The Family Page

December 2007

by Janette Soest

It’s that glitter and glamour time of the year again (speaking of glitter and glamour….. for those of you who haven’t got tickets for THE event of the year, the BritSoc Christmas Ball, you’re probably too late). Is it me, or does it all come around quicker every year?

Unless you are a member of the bah-hum- bug club, I would always recommend a visit to a Christmas Market. Yes, I know they can get horribly busy and you end up buying lots of stuff you don’t need but—warmed up by a couple of glasses of gluhwijn—they usually hit the spot in terms of ambience. Check out “www.kerstmarkt.startkabel.nl”http://www.kerstmarkt.startkabel.nl for a list of all the markets in NL and beyond.

Cologne is one of my favourites and a great excuse to visit this lovely city. A little further afield is Prague, which I have also heard is wonderful in December although like Cologne, also very busy. Closer to home the Dickensian themed market in Deventer is much loved by the Dutch as is the Fluweelengrot (Velvet Cave) in Valkenburg. The latter inhabits a labyrinth under the historic (1050) castle discovered in 1937. This year they have a Christmas elves theme. Their website warns of queues to get in so if you plan to go, go early or late. At the weekend they are open 10am-9pm and during the week 12-8pm. Entrance is €3.75 for adults and €1.75 for children. In Amsterdam, Christ Church usually has a Carol Service and/or other family oriented services in December. As of writing there was no info on the website but check it out nearer the time for more details. www.christchurch.nl

Two other favourite annual activities for us are the annual Christmas circus at the Carre theatre and a visit to the festively-bedecked Sprookjeswonderland in Enkhuizen.

This year the Carre celebrates 120 years of the Christmas circus with an international cast of 100—it should be worth a visit. Sprookjeswonderland is in my view one of the best value kids parks in Holland. An old fashioned family run and developed park with lots of fairytale sculptures and play areas (no rollercoasters etc). A great day out for kids up to about 6 or 7 and extra special at Christmas time. Wrap up warmly, though, as there are not many indoor activities. Entrance costs €6.50 and this year the park is open on 15th and 16th December and then from the 22/12 until 6/1.

For those of you celebrating at home, in or around Amsterdam I have heard that you can pick up a ready-prepared Turkey dinner at the Marriot Hotel by the Leidseplein. Again no real information yet available but give them a call in December if you are interested.

Now for something completely different: Andy Warhol at the Stedelijk Museum. I recently visited this exhibition with my daughter and a friend. It is on until 13 January and worth a look if you want an escape from all that is Christmas-y. It is certainly a very large col- lection of all his work and an interesting peek into the world that was the Factory. I personally find multimedia-type exhibits generally inaccessible, and I was not proved wrong. The photography and other installations were more interesting. I also had to steer my daughter past some of those exhibits with a pornographic element, but it was quite easy to avoid if you kept your eyes open. The silver clouds exhibit (made up of about 10 gas filled silver balloons) seemed to keep a number of the much younger visitors amused. We combined our visit with a look inside (and lunch on the 7th floor) of the wonderfully impressive and recently opened Central Library next door to the Stedelijk Museum. The La Place restaurant is huge with a great view of the City and a balcony area for the summer. If you haven’t already been to visit it is definitely worth a trip. With a young family in tow you could even take it in turns to have a quick whizz around the Warhol exhibition!

That just leaves me space to wish you all peaceful and joyful festivities, until 2008, or maybe at the Christmas Ball!

Janette Soest

December Tips for Trips at a Glance