Sofitel Legend the Grand Amsterdam - If you’re looking for an exotic and luxurious stay in Amsterdam, then Sofitel Legend is surely the suite to be at. My family and I stayed here for a week and the ambience was just mesmerizing. The rich history and complex architecture is a visual treat for anyone. The friendly staff and exquisite cuisine makes me want to visit this hotel again.
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After visiting the Portuguese synagogue we returned to our hotel as it was already getting dark. We had our dinner at a lavish restaurant and went to sleep early as we were tired and had a lot of destinations to cover the next day. We got up early in the morning after a sound sleep as we didn’t want to miss out any must visit tourist destination in Netherlands. One such destination is the Artis Zoo and we decided to start for the day with that. The zoo came into existence in the year 1838 thanks to the efforts of the three W’s namely J.J. Wijsmuller, J.W.H. Werlemann and Gerard Westerman. It was in September in the year 1853 that the entire zoo was opened for the public. The land on which the entire zoo is based was originally a rural zone on the outer parts of Amsterdam. Artis is used as the short form for Natura Artis Magistra and is located in the heart of the city. It didn’t take much time to reach the zoo. We bought tickets for the Artis Royal Zoo and Micropia by spending €27,00 each. We knew that it is considered to be the oldest zoo in the country and in the list of oldest operating zoos in the entire continent of Europe. Aaron was extremely thrilled because it was not only a zoo but a planetarium and an aquarium as well. It generally stays open from 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening. The best thing about the zoo is that it is also equipped with an arboretum with a pretty good collection of different forms of art. We could see some of the major collections of art in the building which contained the aquarium. We came to know that the entire zoo is made up of 27 monumental structures which are mainly utilized for keeping the animals safe. It is due to these reasons that Artis is a must visit tourist destination in Netherlands. It is also a part of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Dutch Zoo Federation and International Species Information System. As I have already pointed out that both of us are avid lovers of anything associated with history, we weren’t in the mood of missing out any such thing. We had planned our journey accordingly and the next destination in our list was the Portuguese Synagogue. It is also called as the Snoge or Esnoga and is located in Amsterdam. It is a Sephardic synagogue which was constructed in 1675. It is believed that the community of Amsterdam Sephardic is one of the richest and biggest Jewish groups in the European subcontinent especially during the Golden Age of the Dutch. The synagogue is a living symbol of the rich heritage of the Jewish community and has the ability to attract tourists throughout the year. There was a time when Jews comprised over ten percent of the entire population living in Amsterdam which ended at the time of Holocaust. Many Jews were forced to escape to Amsterdam after facing persecution in Portugal and Spain. In Netherlands, they enjoyed a feeling of religious tolerance which can hardly be found in the remaining countries of Europe. The synagogue was built at the expense of around 1,86,000 florins by architects Daniel Stalpaert and Elias Bouwman. Despite the need for minor reconstructions, the synagogue looks extremely similar to the one that was actually built around 340 years before. We could easily see that the architecture of the synagogue clearly depicted the wealth and self confidence of the community of the Jews living in Amsterdam. At the time of its construction, it had the reputation of being the largest synagogue in the world.
It is said that a temple of Salomon located in Jerusalem was used for inspiring the architects. We had to pay a very nominal €6.5 in order to enter the synagogue. The main building is surrounded by a mortuary, Ets Haim or Tree of Life, the rabbinate and different archives and offices. The sight of the wooden Tebah and Ark found in the interiors on the opposite sides was simply amazing. One of the members of the synagogue informed us that around 1000 candles are lit in two massive brass chandeliers at the time of service. Jewish Historical Museum Netherlands - While touring Netherlands I visited the Jewish Historical Museum. Even though the ticket is quite expensive, the museum holds interesting artifacts. I was able to interpret a lot about the rich heritage of the Jewish culture and their diversities. Many interactive sessions just made the experience and ambiance livelier. I recommend visiting this museum will certainly help you understand Jewish History.
Both my husband and I had a special taste for anything associated with history and had planned our journey accordingly. We had begun our trip with one of the most spectacular museums in the world and were now headed towards something similar. It was the Madame Tussauds which is famous throughout the globe. It is located over a departmental store known as Peek and Clopenburg in Dam Square Street. If you think that Madam Tussauds is just a boring cabinet of old fashioned dummies made of wax, you are wrong. It is an extremely attractive indoor based amusement park. It is equipped with all the modern facilities along with a host of highly lucrative multimedia effects in order to draw tourists. It hosts figures of a large number of renowned personnel from different corners of the world. Just like any other amusement park, it has been built mainly for teenagers and children and Aaron was extremely pleased to visit this place. The museum is named after Madame Tussaud who used to create wax replicas of dead which was one of the best modes of preserving the importance of people in olden days. It is said that at the time of her death, she had created wax figures of more than 400 people. The Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam generally opens at 10 in the morning and closes down at 6 pm. We had booked the tickets online and had to spend €22 each in order to enter the museum and were extremely impressed on having the opportunity to view such a rare collection of wax figures. Some of the figures appeared just like real human beings.
My husband even explored the opportunity to dress like Michael Jackson and take a photograph. The wax figures don’t discriminate any person based on country, caste or religion. It is just your deeds which can get you a figure standing there. I realized that the wax dummies are actually much slimmer and taller than their real counterparts. One of the staffs told me that the idea was to make the figures distinct from the normal crowd visiting the place. Amsterdam Centraal Railway Station - I feel Amsterdam Railway Station might be the busiest railway station you ever see. Thousands of people travel via here every day. Besides the excellent services provided, the maintenance of such a huge complex system with ease and skillful management is something that should be appreciated. My family and I had a pleasant journey and made it to the required places right on time.
We had a terrific sleep on the comfortable beds of the hotel and thanks to our tiredness and the extremely pleasing and peaceful ambience. After having breakfast at a nearby restaurant, we began our trip. We decided to start with the Rijksmuseum, which is also renowned as the Museum of Netherlands. The literal meaning of Rijksmuseum stands for the State Museum. It stays open from 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening. We could photograph the exhibits at will but without the usage of any light, flash or tripod. We had to pay €17.5 each in order to enter the museum. It is said that the museum has been standing tall for over two centuries and falls in the list of some of the exquisite museums of the world. One of the local residents told us that the museum has gone through a number of transformations. It is definitely a must-visit place in Netherlands. The museum came into existence in the year 1800 when it was first opened for the public as the National Art Gallery or Nationale Kunstgallerij. It has been transported numerous times before it was founded in Netherlands by Louis Bonaparte, the King of Netherlands and brother of Napoleon in 1808. It was in 1885 that the museum was shifted to its present building, which was built magnificently by Petrus J H Cuypers, an architect from Netherlands. At that time, the building was constructed using the then famous neo Renaissance Dutch style by utilizing ancient neo Gothic elements. On entering the museum, we were extremely impressed with the unique collection of masterpiece paintings created by artists from Netherlands and other countries across the world. The collection of the rare and antique objects representing Dutch culture truly left us spellbound. There were several exceptional paintings created by Jan Steen, Van Dyck and Vermeer. One of the officials involved in the maintenance of the museum told me that the collections inside the museum have been growing at such a fast pace that it becomes necessary to shift the building every time. The museum was recently renovated and opened in 2013 after ten years of closure since December in 2003. Eye Film Institute Netherlands - I had a wonderful time at the Eye Film Institute Netherlands. My son and I took the ferry there by morning. The screener that had been played when we had visited was quite remarkable. The phenomenal architecture, delightful dishes and the romantic river view is surely going to make you want to revisit soon. A must go for all movie buffs.
Planning is one of the most vital things in life and can be used for enjoying the taste of success in every field, be it a job, family or personal likings. I believe that there is enough time to enjoy each and every thing that you want. Despite being a working mom, I don’t like to make sacrifices; instead, I love to plan and get the best out of everything. I have a special passion for cooking, photography and travelling. Thanks to my profession that I need to travel to different parts of the world on a daily basis. Nonetheless, whenever I go for personal tours, I don’t forget to take my little kid Aaron with me. I am also an ardent lover of new and tasty dishes and don’t miss out any opportunity to try out something exciting while travelling to places. My son had his summer vacations and he asked me whether we could go to some distant place and I obliged to him immediately. After browsing the internet, I, along with my husband, decided that we would be travelling to Amsterdam in Netherlands. I checked out the Amsterdam flight hotel deals through my smartphone and accordingly did all the planning. Since I am an event manager by profession, I could arrange everything at a completely cheap rate thanks to my contacts and the Amsterdam flight hotel deals. We chose to travel by Qatar Airways as it is considered to be one of the best airways for this route. There wasn’t any direct international flight from Goa Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, so we had to travel from Goa to the Doha International Airport and from there to Amsterdam.
We had to board the first flight from Goa very early in the morning at around 3:50 am. We landed at the Doha International Airport at around 7:30 am and had to wait for around half an hour to board our next flight. We were really spellbound with the magnificence and massiveness of the Doha Airport but didn’t have any time to explore them. Our next flight was at 8:25 am and we reached Amsterdam at around 2:00 pm in the afternoon, thanks to the smooth journey on Qatar Airways flight. Staying healthy is a very important aspect of life. If you stay healthy you can work with efficiency. People who stay unhealthy by choice become a liability; they are unable to render their duties to their family, their workplace and to the society on the whole. Staying fit is the secret behind a successful and satisfied life. A healthy body allows you to stay energetic and hence passionate towards your job. If you do not exercise regularly and have a desk job you are bound to get out of shape. It is necessary that you keep a regular schedule for working and more importantly you should stick to it. I have realised that working out regularly gives me great satisfaction and the day I miss my workout I feel extremely frustrated. As your mind and body become habituated with healthy habits your routine will automatically change. You will find more time in your schedule because you will be able to complete your tasks way before the deadline. A larger free time for me means that I can spend more time with my husband and kid. This is the best incentive for staying fit for me. I exercise regularly in a set pattern. For me, doing something every day is more important than doing rigorous exercise on a particular day. I believe that to stay fit you need a combination of a good diet, good habits and regular workout. If you are not an athlete or sportsperson you do not need to spend hours in a gym.
If you find it difficult to push yourself to the gym then try to buy some cheap workout equipment at home. Take out some time at least 15 minutes every day to use those equipments and form a regular habit. Even if you can’t exercise 7 days a week at least go for a 5 days a week exercise regimen. Set small targets and provide incentives to yourself. Staying fit is a process and not a phenomenon and hence you should exercise regularly to have a better life rather than building a body for some occasion. Set a long term goal instead of short term fantasies. |
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This is Diana, I consider myself as a passionate individual. I believe that everything in life should be given equal importance, be it your job, family or hobbies. You don’t have to make sacrifices, you can enjoy everything if you plan it well. I’m a working mom, I love cooking, travel/vacation and photography. Through this blog, I want to share my life experiences and management/planning skills. I just want my readers to follow their passion and live a happy life.
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