However, Brouwerij ‘t IJ they did a courageous attempt to get rid of this stigma. And with some elements of success, as the beverage card features 10  local brewed beers.

A quick tasting of the first four tells that this attempt was rather fortunate.

A Friday afternoon is probably the best time to visit this old brewery that is located right next to an old windmill. In the pub, that slightly reminds the visitor of a tasting room, it is crowded with a vivid mixture of die hard locals just having finished their work and Loney Planet tourists.

Having drunk a few of their local brewed specialities like Natte and Zatte, people start to interact with each other and in only one hour an open minded and well willing traveller could get to know half of its local pub population. Besides, there are no other options than talking to the stranger next to you at the bar, as tables don’t seem to exist in the first area of the tasting room.

A sweet blonde one, an amber coloured bitter brew or a trappist beer, each beer has its own quality. With a local snack called Osseworst, a sausage of raw meat, and a portion of Dutch cheese with mustard a pub crawl should probably start here. Not end, because the brewery is officially not a pub and therefore closes at 8.00 PM.

The brewery is located on a stone’s throw from Artis Zoo.
The tasting room is open every day from 15.00 to 20.00

Regular guided tours of the brewery. A tour lasts about half an hour and are suitable for groups of up to a maximum of 30 people.

Brouwerij ‘t IJ
Funenkade 7
1018 AL, Amsterdam

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.

Who lives in Amsterdam knows how useful is to have a bike.

If you want to buy a new bike, you could pay up to 600 euro.
Stolen bikes (also known as Junkie Bikes) cost between 5 and 25 Euros, but it is not so politically correct to support the black market of stolen bikes.

In Spuistraat 84 you can find Vitor in his shop: Recycled bikes. www.recycledbicycles.org
At Recycled Bikes you can fix your bike as well as buy second hand bikes.

Vitor is a portuguese guy from Lisbon.
He combines old bike parts with new ones for building the bikes that he sells at his shop.
Remember that, when you fix your bike there, they don’t ike to replace pieces unless it is really necessary. At recycled bikes they always try to fix what is fixable. Less waste!

If you need a bike fix, Recycled bikes is cheap, fast, and the people there are always patient and kind.

Vitor
Recycled Bikes
Spuistraat 84
www.recycledbikes.org
06 64581429

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.

Located at the end of Harlemmerdijk, about 20 minutes walk from the Dam Square, with four auditorium and almost 400 seats,  The Movies is mainly an Arthouse Cinema, or an “author cinema” with a palimpsest of selected no commercial movies. By the way there is a diverse mix of titles accessible for the audience and special festival programs.

Inside the place there is also a cafè/restaurant, “the Movies Wild Kitchen”, where is possible to consume a nice dinner or just chill out at the bar before or after the movie, having a nice relaxing chat with your friends.

Good belgium beers, french and italians wine, nice and friendly staff and the art deco interiors make the place cozy and pleasant.

Prices are not so cheap but regular for Amsterdam’s cinemas and cafe. If you think to stay a bit longer in the city you can buy the strippenkart movies, ten entrance for 65 euro, a not personal card you can share with your friends (for a maximum of four tickets for show) and the filmdiner (dinner + movie) from 27 euro for person.

For reservations call: 6386016 or visit the page on the web.

Doei

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.