By Audrey Sykes in Amsterdam— On the surface Amsterdam’s café culture seems a little confusing and intimidating. If cafes serve beer and coffeeshops serve the “green goods,” where does one go for just a cup of joe? Here are some pointers. Ordering coffee? Ditch the details! If you’re craving a large mocha latte with 2% » Read more

By Audrey Sykes in Amsterdam— The preferred way to travel in Amsterdam is undoubtedly by bicycle, and bike tour possibilities abound. Know your options, however, before settling for just any old group cycle through the city. From beach cruises to picnic pedaling, here are my “top five” alternative bike tours that are offered in and » Read more

By Audrey Sykes in Amsterdam— The Dutch were never known for their exotic cuisine–bread, cheese and fries being the basics. Thankfully the Netherlands has a satisfying sweet tooth. When visiting Amsterdam, don’t hold back on indulging in these five sugary surprises that are simple, cheap, yet oh so tasty. 1. Appeltaart met slagroom Typical price: » Read more

Schipol Airport in Amsterdam gets its name from its former days as a large lake where ships easily sunk from bad weather – the translation literally means “ship hole” (insert joke here).  It’s the third largest airport in Europe and in the world for international passenger traffic. To help keep you afloat, here are some » Read more

Not sure how it happened, but somehow we missed the Tango Festival in Oulu last week. Yes, we know what you are thinking. You never knew they are quite so keen on colgadas and volcadas up there in the frozen north. All those carousels must be decidedly tricky on icy ground. If you associate the » Read more

By Audrey Sykes in Amsterdam— Amsterdam by bike is the best way to see the city, hands down. The flat terrain guarantees a quick travel time, and there’s something special about the Holland breeze brushing your cheeks. Most importantly, as biking in this densely-populated city is the main form of transport, there are some important » Read more

By Pete Meyers—It’s officially “shoulder season,” Cheapos, and you know what that means: comfortable weather, more tolerable crowds, and most importantly…bargains galore! Best yet, even with fairly little advance planning there are plenty of cheap, last minute deals to be snagged. But where to go? We decided to tap into our inner-Van Gogh and searched » Read more

As summer rolls away in Amsterdam and fall brings in cooler temps, locals still flock to the beaches for one last hurrah. Luckily, the fun cafés, clubs and bars along the beaches of Zandvoort and IJburg throw grand finale parties until the last week of September. Getting to a beach in Holland is a breeze, » Read more

We had a friend from Russia staying over the weekend. “It’s so nice to be back in Europe again,” he said as we met him from the train in Berlin after his overnight journey from Kaliningrad. His comment made us ponder European geography. Kaliningrad is just 330 miles from Berlin and it is most certainly not » Read more