In article ,
writes
On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 19:40:41 -0000, "Natalie"
wrote:



My brief is the Gardens, the Tulip Fields and a visit to Amsterdam with
a Barge trip. I have to plan it for 30 April - 4 May 2004. Quite a way
off I know, but the AGM is at the end of this month when I have to
present the whole thing.

So far one coach load but I think it just may be more :-))

Any input welcomed

Many thanks

Mike


I personally wouldn't bother visiting Amsterdam...unless your group is
interested in the Anne Frank House or Art Museums. Delft and Leiden are
much nicer towns with all the charm of the Dutch canals. The bulb fields
are amazing and can be seen just driving around the area. There are boat
trips where you go past an incredible number of windmills.

I wouldn't knock yourself out to get to Amsterdam because you won't
have time to do it justice in one visit and it is easy to get to by
air, or by ferry and coach, from the UK, so you can do it another
time.

We have been to Amsterdam a number of times and tick a few more things
off each time (our current favourite is the Van Gogh Museum) . We did
a day trip to Leiden on one visit (Dutch trains are excellent and
Leiden is on the main line between Amsterdam, Den Haag and Rotterdam).
We found it much as Natalie describes, compared to Amsterdam, and
decided to base ourselves in the area next time we went to Holland.
That was last summer, when we actually stayed at Noordwijk-aan-Zee
(mind the Gatso on the road out of Noordwijk towards Leiden, it has a
hair trigger...). We went to the Leiden Botanical Gardens on our
first visit to the town. It is not brilliantly signposted, so try to
find a map, or take a circular canal trip which will go past it. I
thought it was very interesting but then I haven't been to Kew. Irene
has been to Kew and said it was on a completely different scale (which
I think I had already guessed).

We like Holland, so may be biased, but I think you will find it
difficult not to enjoy yourselves unless the trip is particularly
badly organised. Just mind the cakes in those coffee shops...


Many thanks for your comments and recommendations.

With regards to being 'badly organised', before I started organising
reunions I went to a couple which weren't organised at all. It was a 'We
will meet at so and so and the hotels to stay at are 'A', 'B' or 'C''
This was a weekend 'do' and many of us were at a loose end.

I now organise the hotel, the timetable, at least one trip out and the
entertainment (or at least ensure there is suitable entertainment) and
possibly the option of a second trip out. This one in Amsterdam is on
the grounds of a recommendation. The last 6 reunions I have organised
have resulted in a 'Mike same service again next year please', the word
then gets out and the bookings coming in all ready. And all of this is a
hobby :-)) My reward is seeing people enjoy themselves and I get to the
reunions as well :-) The reunion of the 28th Feb to the 2nd March was
one where many people were meeting for the first time in 33 years. The
first commission of H.M.S.Andromeda in 1969 and their Captain came as
well :-))


Mike

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.collingwoodassoc.org.uk/ Reunion. Chatham May 30th - June 2nd

Castle Class Corvettes Assn. Reunion October 2003 Isle of Wight.
National Service (RAF) Association reunion. Nov 2003 Scarborough.