Amsterdam - September 2005

With flights between Leeds Bradford Airport and Schipol being so cheap, this was the time to visit Amsterdam for a long weekend. The hotel tariffs can be a bit steep, but I chose to swallow that so I could be based in the city centre. That way I could wander the streets of the city straight from my hotel room. So I stayed at the NH City Centre Hotel on Spuistraat, and it fitted the bill perfectly.

Although I had friends who were staying in Amsterdam at the same time, I did my sightseeing alone. I speak no Dutch at all (my chums did so when we were together they could explain the menus) but so many people in the city speak wonderful English I never found this a problem.

The City is easy to navigate - just follow the canals and enjoy the views.

This was really my introduction to the city - people stopping for a coffee and a chat before carrying on with their maintenance chores. No different to workmen on any street - except this highway was full of water.

But from here it was time to head south of my hotel and check out the sights. I found the Rough Guide Map to Amsterdam invaluable. The paper is treated to make it waterproof but luckily the weather was warm and sunny, however the treatment did make it strong and it survived being stuffed into a back pocket and hauled out on frequent occasions with barely a crease. A very useful buy.

I'm not a big fan of art, and the weather was far too good for spending time indoors anyhow, so I was rather a philistine and admired the architecture of the main art musuem rather than venture inside. These lovely murals were on the side that many visitors may miss, but I thought they were well worth a look.

In fact the other traditional tourist sight also was not on my itinerary - The Anne Frank House was avoided and the only musuem I did venture into was a small one - the Torture Museum.

This I can recommend. It could have been done as a bit of a joke, or a horror show, but instead it was a gruesome collection of the machines that tortured throughout the ages - most of them seemed to be designed for those poor souls accused of witchcraft - with rather understated descriptions of how they were used. In some ways I think this made it more disturbing and our inhumanity to each other could not be tossed aside as a gothic joke. Real people suffered terrible fates at the hands of other real people.

But back in the 21st Century there was architecture to be admired. And that is what I did. Somehow the most simple house looks special, but this was a posh gaffe - a British Government operated property, so not your average town house. But even here the place is tall and narrow - and there is what makes this city unique.

In any other city a post sticking out from the top of a building would suggest this had once been a warehouse, but not here. In Amsterdam the houses are so narrow there's not room for large staircases so the furniture is moved in and out by hauling it in through the windows.

As if that isn't amazing enough, then the other wonderful aspect to the cities architecture is the range and beauty of the gables. Some were fairly simple but some are highly decorative, and these were a delight.

I spent much of my visit strolling along the canals, admiring the buildings I passed.

A bit of a warning about strolling around the city - anyone on a bike will not stop - ever. It is up to you to check there is not one (or half a dozen) bearing down on you - and they could be coming from anywhere - at speed. And these sit-up-and-beg machines (I didn't see a single mountain bike) have no brakes as far as I could tell. They slow down by pedalling backwards - though in truth they just don't slow down at all.

If you are brave and fearless then you could hire one of these. I was not so brave, so instead took a boat trip. But be warned - the commentary is in four languages and the boat I was on English was last, so by the time the sight was described we had almost gone by. So a desperate dredging of my memory of schoolgirl French resulted in at least me being able to identify which way to look, so I was pointing the right way when the English description came along.

So armed with some knowledge of what to look for and where I set off on foot again. And somewhere along the line I saw my favourite building. The idea of a modern rooftop garden just appealed so much, that this became my dream place.

But enough of this culture - what's the night life like? Well, aside from far too many drunk English men (boys, if you can't hold your drink then don't go - you look idiots not cool) going out at night is very civilised. When those selling their bodies are clearly defined as being the ones behind those glass doors then the rest of us are left alone. Things to remember - do not take your camera out near the "business" areas - they sell their bodies - they are not a peep show. I did think it rather sad when you walk along those streets at 11am the doors are still occupied, and it seemed rude to ignore your fellow women, so I found myself smiling a "Hello" as I walked by.

There are plenty of bars and some pubs, and a host of restaurants to refresh you. There is something very relaxing about sitting on pavement table, watching the world go by while you wait to be served . . . and I mean wait. The Dutch are not the swiftest when it comes to service, so go with the flow, chill out and realise that the up side to this is simple. You do not get rushed out when you've finished and paid the bill. You can sit there and relax for an hour or so with just one coffee or drink and that's just fine.

Of course this laid back attitude is all well and good when you're just relaxing for the evening, but it's less fun when you order the shuttle service to the airport through your hotel, and the staff there forget to book it. Assume a certain level of chaos and inefficiency and you'll just be fine - or walk to the Railway Station (a fabulous building) and use the train.

What of the shopping - well it's a modern city and the shopping is excellent. There are high end boutiques as well as the more chain store fare, and the shopping centres themselves are wonderful buildings in themselves. And there's even a Toni & Guys, if you need a quick restyle whilst there.

There is a ChinaTown area which I rather liked, and the canal market is the place to go for those Tulip bulbs for those interested.

And finally, aside from the legalised prostitution, the other thing Amsterdam is famous for is that getting high is legal too. The shop pictured here says it all. If like me, you aren't interested then no problem, just walk by that's fine too, but on the other hand if you need reality enhanced then this is the place to be.

Amsterdam - great place for a long weekend. And for the lone woman? Hassle free. What more could you want?

USA Southern Utah

USA – Southern Utah – Holiday November 2004

November in Utah has got to be a great time to go. Everything open? No, so be warned about that, but a lot isn’t closed and the rooms are so cheap!

I drove from Salt Lake down to Moab and headed straight to the National Park information station there. The ranger was able to advise on what hotels had good deals and on his advice I backtracked north just out of town to the Best Inn. This is a comfortable chain hotel and my bed and breakfast was a stunning deal of just $28. That’s the delight of travelling off season – the deals are splendid. My room was at the back on the second floor so there was no road noise at all and it was quiet and peaceful with the desert piled up outside. Off season I can recommend this hotel – assuming the deals are as good as this you just can’t go wrong. The downside is you have to drive into town to eat unless you like Denny's. In Moab there was a very nice Italian restaurant and the Brew pub restaurant was excellent.

I was here to visit the National Parks and only had time for a day at each, which gave me a taste and the knowledge that I want to go back big time! Even in November it appeared that the only outdoor activity that was ruled out was rafting, but horse riding and mountain biking were available from the Moab Adventure Centre. Also the Hummer and ATV safari hire folks seemed open too.

But with so little time I was restricted to driving into the parks and some hiking. Even in November it was surprisingly warm around Moab – in the high 60s and sunscreen is advised if, like me, you are affected by the sun.

Arches National Park.
This is just north of Moab and is my favourite. First thing to do is buy a pass for the year. This pays for itself within 5 days. For just $50 it allowed me (and my car) unlimited access to all the parks in the country. I was travelling alone, but had I had someone with me it would have taken half the time to have paid for itself.

I stopped at the visitor centre for some advice from the Rangers – this is always worth doing. They also advised that, despite it being winter, copious amounts of water should be carried – it doesn’t stop being a desert ever. I had a water sack in my backpack as well as a spare bottle of water and some warm Vimto (got to have warm Vimto). That was declared by the experts to be enough.

First stop stayed as my favourite – Park Avenue. It’s only a mile through to the road further along, so a gentle 2 mile trek sets up the day wonderfully. Of course there you can see the Mountain Lion warning (I’ll sum this up by carry a small child or jogger to divert any attack while you escape but I’m pretty sure the National Park wouldn’t see it that way!)

After stretching my legs it was back in the car to move on. I moved from place to place, parking up and going for a stroll at each stop. Each place I made sure I took water with me; just as essential as the camera.

Of course the classic arches were there, further along, with the double arch being my favourite. Onebenefit of visiting in November is there are less folk about. Do take a few of the longer routes anyhow, to ponder on life's eternal verities alone if you wish and then you can stand under the double arches with a bit of gentle scrambling.

So there we leave Arches for the moment. One thing to note (and you’d think McDonalds have missed the beat here) is that there is NO food on sale in the National Parks, so take sandwiches – they taste better outside anyhow.

Islands in the Sky, Canyonlands
This is also is north of Moab (and north of Arches as well). Entirely different from Arches, this is spectacular because you are looking down into deep, huge valleys. I did my longest walk here – not that long at about 6 miles but you could have extended this to much longer. But the walk across the desert, seeing up close a surprising number of different plants, ending at an amazing view was the highlight. And there were plenty more stunning sights to come.

As always, I got advice from the Rangers for ideas of where to go. After this walk I drove from car park to car park, with shorter strolls but you can still get some wonderful views but if you can find time for a decent trek then that gives you a better feel for the place.

Needles – Canyonlands
This is south of Moab. On the way in stop off at Newspaper Rock to see amazing pictograms. Somehow this seemed so much less spectacular in comparison but had my favourite walk – a superb walk around by a cowboy camp and included two ladders to climb. Just how good is that!

Yet again the Rangers were the place to go for great advice. The chap here helpfully told me that if he spotted any vultures circling they’d send someone . . . eventually! I liked the cut of his jib.

Here there are lots of slip rocks to walk over. Although there were warnings to be careful, I found them very easy to walk over. In all three of these parks you must keep to the path, though, otherwise you will damage the delicate desert environment. At one point this day I stopped for lunch, looked over a superb view and though to myself “I can’t believe I’m here!” – and you know, when I look at the photos it’s hard to believe I was.

I had to move on the next day. I’d had a wonderful three days in Moab – but there was more to come. But before I couldn’t resist one more trip to Arches – a three mile hike up to Delicate Arch and back.

Then off I drove to the splendid Ruby Inn at Bryce’s Canyon. And here the weather was much colder, with snow to come. Ruby’s was a bit more expensive, but still very reasonable at less than $50 a night.

Bryce National Park
As always, a stop to chat to the Rangers was essential to getting the most of the trip.

I’d awoken to snow flurries, so my lined trousers were pressed into action and if I’d added too many more layers I could have advertised Michelin Tyres with ease! But no matter, aside from one path that was closed because a rock fall had deposited rocks the size of cars on it, all was open.

I started at Bryce Point and then worked my way back, parking up and pulling on the boots at Sunset Point, walking along the rim and then making my way to the canyon floor via Queen’s Garden trail. I couldn’t come back up via the Navajo or Wall Street trails (as noted before) so instead I diverted along a horse trail along the valley, making my way back up to Sunrise point eventually by returning up the top of the Garden Trail for a 4-5 mile stroll that was in no way spoilt by the snow flurries that prevailed. I just kept adding layers if I got cold, and as I started climbing back up, taking some of them back off again as I warned up.

Another great day. With not too much snow all was open, but that was not to be the case the next day, so it was lucky I'd chosen to "do" Bryce first.

Zion National Park
Heavy snow overnight, with snow showers continuing as I set off for the 70 mile drive to Zion made for a slow journey on slippery roads. But by the time I got to Zion the snow had turned to rain. I did a good 6 mile walk, and it even stopped raining at one point, but after the spectacular parks before this one was just impressive! The drive had taken me a long time (I’d had to keep stopping to clear the snow off the windscreen wipers and it was bad enough remembering which side of the road to drive on without this deep white stuff!) so I made my way back after that.

The next day I had to return north. It had been an incredible trip and I’m very sure I want to return. But before making my way back to SLC I couldn’t resist one more look at Bryce – this time in deep snow.