June 24, 2011

Contest Winner, Barbara Jets Off to Amsterdam!

By Jamie Kerr | 1 comment

Earlier this year, two lucky crossword enthusiasts won big in our Cross the Word to Cross the World contest. The two winners won a trip to Amsterdam after completing a difficult crossword puzzle. Barbara, our first lucky winner, is heading to Amsterdam shortly, and with an exciting vacation planned, she was kind enough to share some of her itinerary highlights with us:

The town of Utrecht is located about 20 miles from Amsterdam

My sister, daughter and I are just days away from departing PDX for our non-stop trip to Amsterdam. We have been packing and planning for months, and it’s hard to believe the trip is almost here. We are all bursting with excitement.

We will be in Amsterdam for four nights, staying at a unique bed and breakfast just a few minutes from Central Station.

From there, we will bike to small towns surrounding the city – from Amersfoort to Utrecht to see the farmland and forests, and then to Haarlem to see the beach. My daughter and I are relying on my sister to be our tour guide, as she has been to Amsterdam several times and knows the area well.

After our stay in Amsterdam, we will take the Thalys speed train to Paris for two days of exploration. We are staying near Rue Cler Street, which is full of little shops and street vendors where we can buy flowers, pastries, fish, meat, clothes – you name it. My sister has planned a 4-hour bikeabout tour on the first morning we are there. After that we will explore shops, cafes and museums, hoping to soak up all we can in two days before heading back to Leiden in the Dutch province of South Holland for the final night of our trip.

Located on the River Spaarne, the beautiful coastal town of Haarlem is a great place to visit.

Photo Credits: Amsterdam Central Station (B&W), jelleprins; Utrecht, Daniele Faieta; Haarlem, anafreitas