After a short drive we arrived in Amsterdam. Julie is still extolling the virtues of the Dutch - wide streets, courteous drivers, well ordered layout, wide footpaths to walk on. Her well defined sense of order is placated. Not that we didn't enjoy the chaos and free for all attitude that dominates France and Italy - but the Netherlands seems a bit calmer, a bit more relaxing. Found the apartment we are staying in, phoned the owner but were told it wasn't rea...

Had a great time looking around Brussels. We were pleasantly surprised as we were probably expecting something different, not the vibrant picturesque city we experienced. Would definitely recommend a visit. We still have a day to kill before we have to be in Amsterdam, so a quick search of Google maps was in order to find somewhere for a quick visit. Decided on going to The Hague, about 50km from Amsterdam. Right, hands up those who thought, like me, that "...