In April 2022, I went on my third trip to The Netherlands and, in the five days that we were there, I visited Amsterdam, Haarlem and Gouda.
In April 2022, I went on my third trip to The Netherlands and, in the five days that we were there, I visited Amsterdam, Haarlem and Gouda.
We had a lot of fun visiting our favourite museum in the city – The Moco Museum.
We visited Haarlem, the capital of the province of North Holland, to look down the cute side streets and see a windmill.
We happened to visit Amsterdam over King’s Day – a national holiday in The Netherlands.
I tried fresh baked Stroopwafels for the first time.
We visited Keukenhof gardens and saw lots of gorgeous flowers, especially tulips.
We took a day trip to Gouda and ate cheese and Stroopwafels.
I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my photos from my trip to The Netherlands. More blog posts will come soon about my experience and my favourite things to do in the cities I visited.
This year, one of the things that I want to start doing more than anything else is hiking. The first hike that we decided to do was from Baslow to Bakewell.
This year, one of the things that I want to start doing more than anything else is hiking.
I have always enjoyed walking but have never really taken it any further than chosing to walk to a destination instead of taking the bus.
Since I am currently living close to the Peak District while getting my degree, I decided that there was no more excuses and purchased myself some hiking shoes and a small day backpack in the Boxing Day sales.
The first hike that we decided to do was labelled as an intermediate hike from Baslow to Bakewell which was set to take about 3 hours.
Getting There
We got to the village of Baslow by getting on the 218 bus to Bakewell from Sheffield Interchange.
As of writing this, there is a fare cap on English buses that means a return journey to Bakewell is only £4.
We decided that, since the hike was ending in Bakewell, we would buy a return to the town and just get off the bus at Baslow on the way.
The Route
We found the route that we decided to follow on Car Free Walks.
The hike started in Baslow and followed a trail towards Chatsworth.
After this, we walked past Chatsworth House towards the village of Edensor.
We walked through the village, unfortunately without a stop in the teahouse, and continued on uphill towards New Piece Wood.
We got a bit lost but eventually made it to the pond – the next waypoint on our journey.
We walked through the wood, our path slightly diverted by a fallen tree to be a horrendous, muddy, uphill battle.
After crossing a golf course, and ringing a bell to prevent golfers from sending any stray golf balls my way, we finally made it to Bakewell.
Statistics
Here are my Apple Watch statistics for the hike:
Steps Taken (Day Total): 22,114
Time Walking: 3:44:55
Elevation Gain: 218m
Distance Travelled: 11.72km
Pace: 19’11″/km
Active Kilocalories: 685kcal
Unfortunately I do not seem to be able to differentiate the steps from the hike from the total steps for the day – I will try to figure this out for the future.
My Experience
I absolutely loved my first hike in the Peak District and it has definitely made me want to go out and explore more in the future.
I had to do so many new things from navigating to peeing outdoors that took me pretty far out of my comfort zone but, no matter what the walk threw at us, we perservered and had a great time.
We got lost several times and couldn’t even find the start point to begin with and a tree falling down meant that our route suddenly became a lot more difficult than we expected. I felt like a deer learning to walk the entire time.
It was so much fun.
There are definitely things that I would change – not wearing a white coat for example. I also think that we should have drank more water as we walked around as we definitely didn’t drink enough. It was a learning experience and I am looking forward to taking the things I have learnt forward to the next hike.
We have already planned some more hikes for the near future!
What is the best hike you have ever done? Have you been to the Peak District? Do you have any suggestions for hikes I should do in the future?
This was my third visit to Amsterdam and so I feel that I have a good understanding of what should be the top of your bucket list while visiting.
Here are five of the best things I did and saw while in Amsterdam.
Moco Museum
Address: Honthorststraat 20, Museumplein, 1071 DE Amsterdam
Price: €18.95 – €21.95 (Free with an I Amsterdam / Go City Amsterdam Card)
Experience: Amsterdam is a city known for its incredible museums and amongst all of the incredible artwork you can see in the city, Moco Museum remains my favourite and I have visited it twice in the last 3 years.
I’m not someone with much knowledge about art but Moco Museum makes it so fun and has some incredible works from the likes of Banksy and Kusama.
There are lots of interactive exhibition rooms with mirrors and lights to enjoy and it is an all around fun experience.
Sweet Bob Amsterdam
Address: HA Brouwersgracht 113 1013, Brouwersgracht 113, 1015 GD Amsterdam
Price: €9.99 (for a six-piece taster box)
Experience: Something about me is that I absolutely love brigadeiros.
My boyfriend is Brazillian and introduced me to these delicious desserts years ago. I have even shared his mum’s recipe for brigadeiros on The Hidden Coconut blog in the past.
When I found out that there was a brigadeiro shop in Amsterdam I knew I had to visit and it did not disappoint! Sweet Bob is the cutest shop and everyone that works there is really lovely.
They have a huge array of flavours, some which I had never even thought of working as a bridgaeiro, and every single one is delicious. It is definitely worth a visit.
Kattenkabinet
Address: Herengracht 497, 1017 BT Amsterdam
Price: €5 – €10
Experience: I visited Kattenkabinet on my second visit to Amsterdam in 2019 and quickly fell in love with this quaint museum.
The entire building is dedicated to cats. Artwork of cats, photos of cats, statues of cats, even real living cats.
It is a pretty quick visit but there is so much to look at that it is defintely worth stopping in if you have some free time.
A’dam Lookout and Swing
Address: Overhoeksplein 1, 1031 KS Amsterdam
Price: €14.50 – €22.50
Experience: Popularised by Richard Ayoade on Travel Man, the A’dam Lookout and Swing is a must do activity if you are in the mood for a bit of adventure.
You take the ferry from Amsterdam Central station to the North of Amsterdam before heading up the tower and passing a really cute skybar.
The views over the city were stunning.
One thing worth noting is that we visited at sunset, which was beautiful, however they stop taking professional photos of you on the swing just before the sun goes down and we had to pass our phones to the people behind us in the queue for photos. If you want good photos its definitely worth booking an earlier time.
Experience: On our last trip to Amsterdam I knew I desperately wanted to try bakery fresh stroopwafels and Melly’s came highly recommended.
They have plain stroopwafels, ones half dipped in chocolate, and plenty of toppings that mean you can more or less guarantee there is a stroopwafel you will love.
This stroopwafel was so yummy and absolutely huge. It was definitely worth every cent.
Have you been to Amsterdam? What was the best thing you did or saw while in the city? Is any of this on your bucket list?Thanks for reading!
In July 2022 I spent 10 days in Madrid with seven of my friends to explore the city and attend Mad Cool Festival. Here are five of the best things I did and saw while in Madrid.
In July 2022 I spent 10 days in Madrid with seven of my friends to explore the city and attend Mad Cool Festival.
I have to admit that this was not my usual kind of trip and, due to the size of the group and the festival I wasn’t able to explore in the way that I would typically like to, especially in such a long period of time.
That said, I still got a good feel for the city and went to some fun spots that are definitely worth checking out if you are in Madrid yourself in the near future.
On top of the below, I took my friends on a DIY walking tour of some of the cities monuments.
Here are five of the best things I did and saw while in Madrid.
1. Real Jardin Botanico
Address: Plaza de Murillo, 2, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Price: €4 (€1 Consessions)
Experience: Real Jardin Botanico is such a stunning place and was well worth the entry price for a walk around.
I am not typically considered to be an outdoorsy person (though I am trying really hard to change that this year) so a botanical garden isn’t something that I would usually put on my list of top destinations.
This garden is genuinely one of the most beautiful places we went to in Madrid. There are so many gorgeous flowers, bonsai trees, greenhouses, olive trees and more. If it wasn’t for the blistering heat I could have walked around for hours.
2. Sufu Cake
Address: C. de Lope de Vega, 3, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Price: €5.50 – €7
Experience: Sufu Cake was something that we stumbled upon by accident while in Madrid and turned out to be one of my favourite experiences.
The owner of the dessert shop was so friendly and was lovely to chat to. She even gave us some free Japanese shaved ice to try since it was new to the menu.
I had never had Japanese pancakes before this but had seen them online and wanted to try them so badly. They did not disappoint. They were fluffy and so unique in texture. There were an abundance of flavours to try and all of the ones that we tasted were really yummy.
3. Funambulista Bar
Address: C. de las Huertas, 68, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Price: €10 per cocktail
Experience: Funambulista Bar was another accidental find that ended up being an incredible experience.
The cocktails were all so unique and fun. I had this Té Quiero cocktail which contained tea-infused rum and was served in this cute teapot.
The bartender was also incredible and made some custom drinks for some members of our group based on their preferences and what they wanted. A bit of a competition ensued over who could order the strongest drink.
4. The Boats in El Retiro
Address: Paseo de Colombia, 2 28016
Price: €6 – €8 for a boat
Experience: As someone scared of deep water (I know… I’m working on it) I wasn’t thrilled at the concept of a boat ride but I am so glad that I decided to do it.
Rowing around the lake was so relaxing and was a really nice way to see some of the park. It was also my first time in a row boat and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be to get moving.
El Retiro park itself was also a lot of fun to wander around! We even saw a yeti.
5. La Hummuseria
Address: C. de Hernán Cortés, 8, 28004 Madrid, Spain
In April 2022, we were lucky enough to be able to visit the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens. Here is a guide to everything you need to know if you also want to visit!
When visiting The Netherlands in April 2022, we were lucky enough to be able to visit the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens.
Here is a guide to everything you need to know if you also want to visit!
Opening Times
Best Time to Visit
Cost per Person
08:00 – 19:30
April – May
€19 – €100
What is Keukenhof?
In English, Keukenhof translates into kitchen garden, a fitting name as it was originally the kitchen garden for Teylingen Castle.
Every year, seven million bulbs are planted around Keukenhof, making it one of the best ways to see tulips in The Netherlands if that is something that you definitely want to do while in the country.
When is the best time to visit Keukenhof gardens?
Keukenhof is only open for a few months of the year due to the flowers needing to be in bloom.
In 2023, Keukenhof will be open from 23 March – 14 May between 08:00 – 19:30.
According to Tulip Festival Amsterdam, the best time to visit Holland to see tulips is between mid-April and early May in 2023.
The Flowerparade is scheduled to take place on Saturday 22 April 2023. The parade will see floats travelling through The Netherlands, travelling from Noordwijk to Haarlem. If you are planning to visit on the day of the Flowerparade it is advisable to take the train to the park as the roads are often very busy.
We visited at the end of April in 2022 and, while the majority of the park was in full bloom and absolutely stunning, the whisper boat ride was through mostly empty fields devoid of flowers. If this boat is something that you are hoping to do, I would recommend going earlier in the season.
How do I get to Keukenhof?
The park is accessible via public transport from major bus stations around Holland. The park offers Combitickets which include both park entry and public transport tickets which, when we went, was the cheapest travel option.
On our trip we got on the 852 Keukenhof bus from Amsterdam RAI which took about 35 minutes.
You can drive to Keukenhof and park on site if you have pre-purchased a parking token alongside your entrance ticket.
You can also cycle into Keukenhof with bike racks available at both entrances for guests to use for free.
While I didn’t do this on my visit, I think this would be an incredible way to visit the gardens and would add to an already incredible day.
The final option for transport is to go on an organised tour by a company. We decided against this option as it was quite a lot more expensive than what we wanted to pay for the experience.
How much does it cost?
Tickets into Keukenhof start at €19.00 with additional costs of €6 for parking if you are driving in.
We opted to use the combiticket, which cost €33.50 per person, for transport from Amsterdam RAI.
If you are looking to do a guided tour then options range from €40 – €100 depending on what the trip offers and where it departs from.
While we didn’t do this ourselves, I have read online that, if you have an I Amsterdam card, you are able to use this for entry free of charge.
Essential Information
There are plenty of facilities around Keukenhof including toilets and cafes. You are also able to bring in your own food and drinks, which is what we did, to help keep costs down.
You can also purchase tulip bulbs in the park if you are a gardener – a great way to take a bit of The Netherlands back home with you.
The park covers 32 hectares of land and, according to the Keukenhof website, the average length of a stay in the gardens is 3 hours.
Dogs are also allowed in the park however there is a one dog per person rule.
Is Keukenhof worth visiting?
Keukenhof is a bit more expensive than most activities that I would typically lean towards when travelling. Saying that, I think it is definitely worth the price if you want to see tulips.
Despite this being my third time in the Netherlands, I hadn’t seen tulips until this trip so it was definitely a bucket list item for me.
The park is beautiful and there is so much to see and do while walking around that, in my opinion, it was well worth the cost.
You can definitely make this trip as expensive as you want to with food vendors, the boat ride and plentiful other activities available.
Do you have any questions that I havent answered? If so let me know and I will be happy to help.
Have you ever been to Keukenhof gardens? Do you want to visit? Have you been to see the tulips in The Netherlands?
In July 2022 I had the pleasure of visiting Madrid, Spain with seven of my friends to explore the city and attend Mad Cool Festival.
In July 2022 I had the pleasure of visiting Madrid, Spain with seven of my friends to explore the city and attend Mad Cool Festival.
The city was so beautiful with stunning street art around every corner. The streets looked like something straight out of a fairytale.
While we were in the city we saw some incredible buildings and places like the Plaza de Espana, Palacio de Buenavista and Plaza Mayor.
We ate some delicious food with some of the highlights including La Hummuseria and Sufu Cake and, of course, all of the delicious empanadas.
We walked though lots of greenery at Real Jardín Botánico and went on boats at El Retiro Park.
And we ended our trip seeing some incredible music acts at Mad Cool Festival. It was both my first oversees festival and my first multi-day festival and I had an amazing time.
I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my photos from my holiday to Madrid, Spain. More blog posts will come soon about my experience and my favourite things to do in the city.
Life In Postcards 