Saturday - Utrecht street market

Lovely monthly market in Utrecht, this time in a Christmas version and lasting till Sunday instead than just the customary Saturday.

http://destreekmarkt.nl/

Friday - Candle-lit Christmassy Gouda

Together with the Christmas Carol show, this has to be my favorite Christmassy thing to do in Holland.

The whole city shines in the warmth of flickering fairy lights and at between 19.00 and 20.00, the lights on the Markt are turned off and in each window on the square, including in the gothic city hall, a candle is lit.

It's truly magical and I warmly recommend it. It also includes many of side events.

http://eng.goudabijkaarslicht.nl/

Thursday - Our Dear Lord in the Attic

After a thread of churches becoming something else, this post kind of goes in the opposite direction, since it's part of a house (the upper floors) that hides a church.

Our Lord in the Attic is definitely the coolest museum in Amsterdam.

A facade of a XVII century canal house hides a church "carved" during the Reformation, when catholics where forbidden to practice their religion, at least in public.

http://www.opsolder.nl/eng/home.php

Copyright I Amsterdam

Wednesday - Amsterdam's hidden trasures

One comment I hear a lot from first time visitors to Amsterdam, is that they didn't like it a lot and found it tacky, messy and cheap looking.

The problem is, all first time visitors limit themselves to the Damrak, the Dam, the Red Light District and the occasional visit to Leidseplein, without even ever knowing about the existence of the Joordan or the Pijp, for instance.

A little, cute and hand-drawn map tries to put remedy to this by featuring the city's lesser known attractions: 9 Straatjes, small cafes, indipendent shops and smaller museums.

http://city-treasure-map.com

Tuesday - The (bike) hitchhiker's guide of The Netherlands

We all have seen couples, friends and family members biking this way, however an artist based in Utrecht, Mapije de Wit, went a step further: she installed Bike Hitchhiking signs in several spots in Utrecht, so if you have a free spot on the back of your bike and are going in the same direction, you can give someone a
bike-lift.

The Municipality of Utrecht is actually thinking about officially adopting the scheme.

http://mapije.com/v3/projecten/fiets-lift-plaats/

Copyright Mapije.com

Monday - Things to do in Rotterdam

A very late post but as we get closer to Christmas, days seems to be getting shorter and more hectic.

So today I will only be able to share a link I have found on the Independent with suggestions and tips on things to do in Rotterdam.

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/48-hours-in-rotterdam-8198260.html

Sunday - Laurenskerk in Rotterdam

A church that is still a church and hasn't been converted into anything fancy, is the Laurenskerk in Rotterdam, one of the few architectural survivors of the war's bombing.

For those who are interested, there are several services every Sunday. For all the others, it's still worth visiting, since they have a varied program of concerts and cultural events.

www.laurenskerkrotterdam.nl