It’s at this time of year that I sing again Winter from Amsterdam.
Spring will come in due course and the clocks and nature will burst forward.
But as florid as the first season of the year is in the Netherlands’ biggest city why would you wish these last months of the calendar away?
November is a month special to us as it’s birthday season.
And as The Scary One plans where to take me, back at the start it was Amsterdam.
A ferry long time ago
When we took the ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland
It’s an option we are all being prompted to consider to help the environment.
And a cabin and a soppy film (Ghost, yes that long ago) made it an unforgettable date night.
We’ve been back since in the searing heat of late summer, and I’ll never complain about the sun.
But there is something special about the winter when the canals in Amsterdam freeze up.
It’s a prospect which was presented to us that last time at the Dylan Hotel when we stepped out into the balmy Dutch air on the Keizersgracht.
What a picture
The old photographs of Amsterdammers skating on the canals mark the city out as special and to be seen.
And special too the Dylan, home to George and Amal when they’re in the Netherlands, and Annie Lennox, and us
The Light of Amsterdam
Amsterdam Light Festival is an annual event during the winter holidays.
Dutch and international artists transform the city every year into a light spectacle.
The Light Festival starts at the end of November and runs until mid-January.
Two beautiful ice-skating rinks are set up every Christmas season in Leidseplein and Museumplein.
The first is surrounded by Christmas market stalls, and the second is by the Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk museum.
Swansterdam
RAI Theatre in Amsterdam will host the biggest Swan Lake Ballet between December 23rd and 27th.
The innovation of this spectacle is that instead of 16 swans, the performance expands to 48 swans.
Christmas Markets
Amsterdam is full of Christmas Markets during this time of the year.
Markets are not only spread across the city but also in nearby places like Haarlem and Leiden.
And why not be part of Rembrandtplein, and Leidseplein?
Food for thought
And Amsterdam is, of course, more than just cheese, crepes and tulips (yes, they eat them too).
The holidays cannot be experienced without trying Dutch delicacies.
Dutch hapjes (snacks) ) to try would be olieballen and appelbeignets; both traditional Dutch sweets deep fried (and I am a Glaswegian)!
They are part of the Christmas menu for the local people and easily found at this time of the year.
Wine and dine
Top off the festive period with High Wine at The Dylan,
It features a selection of four different wines from the cellar and four amuse-style bites selected by the Executive Chef Dennis Kuipers.
And to stay at the Dylan it’s €425 a night including breakfast excluding tax.
So, it might not be Spring again but let’s sing again Winter in Amsterdam.