In the Indische buurt, hidden in a small side street, a huge church-like building shelters a big sauna. Being the only visitor on an early Saturday afternoon,  the enormous Finnish sauna, the Turkish steambath, the solarium, the relax room upstairs and the bar looked deserted. The sauna is very simple and old fashioned, but cosy and pleasant. The entrance fee is 12 EUR, to be paid cash.

Halmaheirastraat 28
1094 RD Amsterdam
(0)20 – 774 91 80
http://www.saunacaprice.nl/

In Oud Zuid, at Culture Center De Binnenpret, the sauna has a rather ecological character, where the stress is put on promoting a ecologically responsable lifestyle. A team of volunteers is ready to give a wide range of long massages for only 25 EUR an hour.
The prices for using all the facilities of the sauna (Finnish sauna, Turkish steambath etc.etc.) vary around 8 EUR depending when you leave.

De Binnenpret complex
1ste Schinkelstraat 14-16
1075TX Amsterdam
(020) – 6716780
http://www.saunafenomeen.nl/faq.html

Other saunas in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Forest: Heart of Amsterdam, http://www.zuiveramsterdam.nl/en/home/
Keizersgracht:http://www.saunadekeizer.nl/
Heart of Amsterdam, Herengracht: http://www.saunadeco.nl/
Gay Sauna in the Center: http://www.thermossauna.nl/0index.html

Enjoy!

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.

Last week I was looking for good black hash and De Tweede Kamer seems to be one of the most recommended places in Amsterdam.
Open since 20 years they have some of the best hash and weed in town, from Holland, Afghanistan, Morocco.. It’s not very cheap, but can be ok.

I would suggest avoiding the most expensive qualities, at less you are so rich that you don’t care, because for what I know is not acceptable. Especially some hash that are made here in Nederlands are nothing so special and they could cost much less. But everyone is free to spend his money in the way he wants.
De Tweede Kamer, which in Dutch means “Second Chamber” and refers to the upper house of the Dutch Parliament, is located in the center, just few minutes walking from the Dam.

Heisteeg 6 Tel. +31 (0)20 – 4222236
1012WC Amsterdam
Nederland (Noord-Holland)
Opening Hours
Sunday – Thursday 10 am – 1 a.m.
Friday and Saturday 10 am – 2 a.m

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.

Hi there, if you like LP’s records,  I suggest a visit to this shop where you can find every music genre and a collection of 20 thousands vinyl records. Cheap prices and nice atmosphere, you can spent few hours listening records and looking for good bargain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbHPFkXopA

Second Life Music is located in Prinsegracht 366 and open everyday from 1 to 6 o’clock in the afternoon.

tram 1, 2, 5, 7 e 10.

Have a good one.

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.

If you arrive in Amsterdam and the sun is shining you should consider yourself a very very lucky person. Hence forget that you are a tourist and act as an Amsterdammer. How? Just enjoy every sunny second! A good way of doing it is relaxing in the parks:

The famous and central Vondelpark, with its film museum and nice bars on the water:

Westerpark with statues in the lakes and the former Gas-Fabriek: an industial building turned in bar and cinema.

The romantic and old Sarphatipark, in De Pijp.

Oosterpark, close to the Tropen Museum.

Rembrandt Park, more wilde, quite and relaxing.

Erasmuspark, in the West.

Amsterdam Bos: the Amsterdam forest, with its open air theater and its cheese farms.

And don’t forget to have some sex in the parks.

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.

At the moment I’m in love

with lambic and belgium beers in general, but there are a lot more.

Interesting alternative people use to drop by there around 5/6 o’clock p.m. so you can also meet someone to ask for some tips for your journey or just enjoy your passion for nice beers with friendly people.

Sitting on a crate of beers outside in the sun I met a beautiful “butterfly” some weeks ago..

Salute!

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.

Ducks!

These wonderful birds are the real citizens of this city. They are everywhere. Take your bike for a daily ride and watch them having a meeting in Vondelpark (where the usually discuss about foreign policy and coffee shops), along the river Amstel where they love to have water-picnic or into a painting of Willem Maris.

You can ignore them, think they don’t care you but this is not true! They miss you when you go back to your country inside that enormous duck called Transavia or KLM or whatever! Two weeks ago I risked my life for two of them: a mother with her baby duck were crossing a big street located in west Amsterdam: I parked my bike right away and I blocked the traffic. A dutch man smiled to me from his car: my mission was accomplisced. And… maybe you don’t believe… but I did the same thing in the highway A4 near Delft: I saved a mother with 6 chicks. But this is another story.

Anyway, in Amsterdam you will mainly find four different subfamilies of ducks or anatidae:

• Mute Swans (Cygnus olor),
• Egyptian Goose,
• Mallard,
• Anser anser domesticus (Subfamily: Anser)
  

Other common birds crossing the dutch skies are: water chicks (Gallinula chloropus) and the Great blue heron, better known as “the pirate”.

If you are a fan of ducks like me, put your comment. QUACK!

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.

Sri Krishna and his holy flute

Kirtan , from sanscrit “to repeat”, is a yoga spiritual practice, part of the Mantra Yoga’s system and mentioned in the Tantra Shastras, an Indian’s Holy Writ.

A nice Kirtan is a good and funny way to refresh our energies and recreate ourselves, to armonize our mind and body forgetting daily problems and stress. Singing mantras and playing instruments with positive thinking people relax our biological system and help our mind to get rid of prejudice, obsessions, fears and inhibitions.

Art of Music, in fact, is one of the older way to take us into the meditation state.

some extra info about kirtan:

http://hinduism.about.com/od/audiomusic/a/kirtan.htm

http://www.kirtan.org/what_is_kirtan.php

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.

The Binnenpret is a social center in South-west of Amsterdam, close to the Vondelpark.

Originally it was an horse tram station which was closed in 1920. Then different private workshops and small factories until the spaces were abandoned at the end of ’70’s. Since 1984 the building have been reused for social and artistic activities.

The place consists of three different buildings and a nice, cozy garden in the center, with a lot of different uses: The Occii, concert hall, cine forum, bar; the MKZ, the popular restaurant; a theater; a music practice room; an info cafe’; a sauna; a bike workshop. Some artist’s ateliers and residence.

You can pass by during the afternoon to have a cheap coffee’ or beer, a bit of relax in the sauna (very cheap, 9 euro for the entire afternoon and evening or 4 euro from 10 pm. to 11 pm. with a bar inside where you can eat a snake or drink a tea). Have a cheap and good dinner, enjoy some gigs or performance. Speak with people from everywhere or just enjoy a book in the calm of the garden.

This blog is run by LivingAmsterdam.com, an initiative of Robin Travels to promote the Socially Responsible Tourism.