Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
When: 17-18 January 2015
Airline: Finnair
Flight route: Helsinki - Amsterdam - Helsinki
Duration: 2h 35 min
Price: 421,94 EUR / 2 adults
We had spent the earlier day in Rotterdam, see that 007 Travel story here.
Saturday 17th of January 2015
After the wonderful breakfast we checked out and took a taxi to Rotterdam Central Station.
We bought train tickets from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, that was 14,80 EUR / person.
From Amsterdam train station we took a taxi, and what a ride that was! The driver was aggressive towards other people while driving, he also was speeding and took photos of people he thought to have been in his way.
Anyway, he drove us to agreed meeting place, the Skinny Bridge, (also known as Magere Brug) which can be seen in Sean Connery´s Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971). Also Timothy Dalton´s non-Bond - movie "Hawks" (1988) has been partly filmed in Amsterdam as well as Pierce Brosnan's "Night Watch" (1995).
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| Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch, but commonly referred to as The Night Watch (Dutch: De Nachtwacht), is a 1642 painting by Rembrandt van Rijn. It is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as the best known painting in its collection. The Night Watch is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings. |
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| We saw the replica in the Heineken Experience |
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| Risico boat. Ian Fleming has written "Risico" (short story) which is a part of Bond book "For Your Eyes Only" (1960) |
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| Pirita & Mika / 007 Travelers |
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
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| Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith) and Mr. Wint (Bruce Glover) Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
We met our Dutch friend and collegue Remmert Van Braam, also known as Mr. Bond Lifestyle. You can find his website here.
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| Mika / 007 Travelers & Remmert Van Braam / Bond Lifestyle |
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
He showed us Amsterdam´s Bond places, and of course the Skinny Bridge was one of them. In the movie Mr. Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith) take photographs of Mrs. Whistler's (Margaret Lacey) dead body.
Remmert also took us to see Tiffany Case´s (Jill St. John) house, where we also took some photos.
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
Later after Mr. Bond Lifestyle left, we visited the address Stadhouderskade 78, 1072 AE Amsterdam, there is The Heineken Experience, the ticket was 16,00 EUR / person when we bought them from Tours & Ticket at Damrak 26, we got 2 euros discount that way. The tour lasts 1,5 hours, we had some beer marks in order to drink and learn.
The tour was fun and interesting. We bottled our own 007 Travelers beer!
Heineken is of course a co-operation partner for Bond and has been since "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997). First time we saw Bond drinking Heineken beer was in "Skyfall" (2012).
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| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
After that experience we were hungry and we had dinner in Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam, at address Max Euweplein 57.
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| Photo: www.skysrapercity.com |
It was time to check in, our hotel was of course Hilton Amsterdam. Hilton Amsterdam hotel is famous for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous 1969 ‘bed-in for peace’. Room 902.
Hotel: Hilton Amsterdam *****
Address: Apollolaan 138, 1077 BG, Amsterdam
Price: 179,25 EUR, including breakfast, booked directly from the hotel
Room type: Hilton Deluxe Plus Room
Bond connection: Bond spends night here in John Gardner's "Icebreaker" (1983).
"Bond finally made Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, at four in the morning. He took a cab straight to the Hilton International, where even at that early hour, he was able to book a seat on the Finnair 846, leaving for Helsinki at five-thirty that evening."
John Gardner: "Icebreaker"
In the evening we explored the city and noticed that it was the last night of Amsterdam Light Festival going on and we participated in Water Colors Cruise, tickets from LOVERS, 19,00 EUR / person.
75 minutes cruise through the charming canals of Amsterdam and we were enchanted by the illuminated canal houses, bridges and art works and we experienced the unique atmosphere from the water.
Sunday 18th of January 2015
After the breakfast we visited Madame Tussauds Amsterdam at address Dam 20, and of course we found Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig and Sean Connery there!
Who else....let´s see!
Adele, who sings the title song for "Skyfall" (2012)
See the whole soundtrack here.
Madonna, who sings the title song for "Die Another Day" (2002)
See the whole soundtrack here.
See more BOND SOUNDTRACKS here
We had also time to participate in City Sightseeing Amsterdam´s Hop On - Hop Off tour:
The stops were:
1. Central Station:
- Departures Bus excursions
- Canal Cruises
- Body Worlds
- Dam Square
2. Amrath Hotel
- Science Center Nemo
- National Maritime Museum
- Sea Palace
- Red Light District / Red Lights Secrets
3. Windmill / East
- Windmill de Gooyer
- Dapper Market
- Tropical Museum
4. Artis Royal Zoo
- Plantage District
- Resistance Museum
- National Maritime Museum
- Micropia
5. Gassan Diamonds
- Jewish Quarter
- Delft Blue Store
- Rembrandt House Museum
- Waterlooplein Flea Market
6. Jewish Historical Museum
- Portugese Synagoge
- Hermitage Museum
- Amsterdam Icebar
- Rembrandt Square
7. Sarphatistraat
- Skinny Bridge
- Amstel Hotel
- Royal Theatre Carré
8. Heineken Experience
- Heineken Experience
- Albert Cuyp market
- Canal cruises
- Pijp District
9. Museum Square
- Rijksmuseum
- Van Gogh Museum
- Stedelijk Museum
- House of Bols
- Diamond Museum
- Concertgebouw
- I Amsterdam sign
10. Vondelpark
- Vondel Park
- Leidse Square
- Hard Rock Café
- Holland Casino
11. Westermarket
- Wester Church
- Anne Frank House
- Jordaan District
- 9 Streets
12. Amsterdam Museum
- Kalverstraat
- Amsterdam Museum
- The Amsterdam Dungeon
- Madame Tussauds
- Yab Yum Brothel museum
- Flower market
- Torture museum
- Dam Square
After that tour we went back to our hotel and had ice creams and we checked out. It was time to fly back to Finland.
"The Finnair DC9-50 that was Flight 846 from Amsterdam to Helsinki began its final approach at 9.45 that evening. Looking down on the lights, diffused by the cold and snow, Bond wondered if the other three had already reached Finland. In the short time since his last visit more snow had fallen, and the aircraft put down on an ice-cleared runway which was, in reality, a cutting through snow banks rising on either side, higher than the DC9-50 itself."
John Gardner: "Icebreaker"
We had the same Flight number (846) from Amsterdam to Helsinki as James Bond.
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| James Bond and 007 Travelers had both the Flight number 846. |
Stay tuned for our next 007 location hunting trip......to Austria´s Vienna!
See more 007 Travel stories here
Very very useful post! Trains will be very much filled in the peak hours, specially in the mornings before 9 AM, and at 9 AM the reduction for who bought a reduction card starts, so the first train after 9 is filled very well too, although mostly not to the point you will have to stand.
ReplyDeleteIf you really want to sit, you can pay the 60% extra for the ticket and travel first class. Seats are not guarantied but it is very much more likely that you will be able to find a seat.
Most people do not bother, if they do not need to travel early in the morning they just wait till after 9 and find a seat everywhere in the train.
Utrecht to Rotterdam is very much a commuters train, as are most within the Netherlands. And even the few 'long distance' trains running for up to 4 hours max, are used as commuter trains to and from the cities they pass through. So if you have to travel a long distance you will never have to stand beyond the next city.Thanks:)
Best post!!!!!There is no such thing as an actual paper ticket these days. All the flight and reservation data is in the airline's computer. Most airlines allow you to print the boarding passes on your home printer, if you want. You can also get them at the airport, from a self-service kiosk (if available, it will be right near the airline's check in/baggage check desk), or from a ticket agent at the check in desk. Any of those ways are fine.
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Thanks for the comment :)
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