Wendy

I am sorry about all of these multiple posts. Hopefully this message will get through this time. <BR> <BR>Dear Fodorites, <BR> First I would like to thank all whose helpful advise helped me plan a wonderful trip. Special thanks to Wes, Lisa, Myriam, Tricia, and Leo for answering my many questions. <BR> Our family (including a 12 and 7 yr old) spent 16 wonderful days traveling throughout the Netherlands this past July. We started out with 4 days in Amsterdam at the Hotel Gerstekorrel on Damstraat. The hotel's location is wonderful, within easy walking distance to the train station and everything we planned to see. We chose the hotel because at $200/night it was the most reasonable we could find for a 4 person room. The rooms are very basic but clean. The bathroom was so tiny that the sink was located inside the shower! The breakfast was great and started my chidren on their new favorite breakfast food, chocolate butter with sprinkles on a roll....mmmmm. I would advise asking for a room off the street as Damstraat stays busy and noisy very late into the night. The day we arrived we enjoyed a canal boat ride and had dinner at Haesje Claes. The next morning we did our best to be up and out early but jet lag and our 1st attempts at the trains and buses got us to the Aalsmeer flower auction later than we had hoped. Though the auctions themselves had ended, there were still thousands of flowers and plants being moved from the giant warehouse. The scent alone was worth the visit. Upon returning to Amsterdam we spent the afternoon at the Van Gogh Museum. You may think, as I did originally, that 3 hours would be way more than enough time for a 7 and 12 year old in an art museum. I was very surprised to find that my kids were actually frustrated when the museum closed and we had to leave. I don't have amazing genius children who sit quietly and absorb culture. It was simply a matter of having found a variety of activities that caught their interests. First, I had scoured Amazon.com and found a pile of resources on Van Gogh for kids which we read toether before our trip. I also found black line coloring books of Van Gogh piantings. Museum visitors actually stood and watched as my kids attempted to duplicate colors and textures of the original paintings into their coloring books. We also visited the gift shop before going into the museum. Each child purchased 5 postcards of Van Gogh paintings which we used for a "treasure hunt" as we walked through the museum. After such a successful afternoon, the kids deserved their promised dinner and t-shirt at Hard Rock Cafe. Not a good meal but it is a family tradition. The next day we were experienced train travelers and had no problem getting to the cheese market at Alkmar in the morning and Zaanse Schans in the afternoon. Dinner that night was at Kantijil en de Tijger and I think we will be addicted to rijsttafels for ever more. It was great. Our last day in Amsterdam we went to the Anne Frank House. Though my 7 year old was too young to get the full impact, the rest of us were deeply effected and moved.Lunch at the Pancake House was fun but dinner was my children's favorite part of our trip. If traveling to Amsterdam with children, then the KinderKookKafe is a must. This wonderful enterprise is run by volunteers. Dinner on Saturday and Tea on Sunday is prepared,served,and cleaned up by the kids themselves. I made reservations months before our trip. We dropped the kids off at the Kafe at 3:30 and were told to return at 6. Our children and about 8 Dutch children prepared a dinner of bbq chicken, potatoes, bread, salad,and desserts. When we returned the "chefs" took our drink orders, served dinner, then cleared the table afterwards. Everyone had a wonderful time. None of us were ready to leave Amsterdam but the rest of the Netherlands was waiting to be explored. <BR>

ilisa

Wendy, it sounds like a great trip. I am so intrigued by the KinderKookKafe. Did your children make any friends? Looking forward to Part 2.

lisa

Wow -- this is such a great trip report! It sounds like you did a great job of planning activities that your kids would enjoy and appreciate. I think there is a perception out there that Amsterdam is not a good destination for families -- maybe some people will rethink this based on your post.

Wendy

Ilisa, the KinderKookKafe is a special place. They do have a web site where you can see a few pictures but it is all in Dutch. My kids enjoyed being with the Dutch children that evening ( and were very impressed by the Dutch children's English). No one exchanged e-mail addresses but a great time was had by all.

Sjoerd

To the top for Laurie.