The damdamdam - Amsterdam!

What better way to ring in the new year than spend it in Amsterdam? The city of bikes, cheese and the 'Venice of the North'. Arriving on the morning of the 31st of December the city was already heaving with people, bikes and fireworks, but the first thing you notice are the stunning canals that stripe the city. With more canals than Venice, the city is extremely picturesque. I'm a big fan of being by the water and I've since learned that Amsterdam is mostly below sea level and built on poles (because the ground is so swampy)!

 

Luckily, we'd secured a friend-of-a-friends apartment to stay in for a couple of nights in Amsterdam West, just off Ten Katemarkt, a bustling street market.

Our first outing was to get some food, albeit not very traditional dutch food but probably the most amazing bagels I have ever had!

I'd heard about Vondelpark, Amsterdam's equivalent to Hyde Park or Central Park where ponds, winding paths, wild parakeets and dogs riding in bicycle baskets were everywhere. It's apparently also legal to have public sex in the park... but being winter, luckily I didn't see anyone partaking.

Fireworks are a big thing in Amsterdam at new year, they are everywhere. Even during the day, there were crackers being dropped on people from windows above the pavement - we kept one eye out for them the whole day. At night though, the city was alight with spectacular displays.

That night, more prepped for warmth and comfort than anything else, I ventured out wearing my Kathmandu jacket. I am the epitome of style.

On new years day, we celebrated Amsterdam style, with some Christmas markets (which were great), a sex museum (a not so great tourist trap - it was very tacky, small and seedy) and some glow-in-the-dark mini golf. A rainy afternoon well-spent! I tried to take some photos but it was a bit dark...

We also headed to Museumplein, where the Van Gogh museum and IAMSTERDAM sign are- I wanted to climb on the sign but there were too many children in my way.

One of my biggest regrets was that we didn't quite make it to Anne Franks house. Having ventured out a little too late, we encountered a queue that stretched out of the museum, round the corner, down the street and around another few corners. It took us about five minutes to walk to the end of the queue where we decided we didn't want to wait in the rain. Next time I'll be back, and early!

My best tip for Amsterdam? Head to the public library, where there is an amazing food court on the top floor with great views over the city.

Amsterdam is simply stunning. The canals provide an air of calm, while the cyclists will knock you down if you mistake the bike lane for a footpath. I will be back, next time with my bike.

PS. Make sure you eat some bitterballen.

Bantry Bay - Cork (and a little bit of Kerry)

I was lucky enough to spend Christmas 2013 with the O'Connor family in the beautiful and rugged Bantry Bay, in County Cork.

It was a beautiful clear morning when we first ventured out for a walk around Bantry Bay. Feeling inclined because she was wearing gumboots, Manda waded straight in to the water and grabbed a branch of seaweed, marching it round like a trophy.

There was also mandatory recreation of a gross brady-bunch-esk photo we'd had two years prior (also in Ireland).

Being treated to a full tourist experience, we hoped in the car with Fearg and were taken over to County Kerry and around the Ring of Kerry.

First stop was The Strawberry Field for some delicious pancakes.

During the trip, Fearg was busy telling us about Irish Road Bowling where players take turns rolling a ball down a section of road. I'm not sure how the winner is determined but it all sounded pretty far-fetched to me... and then we came across some guys playing it in the middle of nowhere!

We also visited Torc Waterfall where it started to rain. Sam took photos of this and then used them to try and convince people in NZ it had been snowing. We saw no snow.

And there was a bit of pub action in Killarney too!

On our way back to Cork and the airport we ventured out to Inchydoney for a walk along the beach. It was pretty windy and the coast was rugged but we made the most of it, walking in the water, rolling tyres, climbing rocks and dunes.

Christmas at the house was absolutely great. Seamus and Patricia were wonderful hosts, who plyed me with copius amounts of turkey AND ham. A girl couldn't ask for more!