Christmas in Amsterdam

Greetings from Amsterdam and Merry Christmas
We are now relaxing into Christmas night.We have had a lovely day being spoiled at Jo and Jared's place in Haarlem.(check the shot from their balcony) We(John and I and Jo's parents Jillian and Struan who are in the next room to us in the hotel) made our way to them via tram and train to share the day with them and Kimberley.They have a lovely apartment over a fruit shop,opposite a shop selling religious images and down the street from a "coffee shop".The apartment is very modern with beautifully matched furniture newly unpacked from Ikea as they only got back from NZ and into this place last week!The balcony off the kitchen has the added benefit of acting as a fridge at the moment,(check the photo) as it is snow covered!Jo had made a Dutch dish as well as the usual foods all cooked on a micro wave/convection oven.They did a great job (see the photo) and we had presents to share as well.

Yesterday we arrived from Luton Airport on a flight which was only delayed about half an hour which is evidently quite usual for EasyJet! The distance between The Netherlands and the UK is such that the actual flight only took 50 minutes.Jared met us at Schipol Airport and we had an instructive set of rides into Ansterdam via tram and train.Jared has all this sussed as you can imagine!

On Thursday we went into London early on the train from Stevenage.Jan came with us as she wanted to get some last-minute things.After getting our suitcases put safely into the Lost Luggage Office we went to Jan's hotel off Oxford street. We walked through the shopping hordes under the lights and passing by the shop windows, we made our way to the Dean's Yard of Westminster to find that the system had worked. We had tickets for the 6.00pm. Carol service which I had booked by email months before.To fill in the time before we could get into the Abbey, we went back to a pub we had visited last trip opposite Parliament with Jan (dated 1777).A short sojourn in the Westminster Abbey shops was needed and John saved a place in the queue.Following advice from a couple we were talking to in the queue who had been before meant that we chose good seats. The seats were facing as they do here and we sat beside the grave of a man who had been the Constable of the Tower and died in 1872. OUr seats were opposite the nave lectern and about 20 metres from the Quire Screen and the Nativity scene.Since we were seated by a little after 5.00pm for a 6.00pm start, we had plenty of time to have a look around and even walk around a bit.I found Poets' Corner and the graves of Noael Coward and Dylan Thomas. There are lot of dead people in this place! Te actual service was great - good music and singing as well as an unusual choice of readings.The actor Anthony Andrews read one of them - very well.The processing of the choir right past a couple of times was also a feature - and the gorgeousness of the clerical vestments and that Quire Screen - as well as the glimpse I had of the altar were stunning.

So here we are in Amsterdam - the snow is settled on the ground and the pavements are a bit icey in parts. The city is a mixture of traditional architecture and some really ugly modern stuff. The the hotel we are in is very warm and comfortable - also a mix of the traditional and the modern.We are here for about amother week and we plan to do a bit of touristing as much as we can.