Amsterdam: World Market

Dappermarkt: number 6 on the wordlist!

Our Dutch Dappermarkt is one of the nicest shopping streets in the world, according to the magazine National Geographic Traveler. On the market in Amsterdam-East are a lot of textile stands. The Dappermarkt is a multicultural market. This is one of the reasons why the market ends up at the 6th place on the world list!

Do you want to see the Dappermarkt yourself; you have the possibility to discover the market with your own local!
Read more about this Worldmarket Tour

Amsterdam:The new library of Amsterdam

Amsterdam has a new library and it’s an amazing building!
Now I hear you thinking, a library why should I go to a library when I visit Amsterdam.
Watch the picture and take a look on the internet site of the Oosterdok.

A new area of Amsterdam will soon emerge in Oosterdok Island in the heart of the city, called ODE: an area of high-quality modern architecture with breathtaking views of the historic city centre and IJ River. The 200,000 square metre ODE will give a new impetus to the way people live, work, relax and enjoy cultural activities in a special location in the heart of Amsterdam. And this mix of functions will also create space for an atmosphere of dynamism and inspiration.

ODE will not just be an inspiring business location for companies of national or international renown - it will also be an area with a multi-faceted living climate. Many metropolitan functions with a high service level will be introduced into the area. For example, an international hotel and convention centre, a public library, a music academy, numerous shops and - not to be forgotten - a variety of restaurants and bars. ODE will be a unique location in an already thriving historic urban structure with the emphasis on providing its users with optimal service.

Thanks to its strategic position between Amsterdam's city centre and the IJ River, all amenities on ODE will be easily accessible by road, rail and even water. And Schiphol Airport is just twenty minutes away, making ODE very accessible internationally too.

Keywords: amsterdam

Amsterdam: a day in the city

A day in the city:
Yesterday I went out to visit my own city. Amsterdam is absolutely one of my favourite cities in the world. I started my day in an old building, this was the post office building earlier. The building is nearby the Central Station. You can take a walk from there to the building. In the building are several companies established and also the Stedelijk Museum. There is a very nice exhibition about Andy Warhol right now. After the exhibition on the 2nd and 3rd floor I took the elevator up to the 11th floor. Here I discovered that there is a very trendy restaurant/bar/club situated called club 11.I had a very nice lunch and enjoyed a wonderful view over the city from here. After my delicious goat cheese salad, pumpkin soup and mint tea I went to the roof terrace of club 11 to see the city from outside.
After I went back to the ground floor here I visitedEl Hema , this is a shop, similar to the typical Dutch shop HEMA but than on the Arabic way and you can take a seat here and eat and drink something. But they also sell t-shirts, books and other Hema related products; it’s nice to take a quick look in the shop. Definitely recommended to take a look in this building and also take a look in the neighbourhood around, the Eastern harbour for example.

Keywords: amsterdam

Amsterdam: Smart Bites

In the chewing-gum ball factory of studio bazaar Julius Jaspers opens smart Bites. A nice place to eat! Smart Bites based on breakfast and lunch and you have a choice of salads, sandwiches, nice breads, cakes, soups, juices and other nice bites. You can eat in the cozy restaurant part at a table, but for people in a hurry there also is a to go possibility. Everything are fresh and are prepared from biological products. The nicest thing of Smart Bites is that you can design your own sandwichand you can use more than 100 ingredients. You eat therefore always exact what you find nice or what you like at that moment.
More info: http://www.studiobazar.com/kauwgom/index_uk.html

Keywords: amsterdam

Amsterdam: Museum N8

Amsterdam Museum Night 2007

There will be a big musea event in Amsterdam on Saturday the 3rd of November. Named: Museum Night.
You can visit more than 40 musea at night, how amazing is that?!
The Museum Night will start at 7pm and ends around 2am. But after visiting all the musea you can party at serveral places!
Seven afterparty clubs are joining the event this year. You can show your n8-passepartout and you will receive a discount on the entrance fee.

The clubs are:Bitterzoet, 11, Hotel Arena, W139 Basement, Melkweg, Odeon, and Sugar Factory.

More info at: http://www.n8.nl/2007/

Keywords: amsterdam

Amsterdam: Dance Event

Amsterdam Dance Event
Last weekend I experienced Amsterdam Dance Event 2007.
I can tell you one of the best parties of the year, you can compare it with New Years Eve.
A lot of different parties where going on in the whole city! I went to the Escape and the other night to the Cineac the club of DJ Tiesto.
If you want to visit Amsterdam, you have to visit Amsterdam during the ADE.
Hope to see you next ADE in October 2008!

More info at: http://www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl/

Keywords: amsterdam

Utrecht: A different kind of Sunday

A different kind of Sunday

Not so long ago Sundays were quiet and peaceful in the Dutch cities. On Saturday the city-centres were packed with fun shoppers, but on Sunday, when all shops were closed, the city was asleep. Occasionally shops opened their doors on Sundays, especially around Christmas time. But most Sundays you could enjoy the beauty of the Dutch cities without being disturbed by big crowds carrying around full shopping bags.

This changed a couple of years ago. More and more Dutch cities decided to get rid off restrains on opening shops on Sunday. Since then you can shop till you drop all week long.
Utrecht, Holland’s fourth biggest city, didn’t follow this trend. In a referendum 63 % of the people of Utrecht voted against shopping on Sunday. But it’s not quiet on every Sunday.
On the contrary, Utrecht invented their own alternative: The Cultural Sunday!

The Cultural Sundays are special days offering an exciting choice of artistic activities. Music, dance, theatre and cinema, there is something for everyone taking place in the parks and squares of the city, and usually free too. There is a Cultural Sunday at least once a month. The first Sunday of September the Cultural Sunday to celebrate the start of the new cultural season attracted more than 80.000 visitors to the city centre. Last Sunday there were cultural festivities throughout the suburbs of the city. The Cultural Sundays are a huge success. And the next Cultural Sunday is never far away: 21 October the city is filled with free culture again. A nice opportunity to check out Utrecht!


More info on: http://www.culturelezondagen.nl/ and http://utrecht.utrechtyourway.nl/default.asp?action=pagina&pagina=72&taal=2&sId=3&click=97

Keywords: utrecht

Porto:Two times a local

After we decided to go to Portugal this summer, the first thing I did, being a local guide myself, was checking out what Like-a-local had to offer in this country.
That’s how we came in contact with Francisco, offering a local experience in Porto and on his wine farm in the Douro-valley.

We met this incredible friendly Portuguese in a small mountain village after driving through the beautiful landscape of the Douro-valley. We parked our little rent-a-car and climbed into Francisco’s 4 wheel drive. The dirt and sand on his Jeep promised an adventurous ride. We drove up the mountains and enjoyed beautiful views over the river and the vineyards. The adventure really started when the road ended and Francisco continued the ride on a bumpy sandy pathway. We went straight through the vineyard.

After tasting the home made port wine at the winery Francisco brought us to our own little part of paradise down at the riverside. We stayed in his luxury chalet in the middle of the vineyard for two days. We even had our own private beach where we took a plunge in the Douro river. In the afternoon Francisco came down to check if we had good night and brought some home grown vegetables for diner.
After two days beautiful and peaceful days in the vineyards Francisco’s jeep brought us back to our car and we drove up to the beautiful city of Porto where we met Francisco’s girlfriend Isabel and stayed at their house in the city. Francisco stayed in the Douro.
When we woke up the next day after a day and night in the city Francisco was sitting in the living room already and served a breakfast that could compete with those at a five star hotel.
Isabel and Francisco’s hospitality is endless. On our last evening with them we were invited to have a drink with them and some friends to celebrate their son’s birthday. After a couple of glasses of a splendid port from Francisco’s own winery one of their friends told us we where very lucky people. He stated that by staying with Francisco we truly discovered the soul of Portugal. I think he was right.

Check out Like-a-local.com : Like-a-local.com and http://www.like-a-local.com/details.php?id=122

By Jeroen Niemans

Barcelona:Tibidabo

You can also go to the church Tibidabo on the highest hill for an afternoon.
Tibidabo is an emblematic location in the city of Barcelona since it is the highest point of the city and because it exists in everyone's memory as a leisure reference.
Tibidabo, with a clear horizon over the sea and the straight lines of the streets in the Eixample district that link the mountain with the historic centre.
The fact that Tibidabo has existed for over one hundred years means that almost everybody is aware of it. As an amusement park, Tibidabo has an offer that combines virtually all the different types of key attractions within the sector, some of which are far from being state of the art models, while others far exceed what is on offer in other parks within our sector in terms of quality, age and originality.
You can take an open tram up to station de funicular, you drive through a very expensive and beautiful neighbourhood, you cross expensive and massive houses. There you can go with another tram. This tram can draw you up to the highest point of the mountain to the church.
And before you go to Tibidabo with the funicular, you can sit there on terrace with the view over Barcelona, the cafe/restaurant is called La Venta. On the same small square you can also go out in a bar Mirablau, the Catalans and tourists come here to dance on bad top 40 music. But it is very sociable and you have a complete and beautiful view over barcelona. At night you can see all the twinkling lights of the city.

Mahrou Raisani

Keywords: barcelona

Barcelona: Local suggestions from Mahrou

El Raval is the upcoming place to be in Barcelona. In the past El Raval considered to be an unsafe neighbourhood, but at the moment it is a trendy, nice and safe place to go. There are going to be more and more nice restaurants and clubs. Local Tip from Mahrou: Zelig, a nice bar at calle Carme owned by Dutch owners.

A tour in a boat is still very nice, especially when you bring your own beers secretly.
Especially the cheapest boat because this boat is going to wonderful world of the container harbor. This is according by Mahrou a really nice and funny tour.

Mahrou told us that there is a more expensive but very good restaurant in the tower of the cable car. This restaurant is located on the most Southern point of the beach of Barceloneta,here you also have a complete beautiful view over barcelona.
Last but not least:
There is no better way to discover the city, than walking or by bike. Leave the touristic bus behind and discover the city yourself.

By Mahrou Raisani

Keywords: barcelona