http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19686 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19686 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19562 It’s among some lively coffeeshops and bars or is just a few hundred metres from the Van Gogh and Modern Art Museums for something more cultural!
Accommodation is cheap and includes breakfast and internet.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19562 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19563
This year’s highlights were Justice and Erol Alkan. Awesome performances!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19563 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19168 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19168 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18156
On summer weekends there is the Kwakoe Afro-Caribbean festival, which makes Notting Hill look like a family picnic. Football, food and kaseko and no multicultural pretensions.

When you get really hot and even the ginger beer don't work, take a dive in the sparkling clear waters of the Gaasperplas.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18156 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18155 Friday: Amsterdamse Poort
Saturday: Ganzenhoef]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18155 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18023
You can buy it from Holland Tourist Information at Schipol by credit card and it makes it easier to work out a budget for the rest of your stay and you can hop on and off the fantastic trams without having to worry about buying and stamping tickets.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18023 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18022
The room space is above average for the price and the beds are massive and comfy. The pod is like a four poster bed with a wetroom and stools attached at either end. It lodges in the World Trade Centre and so there are cafes etc in the building for breakfast and cyclist watching.

The women all seem to turn up for work in black high heel boots, cycling, of course, and the men struggle to steer and hold their briefcases at the same time. They then disappear underground on a moving walk way to park their bikes. Dutch transport efficiency at its best.

Anyway, it's well linked to Schipol airport (train) and to Centraal on number 5 line tram, all in the same station Zuid. Very good value for money and pleasant escape from the city rush.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18022 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17998 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17998 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15541
There's a limited but great-value repertoire here, and on an empty stomach the all-in get-your-hands-dirty dishes are to die for. If there's a group of you, order a variety of mains (all served on a stodgy bed of pancakes) and you can pull off a massive dinner for under 15 Euros per head.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15541 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/14005
It's very moderately priced and comes in 24-, 48-and 72-hour sizes and can be obtained at the VVV Information Offices of the Amsterdam Tourism & Convention Board.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/14005 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13944
If you get caught out after a long explore far from where you're staying or the weather turns, just fold up the bike and jump on the nearest public transport back.

The Brompton is the best folder and with the travel pannier, there's plenty of room for everything you need for a long weekend. It's a superb design too that always causes interest and therefore breaks the ice especially as it's actually one of the tiny handful of bikes still manufactured in the UK. Take a folding bike - you won't regret it!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13944 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12282 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/12282 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11189 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11189 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10371
Plancius, in the former Jewish quarter next door to the excellent Dutch Resistance Museum, is a busy modern restaurant popular with locals. We lunched on superb home-made soup and lighter-than-air omlettes, and had swift and friendly service.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10371 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10014 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10014 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9778
The hosts Jan and Cecile make every effort to make your stay a comfortable and enjoyable one. The breakfast is particularly recommended.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9778 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7051 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7051 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6304 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6304 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2181
Many of the exhibits take the form of personal testimony, written and verbal. There is a fascinating display of the ingenuity of people who hid radio transmitters in matchboxes or Vim containers and microfilm in a shaving razor.

The museum does not shy away from the difficult choices people had to, and did, make. Some chose to be actively involved, others helped when asked but didn’t volunteer their services, others refused. The museum makes no judgement on these decisions, rather it puts you in the position of thinking “what would I do were I in that situation” and asks you to imagine what it must have been like to try and carry on with a ‘normal’ life under an occupying force.

For a long time the question “What would I do?” stays in your thoughts.

Most of the exhibits have explanations in Dutch and English though some on the poster displays have not been translated from Dutch.

Entrance Fee: 4.50 euros
Open: 10.00am-5.00pm Tues-Fri
12.00-5.00pm Sat-Mon]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/2181