Books / Journal, Amsterdam

Miscellaneous: I must admit that I am a huge fan of the "In Your Pocket" guides. Always when I am in a city which is covered by the In Your Pocket guides I try to get the latest printed issue.

So in Amsterdam I found the guide more by chance than on purpose. It was available in the corridor to the bathroom of the Cafe de Pont in Amsterdam North.

The guide not only provides helpful basics for travellers, but also many off the beaten path tips and background information. Besides info about Amserdam, the guide also includes two pages about the seaside resort Zandvoort.

Website: http://www.inyourpocket.com/

4 more images

Miscellaneous: Here are my guide books that provided me details about a geographic location, tourist attractions, or most interesting itineraries in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam. A Times Bartholomew Guide. 1995. 142 pages.

Netherlands. Le Petit Fute. Michel Strogoff & Ass., City-Guides, Country-Guides, Paris-Luxemburg-Moscow. 1997, 250 pages.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Amsterdam is a casual city, so you don't need to bring a lot of dressy clothes unless you are there for business meetings. We saw people wearing jeans in most of the restaurants we went to. However, be prepared for rain. Bring an umbrella and raincoat. Amsterdam has a damp climate like London. Also, bring a windbreaker.

Miscellaneous: One guidebook that we found to be helpful was the Amstrdam guide published by the Eyewitness Travel Guides. It has lots of pictures and details.

Miscellaneous: Books:

Some useful books I read prior to my trip
1. Anne Frank's Diary.
2. Miep Gies: "Anne Frank Remembered
Very good account of Anne Frank's life and of wartime Amsterdam, from the perspective of one of the Frank family's helpers.
3. Rodney Bolt: "Amsterdam"
4. Lonely Planet Guide to Amsterdam
5. Loney Planet Guide to Netherlands

Luggage and bags: Ziploc Bags - for everything

Clothes pins - good to close bags too!

Dryer sheets - keep smells to a minimum

Extra tote bage for gifts

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: The most comfortable pair of shoes on the face of the Earth. And also the runner up!

Layers for crazy weather

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Your favorite medicine and pain reliever. Makes it easier than having to explain your symptoms to someone or read Dutch.

Photo Equipment: You own film and batteries.
Always carry an extra camera battery.

Bring more film than you think you will need.

Try black and white film for a change, Amsterdam is a great city for it.

Miscellaneous: BRING A JOURNAL!
Write it down. You are doing and seeing so much it is hard to take it all in. I never travel without my journal. Take a break over a drink, soda or beer, and write a quick page. At the end of the day, look back and get it on paper. When you get home, you will be grateful you have it.

Days seems to blend together, especially for longer trips. A journal with help you keep track of your activities.

Miscellaneous: Keeping a journal of the daily activities with detailed information about everthing that happened each day. Reading it is like retracing my steps and reliving my trip all over again, with each word another step or two back in paradise:)
**My daily journals of my trips to mecca, along with photos are available to read in my travelogues at the bottom of my Amsterdam page.**

Luggage and bags: I don't tell You to buy nothing of special to go to Amsterdam. Except for a small book named 'Get Lost!', the cool guide to Amsterdam... it's really cool, I assure You. It does not substitute a good touristic guide. But it tells You where to go besides what the tourism tells You.

Well... if You take a bike and (a chain to protect it from burglars), You may be surprised with the facilities in Amsterdam to use it...