Anne Frank House Amsterdam

Anne Frank House

Amsterdam

Anne Frank House Outside View

Prinsengracht 263-267, 1016 GV Amsterdam, Netherlands

So I would hope anyone reading this would know who Anne Frank is – if you don’t you need to pick up a book!

As most people already know Anne Frank was a German born, Jewish, diarist and writer who was killed during World War 2 in 1945. She is one of the most infamous and most spoken about victim of the Holocaust and she was killed with the rest of her family, with the exception of her father.

When I was on holiday in Amsterdam I visited Anne Franks house.

It is the actual house which has now been turned into a museum in dedication to herself, her family and the other families who hid there for over 2 years. The museum has been built around the house to preserve the building in its entirety.

It is really interesting to see and it is well worth a visit. The entrance to the annex is hidden behind a bookcase which was constructed to conceal the entrance. As part of the tour you walk through the entire house and see how everyone lived together.

There are quotes from Annes diary all through the house along with photographs, films, historical documents and original objects that belonged to those hiding. The people that helped the families stay hidden also by supplying them with food and news of the outside world are also discussed and they illustrate the events that took place within the house.



When we visited in January it wasn’t too bad, we only had to queue for a small amount of time before we got in though from others I have heard it gets crazy busy especially in summer so be prepared to wait. You do have to pay to get in but it isn’t too much roughly 9euro for an adult. 

However on the website it states that from the 1st of May 2016 they will be implementing a new entry system. 

From 9am – 3:30pm the museum will only be open to visitors with an online ticket for a particular slot that the ticket has been booked. After 3:30pm anyone else can visit and buy a ticket at the museum entrance only. So if visiting from May take this into consideration when planning ahead and don't get caught out.

Disney World Florida part 2 - Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom

Disney World!!

Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL 32830, United States

When I visited Florida on holiday (both times) the part I was most excited about was going to Disney World. I’m a just a big kid I love all things Disney and I was not disappointed.

There are four theme parks:

• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Plus two water parks:

• Disneys Typhoon Lagoon
• Disneys Blizzard Beach

All the parks have different opening hours which can be easily viewed on the website link I have given below. 

Magic Kingdom and Epcot tend to stay open the latest whilst the water parks and the Animal Kingdom always close the earliest. It’s worth just double checking before planning your trip.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

For visiting the parks there are different ticket options available such as a two week ticket which will gain you access to all. We bought this and it was not cheap but overall the parks are not cheap and it was still a better deal and just easier overall. We purchased it through our travel agent when we booked our trip.

You do have to pay for car parking but once you pay you can use that ticket for the rest of the day i.e. at one of the other parks or even leave and come back later at night say for the fireworks display.

You do have to pay for car parking but once you pay you can use that ticket for the rest of the day i.e. at one of the other parks or even leave and come back later at night say for the fireworks display.

Car parking charges depend on the size of your vehicle

• Car or motorcyle is $20 per day,
• Shuttle, trailer or rv is $22 per day,
• Bus is $25 per day.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

This was by far my favourite theme park from the four and we spent the most time here.

There was so much to do here and see I just loved it. There was a tour offering a look at old movie props kept on site.

My absolute favourite part of the park though had to be The Hollywood Tower of Terror ride. My partner hated it so naturally I made him go on loads of times cause I delight in the misery of others :P 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Also was very good. Had a large selection of animals but they weren't kept in cages. Instead they were allowed to wander in their own area and people were given tours on roads situated near or through the areas.
Lots of beautiful animals and the landscape was lovely as well.
There was 2 rides I really liked, the first one being the Kali river rapids which I got completely drenched on and the dye in my clothes ran so I was quite the sight! The second ride was expedition Everest. Both are really fun and worth trying out! 

Disney World Florida part 1 - Magic Kingdom and Epcot

Disney World!

Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL 32830, United States

When I went on holiday to Florida (both times) the part I was most excited about was going to Disney World.
I’m a just a big kid I love all things Disney and I was not disappointed.

There are four theme parks:

• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Plus two water parks:

• Disneys Typhoon Lagoon
• Disneys Blizzard Beach

All the parks have different opening hours which can be easily viewed on the website link I have given below. Magic Kingdom and Epcot tend to stay open the latest whilst the water parks and the Animal Kingdom always close the earliest. It’s worth just double checking before planning your trip.  

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

For visiting the parks there are different tickets available. Disney tickets are not cheap so it is worth shopping around. We bought a two week ticket which gave us access to all, all we had to do is scan it each time we entered. Disney tickets are not cheap and I will stress that. We bought this and it was not cheap but overall the parks are not cheap and it was still cheaper this way. 

You do have to pay for car parking but once you pay you can use that ticket for the rest of the day i.e. at one of the other parks or even leave and come back later at night say for the fireworks display.

Car parking charges depend on the size of your vehicle

• Car or motorcyle is $20 per day,
• Shuttle, trailer or rv is $22 per day,
• Bus is $25 per day.

Magic Kingdom

With the iconic castle that everyone is familiar with this park is amazing.

There is a restaurant inside the castle and also a beauty salon for children to be transformed into like princesses and princes. There are some very good rides such as the haunted mansion or it’s a small world. They have shows, characters street parades with everyone’s favourite Disney characters etc etc it’s just amazing.

You can get to this theme park by the train or the boat provided – the boat is a bit more interesting. At night time they do a huge fireworks display and it is amazing. I would fully recommend coming back later for the fireworks one night if, like us, you turn up too early on your first day and can’t stay awake long enough to see the display.

Again as mentioned above you can buy Disney passes which cover all park. Alternatively though you can buy single use ticket, e.g. Magic Kingdom tickets for one day only and only valid in that park.

Epcot

I found Epcot really quite dull and boring.

A good selection of places to eat and some nice plants but overall I didn’t really enjoy it and if I were to return to Disney I would not visit here again. It just didn't amaze me the way the other parks did.
Epcot is worth a visit if you have children as there is loads of stuff for them. Not so much for the big kids though.

Universal Studios Orlando, Florida

Universal Studios Orlando

6000 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819, United States.

No trip to Florida is complete without a visit to the Universal Orlando Resort theme park!!

Universal Resort is made up of two separate (but equally amazing) theme parks:

Universals Island of Adventure

&

Universal Studios Florida

When buying tickets to visit the parks there are many deals and offers available which can be viewed on the website below. The website has loads of information which is useful.

https://www.universalorlando.co.uk/

I would highly recommend visiting both parks as they are both really different and each has unique features and attractions. When I visited here it took us 2 days to cover both the parks as it was busy so queuing for rides and attractions was a little time consuming but it was well worth it. We even came back again for a further day at the end of the holiday before heading home.

Park 1 - Universals Island of Adventure

Island of Adventure was my favourite of the two parks and the one we spent the most of our time in.

The rides and attractions were amazing but some of the best rides were:

  · The Incredible Hulk coaster,

 · Doctor Dooms Fearfall,

     · Harry Potter Dragon Challenge,

     · Dudley Do Right Ripsaw Falls (you will get soaked!),

     · Harry Potter and the forbidden journey,

     · Poseidon Fury,

     · The Cat in the Hat (great for small children….or immature adults).

Universals Island of Adventure is made up of 6 differently themed areas. All 6 areas are meticulously detailed and just amazing to see.

 · The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Absolutely amazing. Features the Hogwarts castle which you can walk through, the Hogsmeade shops were you can buy butterbeer and then catch the Hogwarts express from the station which you can then ride to the adjoining theme park (granted you have paid to visit both). The level of detail is just incredible. 

· Marvel Super Hero Island. Based around various Marvel superheroes’ such as Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men etc.

· Toon Lagon. Features characters like Popeye and Bluto.

· Jurassic Park. No explanation really needed after the success of the films.

  · The Lost Continent.

  · Seuss Landing. Perfect for small families with young children. Some of the other areas tend to have quite large, fast rides. The rides in this area are based around the characters and creations of Dr Seuss.

Park 2 - Universal Studios Florida.

The studios, although my 2^nd favourite of the 2, was also an amazing theme park. Featuring Shrek, the minions, the Simpsons and many other popular characters there is something for everyone here.

Again made of various themed areas it is very easy to find something to suite all ages. For example there is area which features around the Simpsons. All the familiar sights of Springfield so for anyone who is a fan of the Simpsons this is worth a look. Or you can just buy a really huge donut if the area fails to impress the donut wont.

Some of the best rides/attractions in this area include:

  · Harry Potter and the escape from Gringotts,

 · The Hogwarts Express which you can board from platform 9 ¾ to the other theme park,

 · Despicable Me Minion ride,

 · Revenge of the Mummy rollercoaster,

 · The Simpson Ride,

 · Men in Black Alien Attack,

 · Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit rollercoaster.

Both parks are situated together at the address given above and it is a short 5 minute walk between them. There are a selection of shops and restaurants situated between both parks on the Universal Boardwalk.

Car parking is an additional cost at $20.00 for each car and $22.00 for RV and bus parking. You can leave though and return later the same day as long as you keep the parking ticket. Vallet parking is also additional at extra cost.

Artis Royal Zoo – Amsterdam Zoo

Artis Royal Zoo – Amsterdam Zoo

Located at – Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 1018 CZ Amsterdam, Netherlands.

   

I visited Amsterdam for a week in January this year and I wanted a clean, family friendly day out after days of seeing many of the other activities Amsterdam had to offer.

My partner was very reluctant to go to the zoo as I think he felt it didn’t really fit in with the Amsterdam image or the trip he had in mind for a couple’s getaway. Plus he had never heard of the zoo and had no idea Amsterdam even had one.

When we told people we had visited the zoo on our trip most people laughed at us and were surprised to find out Amsterdam has a zoo.

But turned out to be a great day, my partner and I both loved it and he even apologised for being so negative regarding the idea to begin with. It was an excellent way to spend a couple of hours.

The zoo is located right in the centre of Amsterdam at the address given above. It can be reached easily by car (car park available at €9), by tram 9 from Amsterdam Central or by tram 14 from Dam or by train to Waterlooplein which is the nearest train station and is roughly a 10 minute walk away.

We paid €20.50 each to get in and then an additional €2 for a map. You have to pay if you want a map which is a bit unfair but we felt the map was beneficial as it allowed us to plan our route and ensure we had saw the majority of the zoo so I would recommend buying a map.

Was a great day. Lots of interesting, exciting things to see. Think the highlight of the day was the baby giraffe (that was still easily about 10 feet tall) which caused a lot of excitement.

The only negative aspect of the visit was with the aquarium. Although the zoo doesn’t close until 6pm the aquarium closes much earlier at roughly 4.30pm and so we never manged to see everything in here. If we had known it would be closing earlier than the rest of the zoo we would have altered our route and gone here first. When we bought our tickets it was not mentioned to us and it was not mentioned anywhere on the map – they should tell guests this so they can plan ahead and take this into consideration.