Boxing Day. Brand new day, and a brand new plan. We were intending to leave Amsterdam and head for Cologne in Germany. But we have now decided to head for Berlin instead. About a 650km trip. Why the change? Why not. Besides, its Berlin, one of the must see cities of Europe. Trip promises to be uneventful, freeway all the way. According to the GPS in the car should take about 6 hours. Still dark when we left, and drizzling rain. Hopefully weather won't turn ...

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 "...

17/12/2011: Belgium. Crossed the border about 10am. I swear the temperature dropped by 2-3 degrees as we did. Stopped for a coffee at a truck stop - nearly froze getting back to the car. Closer to Brussels, we noticed a light covering of snow on the fields. No wonder it feels colder here!!. It wasn't our intention to go to Brussels (big city and all that). But we came across a great hotel deal on the net - 4 1/2 star hotel offering rooms with breakfast for ...

Today we traveled to Amiens, northern France. Weather is definitely not kind to us today. Squally winds and rain all the way. Good day for sightseeing by car. The trip takes about 3 hours of freeway driving. Not a very interesting drive, but given the conditions probably the most sensible way. By the time we get to Amiens and find our hotel, The temp has dropped to about 4 degrees, the wind is near gale force, and the rain is freezing. Still, we're only he...