rd...on Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380..oh yeah, got to fly on the ginormous airplane!! Wished that I could get a nice seat on the upper deck though...that would've been excellent...like vanilla ice-cream on top of a brownie...hehe
OK, that's all for now. Until the next trip....! :)
p/s: While solo journeys are thrilling, I dream that one day I will meet someone who will accompany me on my journeys and make it even more wonderful...like the quote from #MHjourneys.."We're all travellers looking to make that great trip with someone" *wink*
