mybigadventures.com

Half term has rolled around again and this year I headed off to Amsterdam with mum for a few days. We headed off from Doncaster aiport on Saturday and after just a 45 minute flight we were back on the ground. As it turned out, that was the short part of the journey with it taking us about the same amount of time again just to get through the airport. We stopped in a pretty central location with tram and metro links pretty close by which was handy for getting about. On our first full day we set out on a bit of a walk, which turned into a pretty long walk along the canals, through the red light district, past Anne Frank's house and along the nine streets. By the time we got back we had covered nearly 11km and were feeling pretty knackered. We decided on the next day to make use of public transport and caught the tram across to the Rijksmuseum. There was a special Rembrandt exhibition with lots of his early work spread across a series of rooms, so having managed to get some timed tickets we went in. It was really interesting with a huge selection of drawings, paintings, prints and engravings in the collection. Whilst there, we also popped in to the cafe in the museum for some tea and cake which was nice, it was pretty busy but very nice. 

On our last day we had tickets booked for the Anne Frank House, but as they weren't until the evening, we decided to drop by the Heineken experience. I actually managed to book tickets and save a few Euros on the way there which had the added benefit of skipping the queue when we arrived. I really liked the brewing room most with the big copper tanks and all the dials and guages! In the evening we went to Anne Frank. We arrived a little before our time slot but didn't have to wait too long before we went in. Despite the evening timeslot it was still really busy and we moved along in a queue most of the war around. It really is amazing that the two familys managed to keep hidden in the house for two years. We stopped for tea and cake in the cafe which has been added since me and Dani came just over a year ago.

Then it was time for home. We had a great time and were really lucky with the weather with blue skies and sunshine every day apart from the day we were leaving when there was a bit of rain. I've added a few photos to the album, let me know what you think. 

Today we visited the castle - it was awesome. We rocked up about midday after a bit of breakfast at Starbucks and were immediately struck by view back across the town. We had a wander through the Royal Scots Greys museum charting the history of the cavalry regiment with a good deal of information and antiquities from the battle of Waterloo. It was appraching 1 o'clock when we came out of the museum and people were beginning to gather for the firing of the 1 o'clock gun. I got a few photo's including a pretty blurry one from when it actually fired - it was so LOUD!

We had a look at the old prison cells including looking at some of the amazing creations that some of the skilled prisoners created and sold whilst locked up. We also caught a talk with a guy dressed as an executioner in the great hall. He talked all about the quite gruesome punishments that were handed out to criminals of the time. The castle offers fantastic views of the surrounding area and the weather stayed nice throughout the day.

The castle is good value with a lot to do and we were there until late afternoon. We stopped for a bit of tea and cake in the castle cafe before heading off back to the hotel. Headed out again after dinner to get a few photos of the lit up buildings. Enjoy the new photos. 

February half term has arrived at last! We finally settled on a mini break in Edinburgh so headed up here yesterday on the train. We had looked at flights but they were quite a bit more expensive and were either really early or quite late in the day. Either way the difference in travelling time wasn't huge by the time you factor in transfers to and from the airport. We bought the two travel together railcard as it saved quite a lot on the journey and four and a half hours later we're here! We're stopping in the Hilton close to the station and just a hop skip and jump away from the royal mile. It was a bit rainy when we arrived yesterday so we had a little sloth in the room before getting some dinner at Pizza Express. After dinner we had a little wander to get our bearings before calling it a night. Hopefully the weather will pick up a bit of the next few days. We haven't got anything special planned for today, but are visiting Hollyrood house tomorrow and Edinburgh castle on Wednesday. Here's hoping for some sunshine!