On my interrail trip across Europe in 2008, I decided to begin my journey across the continent in Amsterdam. Amsterdam was a ‘must see’ for me and should be for any backpacker.
Considering its location, Amsterdam is a logical place to start your interrail trip. You can head south to France via Belgium, or you can head east to Germany. Whichever path you decide to take, Amsterdam is beautiful city and well worth a couple days of your time.
Amsterdam Canal
Amsterdam is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the North.’ It’s full of picturesque canals, 17th Century cobblestone streets, beautiful parks, famed coffeeshops, and terrific museums. And, well, prostitutes. With decriminalized drugs and legalized prostitution, Amsterdam undoubtedly has quite the reputation among backpackers. But if you visit Amsterdam and walk away only knowing the Red Light District and a couple of coffee shops, you’ve missed out.
Don’t miss …
The Van Gogh Museum – though it’s a trek from the city center, this museum can’t be missed. It houses the lagest Van Gogh collection in the world and is an amazing place to spend a day.
The Houseboat Museum – on many of Amsterdam’s canals, you’ll come across houseboats which serve as homes for many of Amsterdam’s permanent residents. This small museum (or houseboat) gives you a taste of what life living in a boat would be like. Well worth your four Euros.
The narrowest house – Amsterdam’s (and perhaps the world’s) narrowest house is found at Singel 7. It’s only three feet wide and is certainly a site to see.
Today’s guest post was submitted by Nicole Graham. Nicole has a passion for Scotland that is probably unsurpassed by few.
Nicole has also written a great post about her hometown and favorite city in the world, Edinburgh – read about her perspective of Scotland’s capital here.
Many people often come to Scotland for a city break, whether it’s Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, or Aberdeen. Some seem to forget about the rest of Scotland, and to me the most beautiful parts of this country are found by escaping the cities and heading out to the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Steeped in history dating back more than a thousand years, Scotland’s past is filled with stories of freedom fighters, clans and their lands, Kings, Queens, and bloody battles against the English.
Highlands
If you are planning a trip to Edinburgh and you’re short on time, think about taking a day trip out of the city and up into the most stunning scenery this country has to offer.
Haggis Adventure Tours offer one day round trip tours to Loch Ness, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The tour, the Loch Ness Hunter, heads north out of Edinburgh towards Stirling Castle, the Trossachs National Park, Rannoch Moor and the infamous Glencoe. It continues north through Fort William, home of Scotland’s highest peak Ben Nevis. You then follow the Great Glen and stop for lunch in the highland village of Fort Augustus on the banks of bonny Loch Ness. Here you have the option to take a boat trip out onto the Loch to perhaps do some monster spotting.
Loch Ness is definitely a must see sight in Scotland. Its mysterious, murky black water stretches over 24 miles up the Great Glen fault line and is 924m deep. All the water from England and Wales is still not enough to fill this monster of a Loch. Loch Ness is of course not just famous for its size and depth, it’s what’s lurking beneath that makes it probably one of the most famous bodies of water in the world – Nessie.
Loch Ness
After a couple of hours its back on the road again this time heading South down through ‘Monarch of the Glen’ country, Perthshire and a quick visit to the historic town of Dunkeld before heading back towards Edinburgh over the famous Forth Road Bridge.
This tour gives visitors a chance to see some of the most beautiful scenery Scotland has to offer in a day. It’s great for backpackers with a time schedule and a budget. Haggis Adventure Tours ensure that you learn something too – their informative guides will tell you stories of legends past and present, of Kings and Queens, and of bloody battles. They have an incredible passion for Scotland, its history, and its landscape, and they’ll leave you wanting to know and see more of this truly fascinating country.
If you are thinking of taking a day trip with Haggis Adventure Tours, here is some info to get you started:
Price: The one day tour will cost you GBP32 and includes a free packed lunch. Not bad considering it’s a full day.
Times: Tours run daily. They depart Edinburgh’s Royal Mile at 8am and return at 8pm.
If you have any additional questions about the tour, send them to matt@backpackingmatt.com and I’ll send it on to Nicole.
If you’re thinking of taxing a tour with Haggis Adventures (or their parent company, Radical Travel), do me a favor and book your trip with this link. I’ll earn a small but appreciated commission on your purchase. Cheers!
Below is an edited post which originally appeared on my first blog, ‘a year abroad.’ This blog allowed me to document my thoughts and stories from my travels around Ireland, Scotland, and mainland Europe. You’ll find these posts in their original format on this blog – also, I’ve decided to occasionally edit and repost some of these stories for any new readers which may be stopping by backpackingmatt. Enjoy!
My experience thus far in Turkey has at times left me speechless. The history and beauty of the country aside, Turkey is full of brilliant people. I have read so much about the kindness of the Turkish people. It has been amazing to finally experience the kind, hospitable, and outgoing culture first hand.
Unlike Western European countries who sometimes seem to have grown tired and sometimes bitter of the tourists which flock to their cities, Turkey embraces the tourist. Everywhere I’ve traveled, I’ve encountered a society which embraces tourists and goes out of their way to ensure you (as a traveler) have the best possible experience in their country.
Since arriving in Turkey, I’ve drank more tea and played more backgammon than I ever imagined was possible. Turkey is famous the world around for its coffee – brewed in its own, unique way. Turkish coffee is brewed in a special pot called a cezve; the pot is heated three times and each time taken away from the heat when the foam reaches the neck of the cezve. Prepared with sugar, Turkish coffee is thick and strong. To be honest, it’s not really to my liking. I’ve grown far more fond of the black tea which many of the Turkish drink.
Brian, Peter, and I have spent a good deal of time in the traditional, Turkish Kahveane – an area where men congregate to drink tea, play the national game of tavla (backgamon), and socialize. Each time we walk into one of these Kahveanes, we are immediately recognized as tourists. The men in the Kahveanes
Backgammon
will always come to us, welcome us to Turkey, and do their best to speak with us – regardless of how good or bad their English is.
This isn’t unique to the Kahveanes. Wherever I’ve been, I’ve been almost overwhelmed with the number of people who go out of their way to speak with me. Even if their English is limited to, “Where are you from?” they do everything they can to make you feel welcome in their country. It’s very refreshing.
Two nights ago, Brian, Peter, and I were wandering the streets of Selcuk awaiting a pick up from our hostel. As we were walking, I was fiddling with my Turkish beads I had picked up at the bazaar in Izmir.
A man approached me on the street and let me know I was doing it all wrong … he took them from me, and began to spin them as the Turkish do. As he was doing this, the string on which the beads were attached broke. You could instantly see the embarrassment in his eyes. He insisted on taking me to his shop and fixing the beads for me.
The three of us followed him to his nearby shop. As he was working on my beads, he offered us tea. Wrongly, we first tried to object to his offer. The Turkish often are offended by the refusal of gifts or refreshments. After he continued to insist on the tea, we all accepted his offer. As we were talking, one of his mates came in and started talking with us as well. After the beads were fixed, we were invited to Ali’s Turkish carpet shop where we spent the next couple hours talking, playing tavla, learning about Turkish carpets, and drinking tea.
“You should never deny the offer for a cup of tea,” he told us. “In Turkey, we say that one cup of tea will lead to 40 years of friendship.”
Each summer, my family spends one week in Northern Minnesota. It’s a chilled out vacation – the relaxing, fishing, swimming, sunbathing, card-playing, eating, drinking, reading, catching up with old friends, and spending time with family type of vacation.
I love adventure travel. I love backpacking to new places. I love venturing off into the unknown. Yet this annual week-long holiday provides some great memories. There is something to be said for a trip that is routine, relaxing, and refreshing.
Lake Vermilion is found in Northern Minnesota. It’s Minnesota’s fifth largest lake, and is found a short hours drive from the Canadian Border. Lake Vermilion is a freshwater lake filled with rugged islands and miles, upon miles of untouched coastline. It’s a special place in a beautiful part of the US.
Misty Morning, Lake Vermilion
Nicole snapped this photo early one morning before we went fishing with my Dad. She calls it, ‘Misty Morning.’
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Kia Ora - I'm Matt. Adventurer, Instagrammer and New Zealand travel planning expert living in Queenstown, NZ. Founder of Planit NZ - New Zealand's largest travel planning & booking website.
Hello! I’m Matt. Thanks for checking out my blog. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for loads more New Zealand travel inspiration. Comment on one of my photos so I know you came from here!
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