We’ve visited this historic gem, one of our favorite cities, often, but never during the Christmas holidays – and what a sparkling beauty it is!
An  enormous tree greets us in front of the central train station, and an intriguing Christmas Market lines the street from the station to Dam. What a delight it is – with each booth different (not cookie-cutter, like those lined up Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence or the Champs Elysees in Paris) and with wonderful local items to sell  – hearty Dutch rounds of cheese, of course,
hot- off- the -griddle StroopWafles, slathered with warm caramel, a booth selling tools made of chocolate, a fortune teller cozy in her cute little wagon. And above it all, colorful presents dangling from the trees.
Magna Plaza center’s decorated ( with a tree hanging from the ceiling!), and as we walk, nearly every shop offers drinks and snacks and the streets feel like a party – complete with shop-til- you- drop inducing music.
Of course the canals have to show off too!  We take an evening boat tour called Water Color Lights, leaving from near the train station, with a dramatic Buckminster Fuller Dome afloat.
We quietly glide by crouching lions and tigers,
and a proud schooner of yore,and then wander an hour along the smaller canals on foot, enjoying the personal holiday touches, such as these Christmas trees on all four floors of a typical tall skinny Amsterdam home, and a sparkly boat or two under glittering trees.
Back to the Dam, with yet another enormous Christmas tree –  Amsterdam truly provides a delightful holiday visit!

************************************************************************************The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we’re interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We’ve visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with our Music and Markets guests.
Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and the south of France.
While both of us have experience in organizing travel and music groups Kirk’s background is in project management and competitive writing, and Anne is an accomplished pianist with over thirty years of teaching experience, and a travel and food writer specializing in France and Italy.