A day in Amsterdam

Last weekend we drove to Holland. Yes you can do that from Paris. You can even take the train - something I'm going to do more of, now having been and loved it and not wanted to leave... We stayed with friends in Rotterdam in their beautiful apartment (more about that later) and then had a day trip in Amsterdam. I'd heard good things about the city, although admittedly mainly memories from friends who had visited the city during their youth to try and get their hand on illegal substances of the smoking variety. Luckily the city has cleaned up its questionable reputation and is now a destination for design, coffee, shopping, sightseeing and eating - all of my favourite things rolled into one. We managed to pack in a lot in eight hours, but this is definitely a city you need to spend a good 2-3 days in to really make the most of it. Here's a quick little guide if you're planning to go below, and hoping you like the photos. (It's not so easy to stop and snap every five minutes when you have a man in tow...)

Nine Streets

(great shopping area, where we spent most of our time)

- Coffee and Coconuts (Amsterdam's newest hotspot for coffee and breakfast - it's a huge three-storey space in a converted 1920s cinema)

- KOKO Coffee & Design (good coffee and clothes)

- HAY (amazing design and things for the home)

- WEEKDAY (for jeans & clothes)

- Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum (great magazine shop where we spent a small fortune)

- Wolvenstraat (good lunch place for tasty pizzas and sandwiches)

- Bloemenmarkt (flower market)